Cyril James Morton

Notes:

Cyril James Morton was born at Wanganui on 19 April 1903, the son of Helen Molloy and her husband, William Thomas James Morton, a grocer. He was educated at South Wellington School and Wellington College. After leaving school he worked as an office boy at a film distribution company. This, and his hobby of photography, led to his being offered a job by Frank Stewart at New Zealand Films Limited, a small film-making company. There Morton learned about the technical aspects of film-making, and gained experience as a cinematographer. He helped to film the prince of Wales's tour in 1920, and worked on The slums of Wellington (1920) and other films.
Morton joined the government's Publicity Office as a cinematographer in 1923. He travelled throughout New Zealand filming the country's scenic beauties and preparing films for exhibition. The earliest of these scenic films were screened at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, London, in 1924–25, but later films were made for weekly theatrical release throughout New Zealand and Australia. One of the most notable films made by Morton during the period of silent-film making was the two-reel Fighting fins, a record of the visit to New Zealand by American novelist Zane Grey on a deep-sea fishing expedition in 1926.
Morton's early working conditions were primitive, but they improved when the government photographic laboratory moved from its 'old tin shed' behind Parliament to premises on Lambton Quay. There, Morton and his colleagues were better equipped to meet their one-film-per-week schedule. In 1927 the contractor for the processing and printing of the Publicity Office's films, A. A. P. Mackenzie, formed Filmcraft Limited and built the Miramar film studio and laboratory, to which Morton moved in 1928.
More than 200 films had been produced by the Publicity Office before it stopped making silent films in 1930, the year after 'talkies' arrived in New Zealand. Filmcraft invested in sound equipment, but administrative changes and staff cuts by its principal client, the Publicity Office, led to a drastic reduction in demand for its facilities. As Morton later recalled, the company's staff 'went from forty to four overnight, and the place was like a morgue'.
Over the next six years Morton, as government film supervisor, was more of a caretaker of the government's film equipment than a working film-maker, although he still managed to produce a number of shorts. In 1928 he shot the silent film Amokura in Rotorua. It was not used at the time, but when sound equipment arrived Morton wrote a script which was narrated over the film. Issued in 1934, it was screened successfully for a number of years. On 1 March 1933, at Hamilton, he married Ngaire Eleanor Andrews, a shorthand typist; they were to have one son.
In 1936 Filmcraft leased the Miramar studios to the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts and Publicity, and regular production of tourist promotion films began again. The department bought the studios outright in 1938, the year that production began on the centennial film One hundred crowded years, which Morton supervised and edited. Work was disrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War, but on its completion in 1940 the film was screened throughout New Zealand to raise funds for patriotic purposes.
Cyril Morton played a key role in setting up the New Zealand National Film Unit in 1941. He produced a series of anti-waste films to demonstrate that government film studios could play a useful role in the war effort, and worked with the journalist and film critic E. S. Andrews, who had also advocated the use of film for wartime publicity purposes. Andrews was appointed producer of the National Film Unit in August 1941, and with Morton as supervisor of production the making of war-effort films began on a regular basis.
From a small beginning the National Film Unit's 'Weekly Review' newsreel grew to become a feature of picture theatre programmes during the war, and 459 were produced between 1941 and 1950. Morton had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the unit's film stock, and often worked extremely long hours. When Andrews resigned in 1950, Morton was appointed producer of the unit with Geoffrey Scott as manager.
Two of the unit's biggest undertakings were the production of a feature-length film of the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland, and the filming of the 1953–54 royal visit for the Eastmancolor feature Royal New Zealand journey. Morton visited England to edit the latter film with the J. Arthur Rank Organisation, the unit's co-producer. In the 1950s departmental information films, scenic films and the 'Pictorial Parade' magazine series were the unit's staple output. From the early 1960s films for television release became a new feature of its work.
Cyril Morton retired on 27 June 1963, ending 40 years in government film-making. He settled in Foxton, where he pursued his hobbies of railway modelling and painting. He died in Levin on 25 June 1986, survived by his son; Ngaire had died five years earlier.

Cyril married Ngaire Eleanor Andrews 1 Mar 1933, Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand. Ngaire (daughter of Edward Laurence Andrews and Hilda Margaret Milner) was born 6 May 1907, Wanganui, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand; died 5 Mar 1981, Foxton, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand; was buried , Foxton Cemetery, Foxton, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand. [Group Sheet]

1. Lawrence William Morton was born 3 Jan 1939, Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand; died 10 Dec 2014, Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand.

