''The Kid Stakes'' is a 1927 Australian silent black and white comedy film written and directed by Tal Ordell. The screenplay is based on characters created by Syd Nicholls in his comic strip, ''

Fatty Finn ''Fatty Finn'' was a popular long-run Australian comic strip series, created in 1923 by Syd Nicholls. It ran in syndication until the creator's death in 1977. History In 1923 Syd Nicholls, a senior artist at Sydney's ''Evening News'', was aske ...

''.

Plot summary

Fatty Finn (Robin 'Pop' Ordell) is the six-year-old leader of a gang of kids in Woolloomooloo. They enter Fatty's pet goat Hector in the annual goat derby, but his rival Bruiser Murphy (Frank Boyd) lets the goat loose before the race. After a series of adventures, Fatty finds the runaway goat and persuades a friendly aviator to fly him to the race-track in time for the main event.

Cast

*Robin 'Pop' Ordell as Fatty Finn *Charles Roberts as Tiny King *Eileen Alexander as Madeline Twirt *Ray Salmon as Jimmy Kelly *Leonard Durell as Constable Claffey *Frank Boyd as Bruiser Murphy *Billy Ireland as Seasy *Eileen Alexander as Madeline Twirt *Jimmy Taylor as Horatio John Wart *Tad Ordell as Radio race-caller * Syd Nicholls as self *

David Nettheim David Cosman Nettheim (10 July 1925 – 11 March 2008) was an Australian actor and stage writer, he acted on stage and film, but was best known for his roles in numerous television series. Early life Born in Sydney, New South Wales, and broug ...

as Baby in Pram

Production

The majority of the shooting locations for ''The Kid Stakes'' were in

Woolloomooloo Woolloomooloo ( ) is a harbourside, inner-city eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Woolloomooloo is 1.5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney. It is in a low ...

and

Potts Point Potts Point is a small and densely populated suburb in inner-city Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Potts Point is located east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney. Potts Po ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. The film's finale, the goat race, however was filmed in

Rockhampton, Queensland Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

, because goat racing was illegal in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. The role of Fatty Finn was played by Tal Ordell's six-year-old son Robin, known as 'Pop' Ordell.

Reception

The film premiered at the Wintergarden Theatre in Brisbane on 9 June 1927. The now defunct weekly magazine, Pix, in its review states "Kid Stakes brings back the Sydney of the 1920s. They were all on parade; the ragged urchins, the brawling and the free-fisted characters of the waterfront." Ordell sold the remake rights to England and had discussions to make a talking version in 1930. However this did not eventuate and Ordell never directed another feature. Robin Ordell went on to become a star of Sydney radio in the 1930s. He then joined the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

and won a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). He was killed over the Netherlands in 1945 at about the age of 24. The movie was thought lost until rediscovered in 1952. It was re-released two years later. ''The Kid Stakes'' was remade as ''

'' in 1980.

References

External links

* *
''The Kid Stakes''
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 co ...