This cinema advertising slide shares the benefits of radial tyres. First introduced in 1946 (but patented as far back as the 1910s) the radial tyre has its supporting 'cords' (inside the tyre) at 90 degrees to the direction of travel. Other tyres were cross-ply and 'criss - crossed' each other. Radial tyres provide a quieter, more comfortable ride as well as improved fuel economy. 

In America a consumer report proved the superiority of radial tyres in 1968, and by 1976 they were the standard. Virtually 100% of tyres made today are radials. 

Given that this slide had to sell the benefits of radial tyres it was likely made at a time before they became the standard. The design of the slide suggests that this ad came from the 1960s. Dunlop was a major local manufacturer of tyres in Aotearoa and started making radials domestically in the 1960s- around the time of this slide. By 1970 they bought Reliance (mentioned here) and entered the retread business.

Murray's Jewellers wanted to be known for more than just fine jewellery- this slide (seen at the cinema) highlights their expertise in watches and clocks. The clock pictured was a popular mantlepiece design from the 1940s and 1950s, as is the ladies watch.  

A fine timepiece was an expensive purchase so when they wore out they were often repaired rather than replaced. MAVtech has cinema advertising slides from quite a few clock repairers which shows the demand for this service. 

If you look closely at the watch in the ad you'll notice that the hands are set near ten minutes past ten. Most ads for analogue watches show this time as it looks like a smiley face. Studies have shown that it makes people view the product more favourably- and it was first widely used in the 1950s! Was this ad one of the first in New Zealand to use this trick? You can find out more about the effect via the link below...

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/science-says-1010-hands-in-watch-ads-are-a-subliminal-soft-sell

No details can be found at the time of writing about Murray's Jewellers but their address suggests they traded in Levin- as does the fact that this slide was found amongst others from the town. This is one of many slides MAVtech has from Murray's Jewellers so they must have either been very popular or wanted to be! 

This slide proclaims that Murray's were specialists in diamond rings- and another one of their slides (searchable on Kete) is advertising them.

New Zealand's marriage rate was high throughout the 1950s and, after a small decline in the early 1960s, climbed steadily until the early 1970s. This meant that many functions centres, jewellers and dress makers used weddings in their advertising. Murray's Jewellers was no exception! 

The photograph in the slide was a popular wedding style up until the 1970s. Until then, it was common for couples to have wedding photographs taken in a studio instead of the actual wedding venue. 'On location' photography became popular in the 1940s but the studios persisted for a while afterwards. 

No details can be found at the time of writing about Murray's Jewellers but their address suggests they traded in Levin- as does the fact that this slide was found amongst others from the town. This is one of many slides MAVtech has from Murray's Jewellers so they must have either been very popular or wanted to be! 

Interflora is a worldwide organisation which transports flowers. Founded in the 1920s, they now handle seventy five orders a minute for 58,000 shops in around 140 countries! The Interflora name has been around since 1953.

In 1954 shop was built in Levin's Oxford Street for florist Jean Findlay and she was still occupying it in 1981. According to an old jubilee publication, Jean Findlay's shop was recessed back from the street in anticipation of road widening. This slide was shown in cinemas (usually at the end of intermission) and it looks like Interflora made a generic florist's slide with a space at the bottom for details of the local business. Quite a few organisations (such as cosmetics companies) did this. 

This slide probably dates from the 1960s judging by it's 'widescreen' format. Sending flowers anywhere in the world from Levin must have been quite the news back then! Compared to many of the slides in MAVtech's collection this one does not make use of colour. However, that may have helped it stand out when it was first screened.

A 1950s advertisement (also on Kete) for Findlay's shop has the Interflora logo.

In the 1950s and 1960s New Zealand's home ownership rates were steadily growing. Aspiring to own your own home was a natural part of family life and this slide shows this perfectly- the young family are dreaming of a large house with a decent lawn. A house that size was a big ambition back then and even harder for most families to afford now! 

Unlike a bank, building societies are owned by their members but offer many of the same financial services. The Societies are able to offer 'ballots' where members who bought shares in a special fund were eligible to receive prizes generated from the fund's interest. Few people won prizes but those who did won more than an equal share from the interest would provide. This was like the former 'Bonus Bonds' scheme which concluded in 2020. For many Society Members the biggest financial goal was to raise enough money for a house deposit. 

