Lotus Thompson: Silent Film Star

The Blue Mountains Mystery 1923

The Blue Mountains Mystery –  also known as The Mystery of the Blue Mountains – also known as Who killed Tracey? –  was directed by Lottie Lyell and Raymond Longford. The movie was filmed in Katoomba at The Carrington Hotel, and the Hydro Majestic, as well as Sydney Harbour. The Carroll brothers produced this film.

Lottie was a highly talented writer, director, editor, producer, and much loved popular actress. Though she had  made twenty– eight films, working in all facets of the film– making process, However, this film was her first screen credit for direction.

Lottie Lyell, third from left, and Raymond Longford, next to her on the right.

In this murder mystery, where the elite meet the murky underworld, Lotus established a ‘foremost screen reputation.’ The Blue Mountains Mystery was a box office success, nationally and internationally. It is a lost film but the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, located in Canberra holds images from the film.

Interior of the Hydro Majestic Hotel

The Dingo 1923

Released in July 1923, The Dingo was a dramatic film about a clumsy drunk who caused mayhem, ruining lives. Kenneth Brampton directed it, and the film featured Lotus Thompson. Technically it was a British– Australian production, as British– Australasian Photoplays produced it, but it was promoted as a film that represented ‘the progress being made in the motion picture industry in our own country.’ 

Both The Blue Mountains Mystery and The Dingo were noted for their stunning pictorial cinematography. The Dingo was partly filmed in Mudgee, in regional New South Wales, and is another lost film.