''Bush Christmas'' is a 1947

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

–

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

comedy film directed by

Ralph Smart Ralph Foster Smart (27 August 1908 – 12 February 2001) was a film and television producer, director, and writer, born in England to Australian parents. Biography Smart found work in Britain with Anthony Asquith and later alongside the film dir ...

and starring

Chips Rafferty John William Pilbean Goffage MBE (26 March 190927 May 1971), known professionally as Chips Rafferty, was an Australian actor. Called "the living symbol of the typical Australian", Rafferty's career stretched from the late 1930s until his death ...

. It was one of the first films from Children's Entertainment Films, later the

Children's Film Foundation The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) was a non-profit organisation which made films for children in the United Kingdom originally to be shown as part of childrens' Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. The films typically were about 55 ...

Plot

In the Australian countryside, five children are best friends, including a set of siblings, an English war evacuee, and Aboriginal Neza. They boast to three strangers, Long Bill (

), Jim (John Fernside) and Blue ( Stan Tolhurst), about the mare belonging to the father of one of them. The next day the mare has gone. Suspecting the three men of stealing it, the children set off to recover it. They discover the horse thieves and harass them by stealing their food and shoes. They get trapped by the thieves in an old ghost town, but are rescued in time.

Cast

as Long Bill *

John Fernside John Fernside (died 27 October 1957, aged 65) was an Australian actor who worked extensively on stage and screen from the 1910s through to 1950s. He co-starred with Chips Rafferty in two Australian films of the 1940s; ''The Overlanders'' (1946) an ...

as Jim * Stan Tolhurst as Blue * Helen Grieve as Helen * Nick Yardley as Snow * Morris Unicomb as John * Michael Yardley as Michael * Neza Saunders as Neza * Pat Penny as father *

Thelma Grigg Thelma Grigg (born Thelma Emerson, 13 September 1911 – 29 May 2003) was an Australian actress. She was first hired as an extra for Cinesound Productions in 1937. She made her stage debut in a 1939 production of '' The Women'' by Clare Boothe Lu ...

as mother * Clyde Combo as Old Jack * Edmund Allison as policeman

Development

Children's Entertainment Films had been set up by Mary Field for the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distrib ...

to make films to be screened to children in cinema clubs throughout England on Saturday mornings. In August 1945, it was announced that Ralph Smart would write and direct ''Bush Christmas'' for exhibition in the cinema clubs. Smart was an Englishman who had worked in Australia during the war. He wanted to make a children's film but had been unable to find a suitable story so decided to write one himself. He wrote the script so it had maximum action and minimum dialogue. It was to be the first in a series of children's films set in the Empire. The film was financed by the Rank Organisation, which had also financed '' The Overlanders'' (1946) in Australia. Smart had worked on that film, which made a star of Chips Rafferty who signed on to star in ''Bush Christmas''. He also assisted in casting. ''Bush Christmas'' was originally planned as a serial, but it was then decided to turn it into a feature. Several cast members from ''The Overlanders'' appear, including Chips Rafferty, John Fernside and Helen Grieve. Grieve was the first choice for her role. Michael and Nick Yardley were brothers who had worked in radio. Neza Saunders came from a mission station near Rockhampton and was discovered by

. Morris Unicomb was a veteran of stage and radio.

Shooting

The film was entirely shot on location in March 1946. Filming took place in the Capertee Valley and at Kanangra Tops and Burragarong Valley, in the Blue Mountains. They also did a week's work at

Carr Park, Kogarah Carr may refer to: Geography United States * Carr, Colorado, an unincorporated community * Carr, North Carolina, an unincorporated community * Carr Township, Clark County, Indiana * Carr Township, Jackson County, Indiana * Carr Township, Durha ...

. Neza Saunders fell off a horse while filming but had recovered within two days. Post production was completed in Sydney by June 1946. Smart left Australia in October, promising to be back in a few months to make more movies; he took four scenarios with him.

Release

Reviews were positive. Rank were so happy with the movie that instead of just playing it in cinema clubs they released it as a support feature for ''Frieda''.

Box office

The film was very popular in Britain and Australia and was seen in 41 countries. ''Variety'' said it did "solid biz" in Australia. It was reportedly among the most popular films of the year in Britain in 1947, along with '' Courtneys of Curzon Street'', '' Great Expectations'', '' Duel in the Sun'', ''

Odd Man Out ''Odd Man Out'' is a 1947 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, and starring James Mason, Robert Newton, Cyril Cusack, and Kathleen Ryan. Set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it follows a wounded Nationalist leader who attempts to evade polic ...

'', '' Jassy'', ''

The Upturned Glass ''The Upturned Glass'' is a 1947 British film noir psychological thriller directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring James Mason, Rosamund John and Pamela Kellino. The screenplay concerns a leading brain surgeon who murders a woman he belie ...

'', '' Black Narcissus'', ''

Holiday Camp A holiday camp is a type of holiday accommodation that encourages holidaymakers to stay within the site boundary, and provides entertainment and facilities for them throughout the day. Since the 1970s, the term has fallen out of favour with term ...

'', ''

They Made Me A Fugitive ''They Made Me a Fugitive'' (released in the United States as ''I Became a Criminal'') is a 1947 British film noir set in postwar England.''Variety'' film review; 2 July 1947, page 13.'' Harrison's Reports'' film review (14 February 1948), page ...

'' and ''

The Jolson Story ''The Jolson Story'' is a 1946 American musical biography film which purports to tell the life story of singer Al Jolson. It stars Larry Parks as Jolson, Evelyn Keyes as Julie Benson (approximating Jolson's wife, Ruby Keeler), William Demares ...

''. By February 1948 the film had screened on American television.

Spin Offs

It was serialised in children's magazines and a novelisation of the script was published. The film was also adapted for radio with a young

John Meillon John Meillon, ( ; 1 May 1934 – 11 August 1989), was an Australian character actor, known for many straight as well as comedy roles, he became most widely known internationally as Walter Reilly in the films ''Crocodile Dundee'' and ''Crocodil ...

Follow Up

When Smart returned to Australia in January 1947 he announced plans for £150,000 worth of children's films in Australia, including a feature set on a Northern Territory outback station, a serial, and a series of documentary films. Yardley signed a contract to appear in the Territory film and also the serial, which was to be about buckjumping. These films did not eventuate. Smart made '' Bitter Springs'' with Rafferty in 1950. Helen Grieve decided to study science rather than pursue an acting career. Yardley later became newsworthy when his nose was broken in a boomerang-throwing accident.

References

External links

* * *
Bush Christmas
at

Australian Screen Online The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national c ...

''Bush Christmas''
at Oz Movies
US review of film
at ''Variety''
UK review of film
at ''Variety''
Complete film
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bush Christmas 1947 films 1940s adventure drama films 1940s Christmas films 1940s English-language films British adventure drama films British Christmas films 1940s children's adventure films Australian adventure drama films Australian Christmas films Australian children's adventure films Films set in Australia Children's Christmas films Children's Film Foundation Films directed by Ralph Smart Films set in ghost towns Australian black-and-white films British black-and-white films 1947 drama films 1940s British films 1940s Australian films