The Sentimental Bloke (1932 film)

The Sentimental Bloke is a 1932 Australian film directed by F. W. Thring and starring Cecil Scott and Ray Fisher. It is an adaptation of the 1915 novel Songs of a Sentimental Bloke by C. J. Dennis, which had previously been filmed in 1919.

The Sentimental Bloke
Directed byF. W. Thring
Written byC. J. Dennis
Based onSongs of a Sentimental Bloke by C. J. Dennis
Produced byF. W. Thring
StarringCecil Scott
Ray Fisher
CinematographyArthur Higgins
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal
Release date
26 March 1932
Running time
92 mins
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Budget£20,000[1] or £12,000[2]
Box office£22,000[3][4]

Premise

A larrikin is reformed due to the love of a good woman.

Cast
  • Cecil Scott as the Bloke
  • Ray Fisher as Doreen
  • Tal Ordell as Ginger Mick
  • Athol Tier as Artie
  • Edna Morecombe as Effie
  • Keith Desmond as Uncle
  • Dora Mostyn as Ma
  • William Carroll as the Stror at Coot
  • Leslie Gordon as Erb
  • Katie Towers
  • William Ralston
  • Barney Egan

Production

Dennis was hired to adapt his own story. Dialogue was rewritten by Dennis in prose and updated to the modern era. It placed greater emphasis on supporting characters than the 1919 film, adding a detective plot about Uncle Jim being conned over his discovery of gold in his orchard.[5]

The female lead, Ray Fisher, was signed by Thring to a five-year contract.[6] She later married champion jockey Billy Cook.[7]

Raymond Longford later claimed he worked on the film as an associate.[8] According to Jack Murray, assistant to cinematographer Arthur Higgins, Thing was a director in name only and the real director was Higgins.[9] It was Efftee's most expensive film.[10]

Reception

The film ran for five weeks at a cinema in Melbourne.[11] Thring later estimated the film earned £2,000 at one theatre alone[12] and it was the third most popular Australian movie of the year after On Our Selection and The Squatter's Daughter.[3]

Variety called it 'undoubtedly the best Australian production yet made"."The Sentimental Bloke". Variety. 31 May 1932. p. 15.</ref>

Thring claimed in the long run he lost £5,000 on the movie due in part because of studio overhead.[2][4][13]

The film was released in England but received poor reviews.[14][15]

See also

References
  1. "AUSTRALIAN FILMS". The Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 21 June 1931. p. 6. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  2. "Counting the Cash in Australian Films"', Everyones 12 December 1934 p 19-20
  3. 'Counting the Cash in Australian Films', Everyones 12 December 1934 p 19 quoted in Fitzpatrick p179
  4. "Film Industry In Australia". The News. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 11 June 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  5. Fitzpatrick p 174
  6. "Australian Talkies". The Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 9 August 1931. p. 6. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  7. "BILLY COOK'S WIFE STARRED IN FIRST TALKIE". The Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 13 December 1953. p. 29. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  8. "Raymond Longford", Cinema Papers, January 1974 p51
  9. Fitzpatrick p 173
  10. Fitzpatrick p 178
  11. ""THE SENTIMENTAL BLOKE."". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 27 May 1932. p. 20. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  12. ""FILM QUOTA"". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 20 August 1934. p. 8. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  13. "AUSTRALIAN FILMS". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 6 January 1934. p. 20. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  14. ""SENTIMENTAL BLOKE."". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 30 March 1933. p. 6. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  15. "AUSTRALIAN FILMS". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 5 May 1933. p. 3. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  • Fitzpatrick, Peter, The Two Frank Thrings, Monash University, 2012
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