Notes:

Born at Taupo Quay according to birth announcement in Wanganui Herald

Died at age 80

Death registration number: 1948/21681

William married Helen Molloy 10 Apr 1895, Wanganui, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand. Helen (daughter of John Molloy, Senior and Johanna Toohey) was born 16 Jan 1867, Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia; died 10 Jul 1952, Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand; was buried 14 Jul 1952, Karori Cemetery, Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

of Wellington, New Zealand

Died at age 84 at 138 Coromandel Street

Death registration number: 1952/25273

Notes:

at Chirst Church, Church of England; Marriage File 1903849. Folio #1895/1368, #58

Notes:

Died at age 34 on board the ship Rangatira

Also known as Wanganui Old Public Cemetery

Thomas married Clara Annie Winslade 1866. Clara was born Cal 1848; died Oct 1931, Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Died at age 83

Notes:

Confirmed on 14 Aug 1857 in the Church of Ireland, Templemore, Tipperary, Ireland from correspondence to brother, Henry John Molloy, from mother, Mary Grey.

Emmigrated between 1857-71 from correspondence to brother, Henry John Molloy, from brother, William Molloy,
dated 7 Nov 1871 with reference that he has written seldom since going to Australia. "...I suppose John has enough to do
to mind the wife and childering which are increasing steadely."

Emmigrated Jun 1860 on ship "Hope" or Miriam".

Married with children from correspondence to brother, Henry John Molloy, from brother, William Molloy, dated 26 Oct 1906. "John has a large family...his wife died some years ago,..."

All certificates and correspondence cited for this family are in my possession.

Death Reg. 8386 of nephritis heart failure

John married Johanna Toohey 15 Jan 1863, Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia. Johanna (daughter of James Toohey and Mary Maher) was born 25 Dec 1842, , , Tipperary, Ireland; died 26 Aug 1886, South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; was buried 28 Aug 1886, Melbourne General Cemetery, Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

surname spelled Toohy?

Emmigrated in 1858 at age 15/16

Death Reg. 10106 of tuberculosis; died at Hobben Street?; 28 years in Victoria, thus immigrated about 1858

Buried at X280

Notes:

at Christ Church, Certificate 43

Other Events:

• Land Assessment: 1847, Moyne, County Tipperary, Ireland

Notes:

Married in Templemore Church by Rev. Wm N. Falkner, Church of Ireland parish register (in the small booklet on a separate sheet); Peter Molloy of this parish.

Buried at the Church of Ireland cem.; tombstone reads: "Erected by Mary Moloy in memory of her husband Peter Moloy who died April 14th 1856 Aged 61 Yrs...."

Occupation: servant entered on son's, Henry John Molloy's, marriage;
householder entered on daughter's, Maria Molloy's, marriage.

according to Irish naming custom father was likely Henry or John Molloy as was the first son or possibly his mother's surname was Enright

name Peter T. Moloy?

Peter married Mary Grey 7 Feb 1826, Saint Mary's Church of Ireland, Templemore, Tipperary, Ireland. Mary (daughter of William Grey and Phebe Dudley) was born 28 Dec 1795, Templemore, Tipperary, Ireland; was christened 11 Jan 1796, Saint Mary's Church of Ireland, Templemore, Tipperary, Ireland; died 6 Apr 1888, Johnstown, Kilkenny, Ireland; was buried 7 Apr 1888, Saint Mary's Church of Ireland Cemetery, Johnstown, Kilkenny, Ireland. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Birthdate, 28 Dec 1796, correspondence of her nephew, Thomas I. Mills,
dated 15 Jun 1904

Christened Maria Gray, Church of Ireland parish register, p. 12;
parents of Templemore

Marriage Mary Grey, of the Parish of Templetouhy Signed Mary Grey

Buried in the Church of Ireland cemetery.; tombstone reads: "Erected by A Molloy in loving memory of his mother Mary Molloy who departed this life 6th April 1888 Aged 92 years..."

Notes:

Peter Molloy of Templemore and Mary Grey of Templetuohy; p. 1, #12

James married Mary Maher. Mary was born , Rahelty, Townagha, Tipperary, Ireland. [Group Sheet]