[AUSTRALIAN CINEMA] The Man from Snowy River. Hoyt’s Barkly, St. Kilda [and] Kinema, Albert Park … November 8, 9, 10 Three nights only …

[Melbourne : Hoyt’s Ltd., 1920]. Advertising postcard, 89 x 143 mm; recto with an Australian-themed chromolithographic design featuring two magpies, verso printed in red with schedule of forthcoming screenings of The Man from Snowy River at Hoyt’s picture theatres in St. Kilda (The Barkly) and Albert Park (The Kinema) on 8-9-10 November, and at Essendon Theatre the following week; superb condition.

A rare piece of advertising ephemera for The Man from Snowy River (1920), which is now considered a lost film.

Loosely based on the Banjo Paterson poem of the same name, the film starred Cyril Mackay as Jim Conroy, Stella Southern as Kitty Carewe, Tal Ordell as Stingey Smith, Hedda Barr as Helen Ross, John Cosgrove as Saltbush Bill, Robert MacKinnon as Dick Smith, John Faulkner as John Carewe, Charles Beetham as Bill Conroy, Dunstan Webb as Ryan, Nan Taylor as Mrs Potts, James Coleman as Trooper Scott, and Con Berthal as cook.

‘Beaumont Smith bought the film rights to all the works of Banjo Paterson and spent two years writing a script. The copyright was held by Angus Robertson in entirety but they passed some of the money on to Paterson. Smith incorporated characters from various Paterson works, including squatter’s daughter, Kitty Carewe, and swagman, Saltbush Bill. The character of Helen Ross, however, was Smith’s original invention. Smith later claimed the price of the film rights was the highest ever that had been paid in Australian cinema, with the exception of The Sentimental Bloke (1919).

In January 1919 Snowy Baker announced he would star in the film based on Smith’s script. It was reported that “a start has already been made with the picture on Mr. Erie McKellar’s station, where every facility is offered for the aiming of such thrills as the great ride from “Rio Grande,” the bushranging scenes from “Conroy’s Gap,” and the tight from “Salt Bush Bill”. Smith said the film would incorporate matters he had learned in America and would be released via E.J. Carroll.

However Baker wound up not appearing in the film. In November 1919 Smith announced he would make the movie in Hollywood, as an attempt to break into the US market. He left in November 1919 but returned to Sydney within six months, bringing back with him a documentary about Hollywood, A Journey through Filmland, which he released in Sydney in February 1921. In March 1920 he announced he would make the film in Australia. In May 1920 it was reported fIlming was delayed by the unavailability of film stock.

Smith used American talent available in Australia, including John K. Wells, who was assisting Wilfred Lucas on the Snowy Baker movies, and visiting actress Hedda Barr … Cyril Mackay was a stage actor who had retired after suffering a nervous breakdown. He came out of retirement to play the role.

The movie marks the film debut of movie star Stella Southern, who was working as a shop girl when discovered by Smith; he gave her the name for this film.

 “I believe it to be absolutely real”, said Smith, “honest Australian, without any artificiality, burlesque, or exaggeration of types. There are no bushrangers, there are only true Australian people, and the film is as clear as the air of Kosciusko itself, and I believe the public will like it be cause of this”.

Shooting began in June 1920 on location at Mulgoa, Wallacia and Luddenham in the Blue Mountains. In order to obtain footage for the climactic race, Smith held a race day and invited horsemen from the local area to participate in four races at Luddenham.‘ (Wikipedia)