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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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! 

G.H Weggery & Co were real estate agents based in Levin's Oxford Street. Based off New Zealand Gazette records, the company was wound up in 1980, so this slide must have been before then (similar records show it trading in 1978). The population growth of Manawatu/Horowhenua slowed after 1976 and this could have been a reason for the firm's closing.

This slide would have been screened in the cinema. By the early 1980s the average New Zealander made around five trips to the cinema each year. This was down from the peak in 1960 but still enough for cinema advertising to be a viable market.

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.

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.

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.

Many cinema advertising slides of the 1950s and 1960s showcased the wedding industry and this one focuses on a very important part of the ceremony- the ring! 

Slides like this one were shown during cinema screenings (usually at the end of the intermission) and each slide was shown for a few seconds to stop the projector's heat from cracking the glass!

This slide has the later 'widescreen' format which suggest that it was made after the 1950s. As 'picture palaces' became multiplexes and intermissions were phased out, cinema advertising was placed at the beginning of the screening. This replaced the singing of 'God Save The Queen' and the newsreels which were both discontinued in the early 1970s. 

When digital media became popular the static slide was itself replaced by the advertising 'film short' we see at the cinema today.

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. 

The New Zealand Companies Register shows that Rachelle Gowns was incorporated on the 26th of November, 1962 and was dissolved in 1990. Judging by the clothing in the slide this ad seems to date from the 1960s. The lady is wrapped up warmly- perhaps the leaf design denotes an autumn collection?

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!  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

Palmer's Sports Specialists seems to have started a long history in Levin with it's descendant, Sportsworld, trading on Oxford Street until July 2022.

According to the last owners of Sportsworld, Palmer's Sports Specialists started trading in the late 1950s and this cinema advertising slide looks to have been made around that time. From boating to hunting to tennis it shows a cross section of popular sports! A witty pun may have caused a chuckle in the cinemas. With the average New Zealander making around seventeen trips to the 'flicks' in 1960 (with forty million tickets sold that year) this slide would have had a big audience.

A closer look at this slide shows the hand coloured photography which was very popular at the time. The colouring on this slide looks quite rushed compared to many others from the decade.

Alex Fletcher founded the Levin Printing Works in 1946 and was printing the town's "Weekly News" from 1953. He sold the company to KBH in 1969, but stayed on as a director and Factory Manager. There is reference to an 'Alex Fletcher' being the President of the Levin RSA in 1956, but it is unknown if they are the same person (but it is likely).

This slide would have been shown during cinema intermissions. Because of the heat from the projector the delicate slides were shown for only a few seconds- not enough time to read everything on this slide! Was it a poorly designed advertisement or a really clever one which showed the audience that Alex Fletcher had so many services you could couldn't read them all at once?

From antiques to furniture a trip to the auctioneers was the offline version of popular internet auction sites. This company also took out paper advertising which can be seen on Kete Horowhenua (https://horowhenua.kete.net.nz/item/9d7d6049-c491-45ac-8c35-3a2b02e6c830) but they were then in a different location and under a different auctioneer. The printed advert was from the 1950s- it is believed that this slide was made later.

Unlike a newspaper which was read by one person at a time, a cinema slide was projected at the end of a film's intermission (later, when intermissions fell out of favour, they were often screened before the film began). The projectionist had to display and remove the slide in a few seconds- otherwise the heat from the projector's lamp would crack the glass!

Becoming a projectionist took around five years of on the job training- and preparing the advertising slides was one of the first jobs a trainee was entrusted with. Just don't crack the slides.....

Complete with a trendy hairstyle, a bevy of admirers and some sophisticated, soothing colour tones this slide encouraged the fashion conscious to get a haircut at Cooper Salon. The poses of the admirers in the background mimic many LP album covers of the period. 

Like most slides from it's era it was hand coloured- getting high quality colour prints was difficult in 1960s New Zealand! The upper right corner is cracked, probably due to being left in the projector for too long. The carbon-arc machines of the time ran at around 6000 degrees Celsius so each slide was only shown for a few seconds before being removed. This meant that most cinema advertising slides had bold designs like this one. 

No other online records of this business have been found at the time of uploading. Due to the low cost of cinema slides and their targeted audience (a local business only advertised in their town's cinemas) many small firms used 'the flicks' to promote themselves. 

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.

 A portable transistor radio bought on the 13th of April 1962 from Woolworths in Oxford Street, Levin. With original box, user manual, warranty and sales card. Transistor radios were smaller and more reliable than the old valve radios and did not need a 'warm up time'. They first became popular in the mid 1950s and were soon the latest and greatest thing to have.

Autocrat made this model in New Zealand- but in the late 1950s these portable radios were hard to get. In fact, they were one of the most common items Customs found being smuggled into the country at the time! It wasn't the only illegal thing involving these little radios- teenagers would use them in their rooms to secretly listen to the 'pirate radio stations' of the 1960s.  

Typed on damaged piece of paper sellotaped to back: “Perhaps 1918 Peace Procession. Miss M. McKegg was the successful Carnival Queen (Later Mrs Easton). Mr Vickers dressed as John Bull.”

Children lead the Armistice Day Peace Parade, along Oxford Street and west down Queen Street in 1918. The photograph is takenacross the Oxford Street and Queen Street intersection looking west towards the Levin Hotel. There are flags across the intersection and hanging from buildings.

1 B&W photo print, mounted (composite)

Any use of this image must be accompanied by the credit “Horowhenua Historical Society Inc.”