{{short description|1931 film}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}} {{Use Australian English|date=February 2012}} {{Infobox film | name = The Haunted Barn | image =File:Haunted_Barn.png

| caption = Labor Call 26 November 1931 | director = Gregan McMahon<br>E.A. Dietrich-Derrick | producer = F.W. Thring | writer = Thomas A. Swain | narrator = | starring = Thelma Scott | music = | cinematography = E.A. Dietrich-Derrick<br>Arthur Higgins | editing = | studio = Efftee Film Productions | distributor = Hoyts | released = {{Film date|1931|11|28|df=yes}} | runtime = 45 mins | country = Australia | language = English | budget = | gross = }} '''''The Haunted Barn''''' is a short 1931 Australian comedy film produced by F.W. Thring directed by Gregan McMahon. It was one of the first productions by Thring's Efftee Studios.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article29924144 |title=CINEMA NOTES. |newspaper=The Mercury |location=Hobart, Tas. |date=11 September 1931 |accessdate=22 January 2012 |page=5 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The film was produced to support of the feature ''Diggers'' (1931) and shown on the same bill.<ref name=WA /><ref name="barn">{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Variety|date=6 February 2026|access-date=6 February 2026|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-films-the-haunted-barn-1931/|title=Forgotten Australian Films: The Haunted Barn (1931)}}</ref><ref name="dig">{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-movies-diggers-1931/|date=14 February 2026|access-date=14 February 2026|title=Forgotten Australian Movies: Diggers (1931)}}</ref>

Thring's biographer later called the movie a "dog's breakfast" directed by two men "who could never have worked productively together".<ref name="Fitzpatrick p 155"/>

==Plot== John Moon is a businessman interested in ghosts. He decides to spend the night in a barn hoping to see the ghost of the bushranger Sturdy who died there when betrayed to the police by his friend Rogan.

He is visited by two lovers, Ralph and Joan, seeking to elope, and worried about reprisals from Joan's father. Rose enters with a gun then leaves after demanding that no one leaves until dawn.

A man bursts in with the news that lunatics have escaped from the asylum and ten pounds per head is offered for their capture. A body appears which all are convinced is the ghost of Sturdy.

In the morning, Sturdy, Rose and Rogan confront each other. Sturdy explains he was not trying to kill Rogan but to get his permission to marry Rose, who is Sturdy's sister, and end a family feud. Rogan says he was the body, having fallen from the loft while hiding from Sturdy.

Dr Glass arrives to claim Ralph and Joan who are lunatics. Mr Moon's two friends arrive and claim they hired an actor to pretend to be a ghost for Moon.

Two tramps are left by themselves with Ralph's wallet which turns out to be stuffed with newspapers.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16814257 |title=NEW FILMS. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=14 December 1931 |accessdate=22 January 2012 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref name="Fitzpatrick p 155">Fitzpatrick p 155</ref>

==Cast== 120px|right|The Herald 24 November 1931 *Donalda Warne as Joan *John Maitland as Ralph *Phil Smith as John Moon *Ed Brett *Thelma Scott *George Edwards *Royce Milton *Ronald Atholwood *John Cameron as Captain Sturdy *Willie Driscoll *Norman Shepherd *Keith Desmond as swagman

==Production== The movie was part of Efftee's initial slate of productions.<ref>{{Citation | title=Efftee Completes First Unit Program. Releases in Four Weeks. Casts Listed. | journal=Everyones. | volume=12| issue=603 (9 September 1931) | location=Sydney | publisher=Everyones Ltd | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-570553358 | id=nla.obj-570553358 | access-date=6 March 2024 | via=Trove }}</ref>

Donalda Warne (1912-??) made her cinema debut in the film.<ref name=WA>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32374836 |title=AUSTRALIAN TALKIES. |newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth |date=25 September 1931 |accessdate=22 January 2012 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Keith Desmond was a vaudeville star.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article41126131 |title=VAUDEVILLE STAR IN TALKIES. |newspaper=The Cairns Post |location=Qld. |date=6 January 1932 |accessdate=22 January 2012 |page=9 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==Banning== The film was banned in Victoria for children between six and sixteen on the grounds that the sound of the wind in the film as well as the title of the film made the film too scary for children.<ref> {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2260021 |title=TALKIE BANNED. |newspaper=The Canberra Times |date=24 November 1931 |accessdate=22 January 2012 |page=1 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | title=Censorship May Force Thring To Produce in London. To Produce in London. | journal=Everyones. | volume=12| issue=613 (25 November 1931) | location=Sydney | publisher=Everyones Ltd | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-562002208 | id=nla.obj-562002208 | access-date=6 March 2024 | via=Trove }} </ref>

