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[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

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

Background

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

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

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

  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. 1 2 "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. 1 2 The Guyra Ghost – Part One | Forgotten Australia, retrieved 24 April 2022
  7. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 "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.
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