Dad Rudd, M.P.: Difference between revisions
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==Script== |
==Script== |
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The last six films made by [[Cinesound Productions]] were all comedies as producer [[Ken G. Hall]] sought to ensure guaranteed box office successes. He elected to make another Dad and Dave film instead of two other long-planned projects, an adaptation of ''[[Robbery Under Arms]]''<ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/35603726?searchTerm=%22gone%20to%20the%20dogs%22%20wallace&searchLimits=l-category=Article%7Ccategory%3AArticle|||sortby=dateAsc|||l-decade=193 'FIVE AUSTRALIAN FILMS IN YEAR "Robbery Under Arms" To Be Included' ''The Advertiser (Adelaide)'', Tuesday 9 August 1938 p 21]</ref> and a story about the [[Overland Telegraph]].<ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/17544564?searchTerm=%22gone%20to%20the%20dogs%22%20wallace&searchLimits=l-category=Article%7Ccategory%3AArticle|||sortby=dateAsc|||l-decade=193 'WILL MAHONEY. Australian Film Engagement', ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', Tuesday 10 January 1939 p 9]</ref> |
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The last six films made by [[Cinesound Productions]] were all comedies as producer [[Ken G. Hall]] sought to ensure guaranteed box office successes. |
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"Though we were entertaining the idea of other types of stories, the amazing enthusiasm for ''[[Dad and Dave Come to Town]]'' makes another Bailey picture the wisest commercial choice," said [[Ken G. Hall]] in 1939. "We feel that, by placing 'Dad' in politics, we will inject any amount of comedy material which is typical of Bailey at his best."<ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/17640324?searchTerm=%22dad%20rudd%20mp%22&searchLimits=l-category=Article%7Ccategory%3AArticle|||sortby=dateAsc "Dad Rudd, MP." ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' Thursday 12 October 1939 p 25]</ref> |
"Though we were entertaining the idea of other types of stories, the amazing enthusiasm for ''[[Dad and Dave Come to Town]]'' makes another Bailey picture the wisest commercial choice," said [[Ken G. Hall]] in 1939. "We feel that, by placing 'Dad' in politics, we will inject any amount of comedy material which is typical of Bailey at his best."<ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/17640324?searchTerm=%22dad%20rudd%20mp%22&searchLimits=l-category=Article%7Ccategory%3AArticle|||sortby=dateAsc "Dad Rudd, MP." ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' Thursday 12 October 1939 p 25]</ref> |
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Revision as of 05:34, 8 November 2011
| Dad Rudd, MP | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ken G. Hall |
| Written by | Bert Bailey Frank Harvey |
| Produced by | Ken G. Hall |
| Starring | Bert Bailey Grant Taylor Fred MacDonald |
| Cinematography | George Heath |
| Edited by | William Shepherd |
Production company | |
Release date | June 1940 |
Running time | 83 mins |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £18,000[1] |
| Box office | £28,000[2] |
Dad Rudd, M.P. is a 1940 comedy that was the last of four films made by Ken G. Hall starring Bert Bailey as Dad Rudd. It was the last feature film directed by Hall prior to the war and the last made by Cinesound Productions, Bert Bailey and Frank Harvey.
Synopsis
Dad Rudd (Bert Bailey) wants improvements made to an important dam but faces opposition from the local member, Henry Webster (Frank Harvey). This prompts him to run for parliament himself. Matters are complicated by the fact that Rudd's daughter Ann (Yvonne East) falls in love with Webster's son Jim (Grant Taylor). The climax involves the dam collapsing after a fierce storm.