This Society was based in Auckland but it appears that Maurice Mead was the local Levin agent who represented them. MAVtech cannot find any information about Mister Mead. Interestingly, despite the invitation to call him there is no phone number on the slide! Was this a mistake, or was the slide one of a pair? If it is the latter that would make it very rare! 

Print advertisements for Langtry's Pharmacy date back to the 1950s and they were in the government Register of Pharmacies in 1960 (although at the different address of 281 Oxford Street at that time).  Langtry was at one location on Oxford Street (probably 177) between 1962 and 1967. MAVtech has another Langtry's slide from a similar era as this one which advertises Kodak photographic film (also searchable on Kete). 

Shiseido was founded in Tokyo by  Arinobu Fukuhara in 1872. At first it was a pharmacy chain, but it started producing cosmetics in 1916. It began selling products outside of Japan from 1957.  A similar slide from Langtry's advertises Shiseido's 'Koto' perfume which was launched in 1967 and it is likely that this slide is from around the same time. 

The model in this slide looks to the side and away from the viewer. This is an 'objective' pose which minimises a 'connection' with the viewer and her eyes lead toward the text and it's 'promise of beauty'.  In this slide Langtry's is merely a stockist- it is Shiseido which is the main product here.

In the late 1960s there were a lot of films which featured a (very stereotyped!) version of 'the mystic East'- with the James Bond film 'You Only Live Twice' being a notable example released in 1967- the same year as 'Koto'. A nice bit of marketing from a local business- or just a coincidence? Either way, products which offered a slice of the 'life' seen on screen were bound to be big sellers.

 

According to a 1980s Levin Jubilee publication, the first sports centre at 313 Oxford Street opened around 1937 and passed through various owners until Rex Cederwall bought it in 1962. He in turn sold it in 1969. In 1981 the business was still trading, but in a different location.

A common saying in 1960s New Zealand was that the country was build upon 'Rugby, Racing and Beer'. The number of pubs and sports centres in 1960s Horowhenua seems to support this assertion and MAVtech holds an old music record based around these three 'past-times'. 

Little surprise that rugby was one of the sports pictured (along with soccer) with other sports having a bullet point only.

The first commercial photographer in New Zealand (Isaac Polack) set up shop in Auckland in 1848.  Photography has changed a lot since then with the formal portraits taken by Polack no longer as popular as they once were. But in the 1950s wedding photography was still a lucrative business. Amy Harper, a specialist in weddings, sometimes had bridal limousines in a queue outside of her studio on a Wednesday (one of her busiest days of the week!)

Mister J. Cumming, a Levin photographer, undertook weddings as well. Wedding photography 'on location' became increasingly popular after the Second World War. In England, former army photographers would wait outside of churches ready to offer their services to the happy couple on the off chance they would be interested! But studio based wedding portraits were in demand as well.

Mister Cumming didn't just photograph weddings. In a 1960 Levin Industries Catalogue he advertised his services for commercial and industrial photography (then based in Trafalgar Street), and many photographs taken by him are of local events. The National Library states he was active between 1955-1968. 

The photograph on the slide is hand coloured. This was another service photographers offered, but one which would soon become obsolete as better colour films, papers and printing became available.

Pyramid Concrete Products was  granted a wholesaler's licence in 1940 and was advertising for staff in 1942, with both documents showing them as trading in Hamilton.  MAVtech cannot find any information about the 'Levin Brick & Pipe Co. Ltd' who were acting as their local agents in Levin.

It is difficult to precisely date this slide, but it may have been made during the post-war 'building boom' of the late 1940s/early 1950s'. According to BRANZ, many New Zealand houses in the 1950s/early 1960s were built using brick so this Levin company may have been very busy indeed- even if this slide is advertising concrete masonry! Still, nothing like being the most unique house on the street - especially as government loans for families building a home mandated 'state house' style designs....

According to a 1981 Jubilee Issue of the 'Horowhenua Chronicle', Lambles Ltd. had a shop on Oxford Street between 1960 and 1968, which looks to be the era of this slide. The house in the picture would have been very trendy in the 1960s with a large fireplace surrounded by interior brick.

Levin's Regent Theatre was also on Oxford Street, so it was just a short walk from the screening down to Lambles for the latest in carpet and furnishings! 

Is it ironic that an ad for make-up is marred by blemishes? This slide may just have been left by the projector's heat for too long! However, there's enough writing left untouched to know that it was made for the Oxford Pharmacy. An old newspaper ad displays the pharmacy on Oxford Street in 1981 as one of six pharmacies in Levin.