Thring appealed the decision and succeeded in having it overturned in November 1931.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2260271 |title=BAN LIFTED FROM FILM. |newspaper=The Canberra Times |date=27 November 1931 |accessdate=22 January 2012 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242776950 |title=BAN ON FILM LIFTED |newspaper=The Herald |issue=17,013 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=26 November 1931 |accessdate=6 March 2024 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | title=Melbourne | journal=Everyones. | volume=12| issue=615 (9 December 1931) | location=Sydney | publisher=Everyones Ltd | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-562009419 | id=nla.obj-562009419 | access-date=6 March 2024 | via=Trove }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first=Eric|last=Gorrick|title=Australia|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1931-12-29_105_3/page/36/mode/1up?|date=29 December 1931|page=36}}</ref>

==Release== The movie was released as a supporting feature for ''Diggers''.

===Critical=== The ''Sun News'' said "There is some good acting by Phil Smith. The rest of the cast is fairly competent, but has little chance to distinguish itself."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article276259633 |title=Haunted Barn Released |newspaper=The Sun News-pictorial |issue=2873 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=30 November 1931 |accessdate=6 March 2024 |page=10 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

The ''Herald'' said "those who expected to receive an occult thrill and tingling of the blood from this picture were disappointed. The deepest mystery about it Is why the censor thought this mystery comedy should be banned."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242772811 |title=MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING |newspaper=The Herald |issue=17,016 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=30 November 1931 |accessdate=6 March 2024 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

The ''Bulletin'' said the film "has some amusing situations, the photography is up-to-date and the acting, especially that of Phil Smith, is excellent."<ref>{{Citation | title=SHADOW SHOWS. | journal=The Bulletin | volume=52| issue=2704 (9 Dec 1931) | location=Sydney, N.S.W | publisher=John Haynes and J.F. Archibald | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-609614084 | id=nla.obj-609614084 | access-date=6 March 2024 | via=Trove }}</ref>

The trade paper ''Everyone's'' stated the film: <blockquote>Cannot befaulted on the score of sound and photography. There is, in fact, a surprising quality in that respect...The picture is an interesting and humorous story... Sound and lighting effects are excellent; and convincing performances are supplied by the entire cast. None of them looks ill at ease, or appears to suffer from camera scare.<ref>{{Citation | title=Reviews of Recent Release. Candid Criticisms Dependable Box-Office Estimates Best of the Week: "The Miracle Woman" | journal=Everyones. | volume=12| issue=616 (16 December 1931) | location=Sydney | publisher=Everyones Ltd | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-562018242 | id=nla.obj-562018242 | access-date=6 March 2024 | via=Trove }}</ref></blockquote> ''Filmink'' magazine, in a more recent review, declared: <blockquote>The film feels like a one act play for a community group – there’s a huge cast, lots of opportunities for hammy acting. It’s in that comedy old dark house vein of ''Seven Keys to Baldpate''... An actual murderer or robber among the characters would have made things so much better. The sound of the wind outside is effective... ''The Haunted Barn'' isn’t very good, but we’ve got to say that we quite enjoyed it. It’s just so hammy and dumb and keen to entertain.<ref name="barn"/></blockquote>

===Box office=== The film and ''Diggers'' proved very popular at the box office.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32406342 |title=AUSTRALIAN FILMS. |newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth |date=18 December 1931 |accessdate=22 January 2012 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==See also== *Cinema of Australia

==References== {{reflist}}

==Notes== *Fitzpatrick, Peter, ''The Two Frank Thrings'', Monash University 2012

==External links== *[http://colsearch.nfsa.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=the%20haunted%20barn;querytype=;rec=4;resCount=10 ''The Haunted Barn''] at National Film and Sound Archive *{{IMDB title|id=21942}} {{F.W. Thring}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haunted Barn, The}} Category:1931 films Category:Australian black-and-white films Category:Australian comedy-drama films Category:1931 comedy-drama films Category:1931 English-language films Category:English-language comedy-drama films