''Blue Fire Lady'' is a 1977 Australian film directed by

Ross Dimsey Ross Dimsey (born 16th October 1943) is an Australian writer, producer, director and film executive. He was born in Melbourne and worked in Britain and America from 1969–69. He worked in a variety of capacities on a number of films. From 1969� ...

and starring Cathryn Harrison and

Mark Holden Mark Ronald Holden (born 27 April 1954) is an Australian singer, actor, TV personality, record producer, songwriter, and barrister. He was a pop star in the 1970s and had four top 20 hit singles, "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" (May 1976 ...

. It was a rare children's film from producer Antony I. Ginnane who was better known for his horror and sex films.David Stratton, ''The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival'', Angus & Robertson, 1980 p251

Plot

Jenny Grey is a young girl who wants to be a competitive show rider but her father Alan doesn't approve, because his wife was killed in a riding accident. Jenny rides when she can and helps her neighbours deliver a foal. Alan sends Jenny off to boarding school in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to forget the idea but she rides whenever she can. When Jenny turns 18 she gets a job as a stable hand at Caulfield racetrack with the trainer Mr McIntyre and takes a room in a boarding house run by the caring Mrs Gianini, who also rents a room to Barry, a university student and mechanic. Jenny loves her job but frowns upon Mr McIntyre's seemingly uncaring treatment of his horses, namely when he works and races a horse with a sore leg, and sends the old stable dog to be put down. Jenny adopts the dog, whom Mrs G nicknames "Mr Dog", and soon a new horse arrives at the stables, a chestnut filly with a big blaze. The filly is the foal Jenny helped birth and has been given the name Blue Fire Lady. Lady is vicious toward the other stablehands but loves Jenny, who kindly begins to train her for the races as her rider and strapper. Meanwhile, she develops a romance with Barry, her house-mate. Blue Fire Lady's first race is a disaster for Jenny. She asked the jockey to treat her kindly, but Mr McIntyre – who doesn't believe the filly has any potential – tells him to whip her hard. Blue Fire Lady wins but is traumatized and hurt from the race. Jenny quits her job and later finds out from her old stable colleague that Lady is too hard to handle and will be sent to auction. Jenny tries to bid at the auction for $100 but is outbid by a man from the slaughter yards who wants horses for dog food. Barry, unbeknownst to Jenny, drives out to see her estranged father and begs him to see how much Jenny loves horses. At the auction Jenny is heartbroken when the dog food man wins Lady and cries by the stables. Barry comes in to find her and comfort her, and urges her to come outside. Confused, Jenny follows him, only to see her father handing a check to the dog man and Lady being loaded into a horse trailer. Her father smiles and hugs Jenny close, telling her he has bought Lady for her and he is sorry for not seeing her passion is for horses. The film ends with a clip of Jenny and Blue Fire Lady competing in a

show-jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ...

round and her proud father and Barry watching on as she wins and accepts her trophy.

Cast

* Cathryn Harrison as Jenny *

as Barry *

Peter Cummins Peter Cummins (born 2 June 1931 in Melbourne) is an Australian retired character actor of stage and screen and chorister who was especially prominent in the 1970s and appeared in some of the most famous Australian films of the period. He was pa ...

as McIntyre * Marion Edward as Mrs Gianini * Lloyd Cunnington as Mr Grey * Irene Hewitt as Mrs Bartlett * Syd Conabere as Mr Bartlett * Philip Barnard-Brown as Stephen *

Gary Waddell Gary Waddell is an Australian actor. He was nominated for the 2012 AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in '' The King is Dead!'' and for an AFI award for his role in 1975 film ''Pure Shit''. Filmography TV *'' Old School ...

as Charlie *

John Wood (actor, born 1946) John Wood (born 14 July 1946) is an Australian television Gold Logie Award-winning actor and scriptwriter. Wood has appeared in numerous theatre and TV productions, but is best known for his roles in the legal drama ''Rafferty's Rules'' as St ...

as Gus *

John Ewart Jon Ewart (06th May 1996) is a British television and film actor. Ewart attended the prestigious National Youth Theatre, Identity School of Acting and has appeared in many successful Television shows. Biography Career Ewart, who was born in M ...

as Mr Peters * Rollo Roylance as reporter * John Murphy as vet * Telford Jackson as chief stewart * Roy Higgins as Kelvin Clegg * Bill Collins as broadcaster * Jack Mobbs as postman

Production

Bob Maumill brought the script to Antony I. Ginnane who decided to make it. Ross Dimsey, who had written some sex films for Ginnane and had directed children in television commercials, was hired as director.Beilby, Peter and Scott Murray, 'Antony I. Ginnane', Cinema Papers, January/February 1979 p177 The film was funded entirely by private sources, coming from Filmways, the Nine network, Channel Seven in Perth and some private investors. Shooting took place in and around Melbourne over five weeks in August and September 1977 with race scene shot at Caulfied.

Release

The film enjoyed a reasonably successful run at the box office. By early 1979 Ginnane said the film had earned over $100,000 in foreign sales and he expected it would be profitable in a few more months.

References

External links

*
''Blue Fire Lady''
at Oz Movies {{Mark Holden 1977 films Australian children's films Films about horses Films set in Victoria (state) 1970s English-language films