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Story: Humour

Film poster, 1921

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Film poster, 1921

The bloke from Freeman's Baywas the first movie by pioneering New Zealand film-maker Rudall Hayward. He shot it on location in the then working-class Auckland suburb of Freeman's Bay, casting only locals. The two-reel comedy premiered at the West End theatre in Ponsonby in 1921.

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Reference: KPFE2571

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How to cite this page

Caroline Harker, Humour – Developing a national sense of humour, 1900–1970, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/ephemera/37522/film-poster-1921 (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by Caroline Harker, published 27 March 2012.