Script
The last six films made by Cinesound Productions were all comedies as producer Ken G. Hall sought to ensure guaranteed box office successes. He elected to make another Dad and Dave film instead of two other long-planned projects, an adaptation of Robbery Under Arms[3] and a story about the Overland Telegraph.[4]
"Though we were entertaining the idea of other types of stories, the amazing enthusiasm for Dad and Dave Come to Town makes another Bailey picture the wisest commercial choice," said Ken G. Hall in 1939. "We feel that, by placing 'Dad' in politics, we will inject any amount of comedy material which is typical of Bailey at his best."[5]
William Freshman was originally reported as having worked on the script but is not credited in the final film.[6]
The movie was more serious than others in the series. "In one of the old 'Selection' books, Dad did stand for Parliament," said Bert Bailey during shooting. "But that was for comedy purposes. In Dad Rudd, M.P., when Dad does come down and speak in Parliament, there is not one tinge of comedy. He is an earnest old chap, speakong in a plain, ordinary, common-sense way on water conservation. He is saying what he believes is the right thing to be done for the farmer, and for the country. For water is a national asset. In this scene, Dad does allude to the war. He says that the spirit which animated the pioneers who crossed the plains and fought the land is the same spirit behind the adventurous boys who go abroad to fight for Australia."[7]
Casting
The romantic leads were played by Yvonne East and Grant Taylor, both graduates of the Cinesound Talent School.[8] Chips Rafferty makes an early screen appearance as a fireman in the opening sequence.
The cast had more continuity than usual for a Cinesound Rudd film, with Alec Kellaway, Connie Martyn, Ossie Wenban, Valerie Scanlan and Marshall Crosby all reprising their roles from Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938).[9]
American actor Barbara Weeks, who was visiting Australia at the time of shooting with her husband, played a small role at the behest of Ken G. Hall.[10]
Production
Shooting took place in February and March 1940, in the Cinesound Studio and on location at Woronora Dam and Camden.[11]
The film was partly financed with an overdraft from the New South Wales government.[12]
Release
Dad Rudd MP was a hit at the box office, earning £28,000[13]The film also achieved a release in Britain.
Cast
- Bert Bailey as Dad Rudd
- Fred MacDonald as Dave Rudd
- Grant Taylor as Jim Webster
- Frank Harvey as Henry Webster
- Connie Martyn as Mum
- Yvonne East as Ann Rudd
- Ossie Wenban as Joe
- Valerie Scanlan as Sally
- Alec Kellaway as Entwistle
- Jean Robertson as Mrs Webster
- Barbara Weeks as Sybil Vane
- Ronald Whelan as Lewis
- Letty Craydon as Mrs McGrury
- Marshall Crosby as Ryan
- Joe Valli as MacTavish
- Field Fisher as Jenkins
- Billy Stewart as Bloggs
- Natalie Raine as Susie
- Lorna Westbrook as Minnie
- Leo Gordon as Fordham
- Chips Rafferty as fireman
- Raymond Longford as Electoral Officer
References
- ^ 'Bert Bailey Started In Melodrama And Made A Fortune From A Beard', The Sunday Herald Sunday 5 April 1953 p 12
- ^ 'Bert Bailey Started In Melodrama And Made A Fortune From A Beard', The Sunday Herald Sunday 5 April 1953 p 12
- ^ 'FIVE AUSTRALIAN FILMS IN YEAR "Robbery Under Arms" To Be Included' The Advertiser (Adelaide), Tuesday 9 August 1938 p 21
- ^ 'WILL MAHONEY. Australian Film Engagement', The Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday 10 January 1939 p 9
- ^ "Dad Rudd, MP." The Sydney Morning Herald Thursday 12 October 1939 p 25
- ^ 'DadRudd, M.P ' New Film, Barrier Miner (Broken Hill), Thursday 2 November 1939 Edition: HOME EDITION p 5
- ^ 'BERT BAILEY talks about DAD RUDD HE KNOWS MEN ON THE LAND TO-DAY WHO ARE EXACTLY LIKE DAD', The Australian Women's Weekly, Saturday 20 April 1940 Supplement: The Movie World p 39
- ^ 'TALENT IN NEW PICTURE', The Courier-Mail (Brisbane) Thursday 11 April 1940 p10
- ^ 'FIRST DAY ON SET. Cinesound's New Comedy.', The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 8 February 1940 p 23
- ^ '"Dad Rudd, M.P." Now In Production', The Mercury, Saturday 2 March 1940 p 4
- ^ 'Dam Workers as Film Actors', The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 29 February 1940 p 23
- ^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 190.
- ^ Gayne Dexter, Bert Bailey Obituary, The Sydney Sunday Herald, Sunday 5 April 1953 p12