Struck Oil

Struck Oil is an 1874 play set during the American Civil War and a 1919 Australian silent film, now considered lost. The play, which introduced Maggie Moore to Australian theatre-goers, was popular with the Australian public and the basis of J. C. Williamson's success as a theatre entrepreneur.[1] A film based on the play and directed by Franklyn Barrett was produced in 1919.

This article is about the stage play and subsequent film. For the location in Queensland, see Struck Oil, Queensland.

Plot

John Stofel is a Dutch shoemaker who has settled in America, and has a daughter, Lizzie. During the US Civil War, John goes off to fight, in the place of a cowardly deacon who gives him the title deed of a farm. John returns from the war wounded and insane. Oil is discovered on the farm and the deacon tries to take the land back. However, John regains his memory, finds the hidden title deed and the deacon is forced to give up his claim to the Stofels.

The play
Struck Oil
Written by
  • Sam Smith
  • Clay Greene
  • J. C. Williamson
Date premiered23 February 1874
Place premieredSalt Lake City
Original languageEnglish
Genremelodrama

Origins

J. C. Williamson was an American leading actor who had toured Australia and just married Maggie Moore when he read a one-act play called The Dead, or Five Years Away by Irish miner and amateur playwright Sam Smith. It was originally a one-man piece about John Stofel, similar to Rip Van Winkle. Williamson bought the play outright for $100, had it rewritten by his friend Clay M. Greene, and retitled it Struck Oil. He then took the play to Salt Lake City where Williamson claims to have re-written the last act himself.[2][3]

Popularity

Williamson and Moore appeared in the play when it made its debut on 23 February 1874. It was a hit and they then took it to Australia where it debuted in Melbourne at the Theatre Royal on 1 August 1874.[4]

The play was a great success, ultimately selling 93,000 tickets in a city of 110,000 people, and proved equally popular around the rest of the country.[5] What was meant to be a 12-week tour of Australia ended up lasting for fifteen months and netting Williamson £15,000.[6]

Williamson used this money to launch his career as a theatre manager and Maggie Moore became one of the most popular performers on the Australian stage.[7][8]

In 1880 L. M. Bayless, a rival theatre manager, mounted a production of Struck Oil at the Academy of Music, Adelaide, but was deterred by Williamson's threat of legal action[9] although he may have been breaking no (South Australian) law.

Williamson and Moore toured with the play in India, the US, Europe and Britain, as well as frequently reviving it in Australia. In 1894 Moore left Williamson and formed her own theatre company; they divorced in 1899. Williamson tried to stop her from appearing in the play but was unsuccessful and she continued to revive it throughout her career until her death in 1926.[10][11][12]

The film

Struck Oil is a 1919 Australian silent film directed by Franklyn Barrett, based on the stage play. It is considered a lost film.

Struck Oil
Directed byFranklyn Barrett
Based onplay by Sam Smith, Clay Greene and J. C. Williamson
Produced byHumbert Pugliese
Starring
CinematographyErnest Higgins
Production
company
Australian Art Productions[13]
Release date
20 October 1919[14]
Running time
7 reels
CountryAustralia
Languages

Cast
  • Maggie Moore as Lizzie Stofel
  • Harry Roberts as John Stofel
  • Percy Walshe as Deacon Skinner
  • Boyd Irwin
  • David Edelsten

Maggie Moore married Harry Roberts in 1902 and he became her acting and business partner, appearing with her in several productions of Struck Oil. By the time she appeared in the film version of the play she was well into her sixties.[15]

Production

The film was shot in Sydney in August and September 1919. It is likely the budget was low.[16]

Reception

The film was not a success at the box office, which may be explained by the lack of access Humbert Pugliese had to other theatres around Australia.[16]

Variety gave the film a scathing review saying "the redeeming feature is the photography, otherwise the entire film should be scrapped."[17]

References
  1. J. C. Williamson career overview at Live Performance Hall of Fame
  2. 'Forty-five Years of the Stage', Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10878, 23 January 1907, Page 5
  3. ""Struck Oil"". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 23 May 1936. p. 13. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  4. "Theatre Royal". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 3 August 1874. p. 6. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  5. Frank Van Straten, 'J. C. Williamson', at Live Performance Hall of Fame
  6. "Amusements". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 23 November 1888. p. 9. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  7. Paul Bentley, 'JC Williamson Ltd', The Wolanski Foundation Paper No. 5, January 2000
  8. "Maggie Moore". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 17 March 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  9. "Advertising". The Evening Journal (Adelaide). Vol. XII, no. 3473. South Australia. 2 June 1880. p. 1. Retrieved 7 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. Poorten, Helen M. Van Der, 'Williamson, James Cassius (1845–1913)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University accessed 11 January 2012
  11. "Important Theatrical". South Australian Chronicle. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 10 March 1894. p. 11. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  12. ""Struck Oil"". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 3 March 1894. p. 5. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  13. ""Struck Oil"". The Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 23 October 1921. p. 6. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  14. "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 22 October 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  15. Refshauge, Richard, 'Moore, Maggie (1851–1926)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University accessed 11 January 2012.
  16. Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 92
  17. "Variety - Lantern: Search, Visualize & Explore the Media History Digital Library".
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