This slide looks to be a bit older than this though. An 'Oxford Pharmacy' was in the New Zealand Register of Pharmacies in 1960, albeit on a different end of Oxford Street.

The 'Chronicle' referred to in the slide was the local newspaper, known at various points as the 'Levin Chronicle', 'Daily Chronicle' and 'Horowhenua Daily Chronicle". At the time the slide was made the paper was published six days a week and was a paid newspaper. In 2008 it was renamed the 'Horowhenua Chronicle' and became a free community newspaper which is still being published at the time of writing (September 2023). 

 Print advertisements for Langtry's Pharmacy date back to the 1950s and they were in the government Register of Pharmacies in 1960. Online records suggest that Langtry's shop was demolished in 1975 (however, they moved at least once based off Kete documents) MAVtech has another Langtry's slide from a similar era as this one which advertises Kodak photographic film (also searchable on Kete) as well as one advertising perfume. 

The 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand stated that a pharmacist had two years of academic training followed by a two year apprenticeship- but the University of Otago was about to launch a bachelors degree which would cut the apprenticeship down to one year. This combination of a degree and a one year internship is still used today- although the University of Auckland also offers a relevant degree.

 Kete records show that this company was owned by Lance Osborne and was trading in the mid 1960s. The company no longer trades, with many competitors setting up in the last forty years. The fact that a local company in a small town could move household furniture New Zealand wide would have been quite an achievement! Another slide from this firm boasts about the CB radios each truck carried, which would have helped drivers stay in touch during long distance moves.

The truck's bumper advertises daily runs from Levin, Shannon, Foxton and Palmerston North.

The second slide (also on Kete) shows a truck carrying industrial loads, so they didn't just do furniture removal work.

This is one of multiple cinema advertising slides on Kete Horowhenua from Barnao's Music Shop.

Barnao's Music Shop was trading in Levin from 1962-1988. It was the passion of Giuseppe Antonio Barnao whose love of music began when we was gifted a clarinet in 1942. He worked in a music shop the following year and his talents saw him join dance bands and serve as an Army Bandsman. He was a member of Levin bands for decades. A web search will reveal lots of archived interviews and articles about Mr. Barnao. Barnao's shop printed advertising sleeves for the records they sold. The reference to 'the swinginest music store in town' would date this slide to the 1960s/very early 1970s! This slide would have been used to advertise the shop during a film at the cinema. 

The Volkswagen Type 3 (1500) was introduced in 1961 and would have been a fancy vehicle to have in your New Zealand driveway- IF you had overseas funds! To protect the local car assembly industry, most car buyers could only purchase a locally made model (and would face a long waiting list). BUT- if you held money overseas and could afford the import tariffs you could import a fully assembled car through a dealer much more quickly. You often got an exotic model which was not common locally.

If you had lots of money overseas (such as a farmer who sold wool in the UK) then you could import a car, sell it for more than you paid for it and then buy another! Little wonder that when John Clarke's comic creation Fred Dagg did a spoof of 'God Save The Queen' he added 'long live our overseas funds'. By the time those words were sung the requirements for importing a car had loosened somewhat, but overseas funds were still an advantage.

Birds Garage was established by Mister H. Bird in 1940 and by the time this slide was made it was owned by N.H Bird. They were among the first Volkswagen dealers in the country. By 1981 the firm had sold Toyotas for some years. 

With cinema advertising slides appearing onscreen for only a few seconds, a bright bold design was essential! A witty pun was sometimes used to grab attention. This slide ticks all the boxes. 

A 'George Cooper' ran a hairdressing salon on Oxford Street and was advertising in the local paper in 1939. It is possible that this is the same business.  The hair style and hand colouring certainly looks to be from this era, but it is difficult to be sure.

Kete records show that this company was owned by Lance Osborne and was trading in the mid 1960s. A big feature of the fleet was the fitting of 'radio telephone'- an early name for the CB 'Citizens Band' radios which kept travellers in touch before cell phones. They were all the rage for enthusiasts in the 1970s and 1980s, spurred along by movies about truck drivers!

This dealership was owned by none other than Ron Frost, a New Zealand motorsport legend who not only raced cars in Levin and around the country but who also organised races and attracted new motorsport talent to New Zealand.

Ron Frost was born in England and served in the British Army during the Second World War- including many years as a POW until he escaped a German prisoner of war camp in 1945.

