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The Guyra Ghost Mystery
Directed byJohn Cosgrove
Written byJohn Cosgrove
Produced byJohn Cosgrove
StarringJohn Cosgrove
Nellie Regan
CinematographyA.J. Moulton
Production
companies
Cogrove and Regan
Release date
  • 25 June 1921 (1921-06-25)[1]
Running time
five reels[2]
CountryAustralia
Languagesilent

The Guyra Ghost Mystery is a 1921 Australian film written and directed by John Cosgrove. It was based on the real-life 1921 mystery of the Guyra Ghost.[3][4]

It is considered a lost film.

Plot[edit]

In Guyra, New South Wales, the Bowen family are visited by ghosts. Sherlock Doyle, an expert in ghosts, goes to the town to investigate.

Cast[edit]

Background[edit]

The film is based on actual events. In April 1921, the family of William Bowen in Guyra reported knocking on the walls and stones being thrown on their roof.[6] This continued even when police and volunteers guarded the house.[7] A friend of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, then touring Australia, visited to help investigate.[8]

One of the children, Minnie Bowen, later confessed to throwing some stones and it is thought that practical jokers were behind it, but the mystery was never completely solved.[9][10][11] Since then, the mystery has continued to persist, including media released around the centenary.[6][12]

Production[edit]

The story became a media sensation in 1921 and several film projects based on it were announced but this was the only one made. It was partly funded by a Guyra exhibitor and shot on location in the town.[13] Cosgrove reportedly arrived in the town in May 1921, accompanied by a cameraman, and approached the Bowens directly asking for their co operation in making the film. They were reluctant at first but eventually agreed.[14]

The Bowen family themselves appear in the cast. It is unknown, however, if any other actual participants or internal locations were used.[7] The character of Sherlock Doyle was a spoof of Mr Moors, a friend of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Shooting took place in May."SYDNEY GOSSIP". Goulburn Evening Penny Post. New South Wales, Australia. 24 May 1921. p. 1 (EVENING). Retrieved 27 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia. One report says it was three days.,[13][15] another two weeks.[16][17][18]

The film, with a runtime of approximately 50 minutes, was advertised as containing "five reels of laughter" indicating it was a comedy.[2] The Bowens did not appear in the advertising posters.

Reception[edit]

The movie performed poorly at the box office. It was the only director credit for actor John Cosgrove, although he wrote the scripts of several other movies.[13]

"Should interest those who believe in ghosts," said one review.[19]

The film did not appear to be widely seen. One report said it "sat on the shelf" for three years.[15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "INVISIBLE DIVORCE". The Sunday Times. No. 1847. New South Wales, Australia. 19 June 1921. p. 14. Retrieved 27 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ a b "Advertising". The Port Macquarie News and Hastings River Advocate. New South Wales, Australia. 10 September 1921. p. 5. Retrieved 27 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ 'Final Verdict on the Guyra Ghost', Guyra Argus
  4. ^ Guyra Ghost at Unexplained Australia
  5. ^ "Advertising". Nepean Times. Vol. 38, no. 2024. New South Wales, Australia. 13 August 1921. p. 2. Retrieved 27 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ a b The Guyra Ghost – Part One | Forgotten Australia, retrieved 24 April 2022
  7. ^ a b The Guyra Ghost – Part Two | Forgotten Australia, retrieved 24 April 2022
  8. ^ "GUYRA GHOST". Daily Mail. No. 5867. Queensland, Australia. 23 April 1921. p. 5. Retrieved 27 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "GUYRA MYSTERY". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 April 1921. p. 9. Retrieved 28 July 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "A STAFF CORRESPONDENT RECALLS.... THE UNSOLVED RIDDLE OF GUYRA'S GHOST HERALD MAGAZINE SECTION". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 March 1954. p. 10. Retrieved 28 July 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "GUYRA GHOST". Daily Mail. No. 5873. Queensland, Australia. 30 April 1921. p. 14. Retrieved 27 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ Best, Daniel (13 August 2020). Mystery, Myth & Misdirection: Hunting the Guyra Ghost. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1-9842-4377-5.
  13. ^ a b c Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 106-107.
  14. ^ "Filming the Guyra Spook". The Richmond River Herald And Northern Districts Advertiser. Vol. 35, no. 2356. New South Wales, Australia. 20 May 1921. p. 7. Retrieved 27 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ a b "FILM MORALS AND MARKETS". Smith's Weekly. Vol. IV, no. 38. New South Wales, Australia. 11 November 1922. p. 12. Retrieved 27 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "SYDNEY GOSSIP". Goulburn Evening Penny Post. New South Wales, Australia. 24 May 1921. p. 1 (EVENING). Retrieved 27 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ ""THE GUYRA GHOST"". Truth. No. 1638. New South Wales, Australia. 29 May 1921. p. 4. Retrieved 27 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ Everyones, Everyones Ltd, 1920, retrieved 27 October 2018
  19. ^ "TABLOID REVIEWS". Smith's Weekly. Vol. III, no. 16. New South Wales, Australia. 11 June 1921. p. 10. Retrieved 27 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia.

External links[edit]

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guyra_Ghost_Mystery

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