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night, either in the box as assistant or involved film censor, but he was prepared to call for a
in the reel switches with the other theatres. police report about the incident.
Years later he told Ross King that the estimate
of several thousand people milling on Sydney The Herald story included a statement from
Road was an accurate one. the managing director of Hoyts Theatres Ltd.
(George Griffiths) that Hoyts could not
The Chief Commissioner of Police, General withdraw the film because “... his contracts
Blayney, anxious for an update, phoned the with the owners of the production would not
theatre and was told by Harry "the position is allow him to.”
serious!" By 9 pm, the stone throwing
increased and more people, including the local In a separate article “CENSOR WON'T
parish priest, tried to convince Harry that it BUDGE”, The Herald reported that “The
would be best not to show the film. In the face Commonwealth Film Censor, Professor
of united opinion, Harry relented and agreed Wallace, today noted that there was nothing
to stop the show. objectionable in the film The Callahans and
the Murphys. The Censor passed the film as a
The priest calmed the crowd of protesters who legitimate farce, believing that the people had
then dispersed. Harry then realised that he had enough sense of humour to regard it as a
a new problem - his faithful audience - and he farce.”
suggested to the Mayor and Councillors that
they should be the ones to explain from the And then, as if to pour petrol on a fire, he went
stage why the film would not be shown. This on to say, “If the title had been different - say
in turn aroused some hostility, but ultimately for example, The MacPhersons and the
only two people asked for refunds! So MacGregors, or The Smiths and the Joneses,
The Callahans and the Murphys were driven nothing would have been heard of the film.
The combined police forces cleared the out of that section of Brunswick for the night. The (Censorship board) does not make
entrance and ticket sales proceeded, but the decisions and does not then alter them if a
number of protesters kept increasing, so much Newspaper reports the following day, and for pistol is put at its head.”
so that the Mounted Police were also called days after, milked the story for all it was worth,
out. The mob then threw stones and other and in doing gave the film loads of free Prof. Wallace was probably deliberately
missiles through the theatre windows, striking publicity. The Age said straight out “the film ignoring the main issue. There never would be
some patrons seated in the circle. A ball contained scenes repugnant to persons of Irish a film about brawling, boozing Scottish
bearing hit the projectionist on the head, which descent ... stones, rotten eggs and other families, precisely because the racial
stunned him for long enough to have the missiles were thrown by a crowd numbering stereotype in such a case would be canniness
assistant take over. There was more excitement about 2,000, and consisting largely of young about money, and one often exploited in films.
outside than on the screen! men and girls.” The Age also stated that “In the
meantime, the film to which objection was There is nothing like controversy to turn a film
By 8.45 pm, the crowd of protesters was being taken was being screened at the into box office gold. MGM management in
estimated to be well over three thousand. As Alhambra theatre, half a mile further along Australia stated that the film in question had
the man-in-charge, Harry had to contend with Sydney Road, in perfect quietness.” been one of the most successful shows in
the entreaties of prominent citizens to abandon Sydney and that several applications had been
the show. They included the Mayor of The Argus related the general facts then made for repeat screenings.
Brunswick, Councillor Raeburn, two other considered the aftermath – “Legal difficulties
councillors and the Town Clerk. Harry phoned prevented the withdrawal of the picture, but it It took only one further generation to
the manager of the Alhambra, where the was agreed that it should not be exhibited after extinguish these particular sectarian enmities,
program was part of a three-way switch last night's performance until it had been and it was another film that proved it. John
between that theatre, the Lyric - also in Sydney reviewed, by the Censorship Board” Wayne in The Quiet Man (1952) packed in
Road - and the Empire. The manager at the every stereotype and cliché about the Irish
Alhambra must have told him to stay firm, The Sun was very excited by the goings-on: character imaginable, and all Australia loved
because Harry hung up and refused to stop the “POLICE USE BATONS IN QUELLING it! ★
show. Harry Junior was also working that IRISH FILM PROTEST - PICTURE
THEATRE STORMED BY ANGRY Credits:
CROWD - POLICE ATTACKED; EGGS Alan Windley, Ross King, Ian Smith, Mike
AND STONES ARE THROWN AT Trickett.
BRUNSWICK - TROOPERS HAD TO
CLEAR STREET” References:
Notes made by the late Harry Gratton Sr. in
The detail included mention of the rescue of a 1927.
Senior Constable “by the valiant conduct of
two priests.” The Sun, contradicting The Age, Frame by Frame – A history of Brunswick's
reported that no women were seen in the Picture Theatres by Laurie Cunningham 1995.
crowd. Only The Sun said that “an elderly
gentleman was struck by a police baton - an The Age, The Argus, The Sun, The Herald
action which he intended to report to the Chief newspapers: all 25 Nov. 1927
Commissioner”.

By Friday afternoon, The Herald had the
protesting crowd at 5000! It reported that a Ed Note:
deputation had seen the Chief Secretary to urge THE CALLAHANS AND THE MURPHYS (1927)
him to withdraw the film from all Victorian was a silent film produced by MGM. It is now
theatres. The Chief Secretary regarded as a Lost Film, only still publicity
(Mr. Prendergast) stated that the responsibility images from it remain.
for censorship was held by the Commonwealth

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