In the golden age of Kiwi cinemas many theatres had a well stocked intermissions full of food, drinks and ice creams. The Kerridge-Odeon cinema chain called their's 'Nibble Nooks'- but this slide looks like it came from an independant cinema. It would have screened during the interval itself as a reminder for hungry film-watchers.

Times changed, and times grew tough for picture theatres across New Zealand. Intermissions were phased out by the end of the 1970s (for the most part) as were 'God Save The Queen' and newsreels. All of a sudden going to 'the pictures' was less of an occasion. 

So it seems like this theatre cut back on it's interval offerings. The slide once added 'Milk Shakes' and 'Ice-creams' to the menu- but tape covers up all but 'Drinks'.  Intervals were big business for the concession stands- and there was evidence that some chains cut their intermissions down to force independant contractors out of business so they could take over the market for themselves!

We do not know the cinema this slide came from- but it probably didn't survive for long after this slide was made....

As part of wartime measures, 'Six o'clock closing' became law in 1917. This meant that all pubs had to close at 6pm- a rule which was enforced. Even after the war ended the law continued, but it was the subject of referenda as the years went by.

Supporters of 6pm closing argued that it was better for families because men (who were the primary breadwinners of households at the time) would not stay out late in pubs. However, this often resulted in the infamous 'six o'clock swill' where men would drink as much as they could between leaving work and closing time, with no time for eating. 

Six o'clock closing was retained in a 1949 referendum but defeated in 1967. The restaurant industry complained that it was difficult to sell alcohol with meals and patrons of clubs thought the rules were an intrusion. The rise of international tourism also led to complaints from the visitor industry about the now outdated law.

This slide was from the 1949 referendum. Based off its slogan, it was made for  

"New Zealand Alliance for the Abolition of the Liquor Traffic"- a prohibitionist group who supported 6pm closing. Initially, many pubs and breweries supported 6pm closing as well, seeing it as a way of appeasing prohibitionists who might otherwise advocate for a complete ban on alcohol sales.

With cinema attendance still climbing to record highs, the big screen was used by both sides of the argument to spread the word.

This slide advertised  'Frosty Jack' ice cream- a Wellington brand which was sold from 1924 to 1967. Like many local companies it had a limited distribution- 'Frosty Jack' didn't even get to the South Island until the 1960s. However, this effort may have caused the company to lose money and they sold to a larger firm who then stopped making ice cream a few years later.

As early as the 1930s 'Frosty Jack' trays were being used in cinemas during the weekend matinee screenings which were popular with children.  This slide asks the patrons to 'call the boy'- with carrying the ice-cream tray a popular first job for many schoolchildren.

Many of these cinemas would have been independent ones- Kerridge-Odeon ended up owning its own ice cream brand for its theatres.

Take a look at the boy on the slide- it looks as though the ice cream is giving him some brain freeze! 

MAVtech has a 'Frosty Jack' ice cream tray in its collection and you can see it on Kete. Just search for 'Frosty Jack'.

Cinema advertising was big business to the point that companies were even sponsoring the intermissions! The 'Time for a Capstan' advertising campaign was popular in New Zealand in the 1940s and 1950s. These ads associated having a Capstan cigarette with relaxation. During the Second World War they were often promoted to women who had just entered the workforce as a way of unwinding after a workday.

During this time the cinema interval was long enough to catch up with friends, restock your confectionary and have a cigarette. As a result of the increasing evidence between smoking and cancer, cigarette advertising in cinemas ceased in 1973.

Foxton's Main Street has been trading for well over one hundred and fifty years. During that time businesses have come and gone, with most known today only through saved newspaper clippings and public records. Chung Wah is not one of those businesses. Its name is still boldly displayed on the front of it's original 1905 premises in Main Street (even though the business itself has long since closed).

Records show the greengrocers were in Foxton's Main Street from 1905 and they were still trading in 1960. Kete records do not show them trading after that date- but another greengrocer called 'Soo's' was located in the same shop in 1985.

There were a few mishaps in all those years of trading. A fire in 1912 gutted the shop but it was restored and carried on. In 1934 there was an earthquake and Chung Wah's window was broken and their wares spread around the ground!