Frost Motors started out selling new cars from the Rootes group (including Hillmans, Humbers and Sunbeams) but they later opened a used car yard near their first location. The new car showrooms and petrol pumps were on Oxford Street South. The used car lot was on Oxford Street North. The business remained in the family until the late 1970s.

There is a wealth of knowledge about Ron Frost online.

The car on the slide has a number plate which reads '1966' which is a great indication of when this slide was made! 

This is one of multiple cinema advertising slides made for the Sharon Beauty Salon.

This local Levin business appears to have a long history. There is a record of it existing as early as the 1940s, run by a Mrs. Weir. In 1981 the business was still there (but there is no record of who owned it by that stage).This cinema advertising slide would have been screened during intermission- but only for a few seconds to avoid the projector's heat cracking the glass! In the era before television, going to the cinema was a frequent past time and if you paid extra to be seated upstairs in the 'dress circle' you generally dressed in nice clothes. What better audience to advertise hair tinting and razor cutting! Imagine this ad stretching over a cinema screen- now that would be impact.... 

This is the second slide from Rachelle Gowns, and they both seem to follow a seasonal theme. The first slide (searchable on Kete, just type in 'Rachelle Gowns' in the search bar) had an autumn theme- but the daffodils on this slide seem to symbolise a spring collection.

The New Zealand Companies Register shows that Rachelle Gowns was incorporated on the 26th of November, 1962 and was dissolved in 1990. Going to the cinema was a lot less formal in the 1960s than it was decades earlier- but you didn't want to be scruffy! 'God Save The Queen' still played before each screening and stayed that way until the end of the decade. Newsreels also gave the cinema a more formal atmosphere of education as well as entertainment.  That, and the overseas fashions in 1960s films would have made the cinema the perfect place to advertise. 

Rachelle Gown's slide would most likely have been screened during the end of intermission. Kete Horowhenua also has a 1981 print ad from this business which can be seen here https://horowhenua.kete.net.nz/item/7ca73eeb-f726-4eb7-bdaf-94015d0f92d8 

Print advertisements for Langtry's Pharmacy date back to the 1950s and they were in the government Register of Pharmacies in 1960 (although at the different address of 281 Oxford Street at that time). MAVtech has another Langtry's slide from a similar era as this one which advertises Kodak photographic film (also searchable on Kete). 

However, we know that this slide was later than the film one due to the product it advertises. The 'Koto' fragrance was launched in 1967 and you can still buy it today. According to a perfume website, the scents of 'Koto' are  Aldehydes, Green Notes, Spices and Citruses; middle notes are Narcissus, Orris Root, Gardenia, Rose, Jasmine and Lily-of-the-Valley; base notes are oak moss, Leather, Castoreum, Patchouli, Amber and Vetiver. 

In the late 1960s there were a lot of films which featured a (very stereotyped!) version of 'the mystic East'- with the James Bond film 'You Only Live Twice' being a notable example released in 1967- the same year as 'Koto'. A nice bit of marketing from a local business- or just a coincidence? Either way, products which offered a slice of the 'life' seen on screen were bound to be big sellers.

Advertising certainly has changed! Homecraft Furnishers has a range of cinema slides uploaded on Kete and most of them have some rather offensive (and in one case sexist) depictions of Native Americans.

Homecraft furnishings had a store in Foxton in 1987, located on Main Street a few doors down from Clyde Street. The store was not present in 1985, so this is one of the 'newest' cinema advertising slides in MAVtech's collection. 

The company's Levin branch seems to have been present in 1981.

By the time this slide was made, Foxton's Coronation Hall had ceased to function as a cinema and wouldn't be re-established until it became home to the MAVtech Museum. It is almost certain that this slide was screened in Levin only.

Advertising certainly has changed! Homecraft Furnishers has a range of cinema slides uploaded on Kete and most of them have some rather offensive (and in this case sexist) depictions of Native Americans.

Homecraft furnishings had a store in Foxton in 1987, located on Main Street a few doors down from Clyde Street. The store was not present in 1985, so this is one of the 'newest' cinema advertising slides in MAVtech's collection. 

The company's Levin branch seems to have been present in 1981.

By the time this slide was made, Foxton's Coronation Hall had ceased to function as a cinema and wouldn't be re-established until it became home to the MAVtech Museum. It is almost certain that this slide was screened in Levin only.

Advertising certainly has changed! Homecraft Furnishers has a range of cinema slides uploaded on Kete and most of them have some rather offensive (and in one case sexist) depictions of Native Americans.

