West's Pictures
West's Pictures was a short-lived Australian film production and exhibition company during the silent era. It was established by English theatrical entrepreneur Thomas James West who helped turn the company into one of Australia's largest exhibitors. The company also produced a regular newsreel and several narrative films, some made by Franklyn Barrett.
Many of their early films were contemporary stories made on a joint writer-technician-director basis.
West partnered with Henry Hayward in presenting films in New Zealand and Australia, supplementing the film show with variety performers, "The Brescians" later establishing a chain of cinemas in Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain, including:
- On 5 December 1908 West's "Olympia" opened in Hindley Street. Adelaide was the last of Australia's capital cities to have a permanent picture theatre.
- In 1909 Royal Hall on the corner of Peter Street and Bath Street, St Helier, Jersey.
T. J. West's film company was often confused in the public mind with that of A. J. West's quite separate 'Our Navy' company, but there was no connection. However, T. J. West did secure the exclusive right in 1912 to show A. J. Wests's 'Our Navy' films in Bournemouth.