For much of the 20th century there was always a specialist greengrocer or grocery shop in the Main Street.

 W. Stuart Donnelly was a stalwart of Foxton's medical services. He began his career in the town working for pharmacist  Thomas Crotty  before buying his business. For a time an optician called at his chemist shop once a week- the only optician service the town had. Kete records show Donnelly's shop on Foxton's Main Street from 1960-1970. Records do not  show where his shop was before that time (records show that Donnelly owned a shop in 1952). He also appears to have owned a pharmacy in Levin.

W. Stuart Donnelly was also the Mayor of Foxton Borough from 1972-1978. A photograph exists of him standing in his shop (this can be found on Kete by searching 'W. Stuart Donnelly').

There were more than just pills on offer at the chemists. This 'Trufood' would have been just the thing for a baby's meal. Judging by the different handwriting script which displays Donnelly's name, this slide would have been made by 'Trufood' in bulk and then modified with the name of each local seller.

At the end of intermission, just as cinema patrons were settling into their seats, the advertising slides were screened. The job of preparing, screening and storing these slides was usually the job of the apprentice projectionist. During the 'Carbon Arc' projector era (lasting until the 1960s) it took over four years to become a fully qualified projectionist so this was a job you got used to!

Each slide was only shown for a few seconds to avoid the glass cracking from the projector lamp's heat. This meant that audiences never got to ask- why does that man have so many chickens on the BBQ? Should he buy a bigger one? How many people does has he invited? Will the meat cook evenly or will everyone get food poisoning? Whatever the answers were he looks very pleased with himself....

With the rise of the supermarket the local butcheries often closed down. We have slides from Foxton and Foxton Beach butchers but neither trade in the towns today.

Companies records show that this business was registered on the 20th of June 1975 and was removed from the register on the 15th of June 1993. 

According to this cinema advertising slide a glass of wine is perfect with every meal! Specialist stores like the 'Wine Cellar' flourished until 1989. That was the year supermarkets could stock wine on their shelves. Beer followed a decade later. 

According to a 1981 edition of 'The Chronicle', the Wine Cellar moved into it's building in 1974 after extensions provided the space. Another report shows it still there in 1983.

By the 1970s having hand coloured (or dyed) cinema slides was becoming less common. Instead, actual colour photographic transparencies were being sandwiched between two sheets of glass.

There were many small New Zealand soft drink companies trading in the mid-20th century and it seems that Foxton Fizz had some competition! 'Shamrock' branded soft drinks were made and sold by O'Connor's Cordials and online records suggest that this company was based in Levin.

The slide screened during cinema intermission and shows a group of happy children at a birthday party complete with novelty hats! The colour fading out on the slide would have emphasised the Shamrock logo and the contented faces.

Shamrock labels have been found dating from the 1950s. This slide comes from the 'Foxton' collection of slides. Rather brave of Shamrock to advertise in Foxton Fizz territory! Foxton's own fizz managed to survive the battle with international soft drink brands (just) but Shamrock didn't live up to it's lucky name and has long since disappeared. 

Most cinema advertising slides were examples of local advertising- but few were as local as this one. There has been a Manawatu Hotel on Foxton's Avenue Road since the late 1890s and when this slide was made (probably in the 1950s) the hotel was only a few houses away from the Coronation Hall cinema where this slide was likely screened!

How many cinema patrons stopped by the bar on the way home to talk about the film? Or had some dinner at the Hotel before taking their seats? 

'Beer gardens' only appeared in New Zealand from the late 1940s so Foxton was part of a trend and trying to keep 'good taste'. The term 'Mine Host' is a jovial expression for a bar landlord/manager and is an old term for 'my host' which survived in popular culture.

Ernie Head is 'mine host' when this slide was shown- replacing the former host whose name was covered over. 

After closing for a time the Manawatu Hotel reopened in 2013 is still trading as of 2023. Coronation Hall is now home to the MAVtech Museum but still has its projectors and 200 seats- perfect for the monthly movie night! 