Homecraft furnishings had a store in Foxton in 1987, located on Main Street a few doors down from Clyde Street. The store was not present in 1985, so this is one of the 'newest' cinema advertising slides in MAVtech's collection. 

The company's Levin branch seems to have been present in 1981.

By the time this slide was made, Foxton's Coronation Hall had ceased to function as a cinema and wouldn't be re-established until it became home to the MAVtech Museum. It is almost certain that this slide was screened in Levin only.

This business is somewhat difficult to place in Foxton. Kete records show that 'Homecraft' was present on Foxton's Main Street in the 1970s before disappering in the early 1980s. However, the business was at the same location in 1987 (with a coffee bar in the location in between times). It is unknown if this is the same business owned by the same people, new ownership or an entirely new firm altogether. Both 'versions' of the company advertise locations in Foxton and Levin. The name of the company is slightly different from the 1980s version.

The style of this slide shows that this was the earlier, 1970s 'Home Craft'. The later slides can be distinguished by their printing and were made in the late 1980s. Unlike the simple interior scene shown here, the later Home Craft slides have some very different designs which wouldn't meet standards today! They too can be seen on Kete. 

Advertising slides like this one would have screened in the cinema near the end of intermission- just as patrons were taking their seats for the second half of the movie (when intermissions were phased out they sometimes shown before the film commenced). 

These ads were printed/painted on glass and were loaded into the projector for a few moments before the heat from the lamp cracked the glass. Some of these slides were detailed and used prints, photographs and visual humour. Others, like this one from A.M Fox, were basic. Given how briefly each slide was shown to the audience, oftentimes simple was best!

No information can be found online about this business- but based off the design of the slide it would have been made from the 1940s-early 1960s. New Zealanders bought 40 million cinema tickets a year by the late 1950s so this was a prime time to advertise. 

With the tagline 'A Lifetime Gift of Quality' this slide may well have been screened near Christmas. It, and slides just like it, were loaded into the projector near the end of intermission or (depending on the cinema) just before the film began. If left for more than a few seconds the heat from the projector's arc lamp would crack the slide. If you look just above the round watch face you can see a small crack on this slide. No doubt the cadet projectionist got a sound telling off about this!

The Levin branch of Parrington's advertised in the local paper in the 1950s (this slide would date to around then). There is no record of the Foxton branch on Kete's "Foxton 1888-1988 - Commerce". 

Barnao's Music Shop was trading in Levin from 1962-1988. It was the passion of Giuseppe Antonio Barnao whose love of music began when we was gifted a clarinet in 1942. He worked in a music shop the following year and his talents saw him join dance bands and serve as an Army Bandsman. He was a member of Levin bands for decades. A web search will reveal lots of archived interviews and articles about Mr. Barnao.

Barnao's shop printed advertising sleeves for the records they sold.

There's nothing like a mid-century hand coloured photograph- even if it exaggerates the colours a little bit!

This slide would have been used to advertise the shop during a film at the cinema.

Cinema advertising slides promoted products, services, events and government messages- but advertising situations vacant is a much rarer sub-section of slides.

K. Hager and Co. Ltd made clothing- with a 1958 newspaper ad for new staff suggesting they specialised in shirts and blouses. At the time the company boasted fifty staff on the payroll in their Levin-based factory.

An online records search suggest that this company was established in 1956 and deregistered in 1993.

Te Papa has a collection of advertisements by K. Hager and Co. showing the latest 1970s styles. The firm doesn't exist anymore but they sure knew how to advertise to the flower power generation! You can see these ads by following this link.  https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/agent/31790

This business is somewhat difficult to place in Foxton. Kete records show that 'Homecraft' was present on Foxton's Main Street in the 1970s before disappearing in the early 1980s. However, the business was at the same location in 1987 (with a coffee bar in the location in between times). It is unknown if this is the same business owned by the same people, new ownership or an entirely new firm altogether. Both 'versions' of the company advertise locations in Foxton and Levin. The name of the company is slightly different from the 1980s version. 

This slide has the later logo design but the earlier 'style' of slide- so could have been a transition between the two eras for the company. The lady in green looks to be showcasing a very striking 1970s design which would suit a racetrack quite nicely! Homecraft knew how to advertise- they have many slides in MAVtech's collection.

However, few of them would have been shown in Foxton. By the late 1970s, Foxton's Coronation Hall had ceased being a regularly used cinema so they most likely would have been seen in Levin.