Foxton Fizz has been part of Horowhenua since 1918 and is one of the last small town soda companies left. In over a century of bottling flavours have come and gone and so have different label designs on the bottle.

This 1970s cinema slide would have been shown during intermission along with other advertising slides and slides showcasing upcoming films. The 'Tropic' slide is an unusual mixture of a local brand advertising using the far-away tropics as a selling point. The drink would be more likely to be consumed at the Manawatu Heads than the white sands of Hawaii! The 'Thirst Quencher' by-line probably meant that this slide screened during Summer.

However, with overseas brands like Coca-Cola moving in on the local market, familiar names had to appear to be a bit exotic to compete. It must have worked- Foxton Fizz is still with us today!

On a community Facebook page in 2020 many Foxton locals fondly remember this business which was said to have traded from 1955-1969. It was at the heart of many memories of ice creams, chocolates and tasty treats delivered for weddings and parties. 

But before Facebook advertising became a boom for local businesses, cinema advertising was the way to get the word out locally. The late 1950s/early 1960s was the high point for cinema admissions in New Zealand and these easy to make slides could be selectively screened in local cinemas to get to the right audience.

In fact, one local remembers going to the cinema right after visiting Lanes. 

Did they see this slide? 

The words on this slide would have been written locally. Unlike today's slick advertising firms where everything is carefully checked and rechecked, a spelling error ('Partys') got through on this slide.

Back when Foxton Beach had fewer residents (and far fewer phone numbers) it was possible to sell fruit and vegetables street by street twice a week. At least, that's what Mister Hitchings did! His cinema advertising slide would have been shown at local theatres for a few seconds at a time- otherwise the heat from the projector arc would crack the slide. 

Given that each slide was shown for such a short time, the best of them used eye-catching, simple designs like this one. 

However, MAVtech cannot find any references to Hitching's business in Kete or in other records, so it may not have survived in Main Street for long. Cinema advertising slides were a great source of promotion for local businesses due to their low cost and (in a time when going to the cinema was sometimes a weekly pleasure) a high reach. Today they are often the only trace of historical businesses which survive. 

Boosted by a wave of European immigrants as well as overseas literature and film, 'café culture' was on the rise in 1950s Aotearoa. It started in the big cities where they overtook the pre war 'milk bars' but there ascendancy was scuttled by the arrival of television and the abolition of six o' clock closing for bars. Today cafes have had a resurgence.

Thanks to 'Snow Whites De Luxe Cafe' there was no reason for Levin to miss out on the big city excitement! They probably didn't really have seven dwarfs but this slide was shown in the cinema- a magical place where reality was suspended for a while, and many advertisers were liberal with their claims on their slides! 

A delicious intermission treat awaited Levin cinema patrons with the tasty sounding 'Bonza Bars' stocked in the theatre milk bar! There were many local ice cream companies in New Zealand in the 1920s-1960s and cinemas were among their biggest customers.

The use of the term 'milk bar' places this slide around the 1950s- the 'milk bars' predated today's cafes and were popular places for a chat and a snack. Many companies used the name 'Alpine' for their chilly snacks and it is unclear if the Levin Ice Cream Company had any link with other manufacturers.

The slide itself would have been shown during intermission- just enough time to nip to the concession counter or work up an appetite for when an usher arrived with a tray of treats for sale.

While you don't normally associate wooden footwear with dining, 'The Wooden Shoe' on Levin's Oxford Street was in business for many years.

A jubilee publication in 1981 shows that 'The Wooden Shoe' was till located on Oxford Street and appears to have occupied it's building since 1964. Saturday shopping became fully legal in 1980 (beforehand it was for essentials only) and many cafes opened during the weekend to satisfy this trade. Maybe this was when the slide was made?

The shoe itself seems to be a Dutch clog- complete with a windmill on the front. With nearby Foxton fast becoming a hub for the Dutch community this might have been some clever branding or it may have been owned by Dutch immigrants.

This slide was kept in a hot projector for too long- there is a crack going through it!

In the "Levin Daily Chronicle" of the 11th of October, 1938 the 'Royal Home Cookery" advertised their cold luncheons in a new refrigerator, as well as home made cakes and pastry in their tea rooms. They were still in the phone book in 1945- quite an achievement for a 'luxury' business to survive the war.

Proprietors Mr and Mrs Willis were advertising 'High Class Cakes' in a 1956 advertisement for 'The Chronicle's' 50th Jubilee publication and, judging by the fashions on display (and the pre-1980s three digit phone number), this slide dates to around that time. MAVtech has an extensive collection of slides but this one still manages to be eye-catching with it's fine use of colour and an interesting picture which draws the eye. 

Unlike most of MAVtech's cinema advertising slides this one kindly has a date on it! It was issued or screened on the 1st of December 1968. This striking looking slide would have looked fantastic on the big screen where it would have been shown for a few seconds during the end of intermission. 

The 'Te Kowhai Reception Lounge' is no longer with us- a Kete post from 2011 shows bare land where the building used to be. As of March 2023 some third party business directories still show it with one mentioning it was 'set in spacious grounds with glorious native bush' with a capacity to seat 120.

Long before the supermarkets dominated grocery shopping New Zealand had plenty of small town butchers! Cooks Quality Meats used this cinema advertising slide to promote itself during cinema intermissions. 

In 2021 a butcher was still trading at (or very near) 206 Oxford Street and the shop façade still reads 'Butcher'- so even though Cooks Quality Meats no longer exists the trade continued long after!

Royal Home Cookery knew how to advertise! This is the second cinema advertising slide advertising this business that we have found in the MAVtech records (the first is also on Kete).

Weddings were big business in the 1950s/1960s when this slide was made. The marriage rate was over thirty people per thousand for these two decades and peaked at around forty three people per thousand in 1970. It's just over ten people per thousand today. 

With many brides and grooms being in their teens and just starting out on their own, having a firm to handle the catering would have been a big help- and Royal Home Cookery was standing by!

A lot of first dates happened in the cinemas- would it be a stretch to say that they were planting the idea early? 

After the Second World War it was common for couples to have a professional photographer at their wedding- prior to this formal pictures were often taken in a studio before and after the ceremony. This changing trend is captured in this slide.

Foxton Fizz has been a Horowhenua icon since 1918. Founded at a time when many New Zealand towns had their own soda drink, it is now one of the last brands surviving. 

Keeping local support would have been crucial, and this slide was shown around the Foxton cinemas in the 1950s/1960s. 

Cinema slides were only shown for a few seconds- otherwise the heat from the projector lamp would crack the glass! The photograph was hand coloured and may have been a stock  photo- 'Foxton Fizz' does not appear on the bottle the model is holding....

Just as we sit through ads before watching videos on YouTube, audiences were viewing advertising slides in the cinema over fifty years ago. Each slide lasted for only a few seconds and were shown at the end of intermission as the audience waited for the second half of their picture to begin.

Nobody goes to the cinema to see advertising and W.A. Coleman must have known this thanks to their slide's witty pun.  Each slide was shown for only a few seconds so the best of them had an eye catching design and a quick, memorable message. On those criteria this is one of the most effective slides held at MAVtech!

The Companies Offices shows W.A. Coleman was registered in 1956 but are no longer trading. Thanks to cinema advertising slides many local businesses live on in the archives of many museums.

If spending an afternoon at the cinema sounds like a relaxing way to spend the day, think about the times when you didn't even need to leave your seat to get your treats! 'Usherette Trays' were worn by cinema staff during the intermission and they were filled with tasty food and drink. Spend some coins, get well fed and stay seated to see the advertisements flash past on the screen!

This tray was for 'Frosty Jack' ice cream- a Wellington brand which was sold from 1924 to 1967. Like many local companies it had a limited distribution- 'Frosty Jack' didn't even get to the South Island until the 1960s. However, this effort may have caused the company to loose money and they sold to a larger firm who then stopped making ice cream a few years later.

As early as the 1930s 'Frosty Jack' trays were being used in cinemas during the weekend matinee screenings which were popular with children. 

This 'usherette tray'' was most likely used in Horowhenua cinemas.