''A Son Is Born'' is a 1946 Australian melodrama directed by

Eric Porter Eric Richard Porter (8 April 192815 May 1995) was an English actor of stage, film and television. Early life Porter was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, to bus conductor Richard John Porter and Phoebe Elizabeth (née Spall). His parents ho ...

and starring

Ron Randell Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

, Peter Finch, and

Muriel Steinbeck Muriel Myee Steinbeck (21 July 1913 – 20 July 1982) was an Australian actress who worked extensively in radio, theatre, television and film. She is best known for her performance as the wife of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in '' Smithy'' (1946) ...

Synopsis

In 1920, Laurette marries an irresponsible drifter, Paul Graham. They have a son, David, but later divorce due to Paul's drinking and infidelities. David chooses to stay with his father and Laurette marries again, this time to John, a rich businessman with a teenaged daughter, Kay. Years later Paul is killed in a car accident and David comes to live with his mother, John and Kay. To get revenge on his mother for "abandoning" his father, David seduces Kay into marriage and abandons her, but realises the error of his ways serving in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

during World War II. He is injured in battle but survives to be reunited with Kay, Laurette and John.

Cast

as Laurette Graham *

as David Graham * Peter Finch as Paul Graham *

John McCallum John McCallum (born 9 April 1950) is a Canadian politician, economist, diplomat and former university professor. A former Liberal Member of Parliament ( MP), McCallum was the Canadian Ambassador to China from 2017 to 2019. He was asked for ...

as John Seldon *Jane Holland as Kay Seldon *Kitty Bluett as Phyllis *Peter Dunstan as David Graham as a boy

Production

The script was written by Gloria Bourner, who was a cartoonist. Eric Porter storyboarded the entire film prior to filming. He also put up half the budget himself, with the balance coming from Charles Munro and some private investors. Peter Finch, Ron Randell, Muriel Steinbeck and John McCallum were all well established actors when the film was made. Jane Holland was a 22-year-old radio actor who later moved to England and married

Leo McKern Reginald "Leo" McKern, AO (16 March 1920 – 23 July 2002) was an Australian actor who appeared in numerous British, Australian and American television programmes and films, and in more than 200 stage roles. His notable roles include Cla ...

. Kitty Bluett was a musical comedy star, the daughter of comedian Fred Bluett. The film was shot in the Supreme Sound System studio in early 1945. Filming was scheduled to allow the actors to take radio and stage jobs, and sometimes would start at midnight. War footage shot by

Damien Parer Damien Peter Parer (1 August 1912 – 17 September 1944) was an Australian war photographer. He became famous for his war photography of the Second World War, and was killed by Japanese machine-gun fire at Peleliu, Palau. He was cinematographer ...

is used in the New Guinea sequences. The movie was shot prior to '' Smithy'' (1946), also starring Randell and Steinbeck, but its release was held off until after that bigger budget movie to take advantage of its publicity.

Reception

Ron Randell was mobbed by female fans at the film's premiere. Critical response was mixed, many comparing the film unfavourably with '' Smithy''. Reviewer Stephen Vagg later wrote "This is a perfectly fine soapie, with Steinbeck suffering and smiling through the tears. She has beauty and charisma and holds her own against three men who would all become major names." Vagg characterised Randell's performance as "charismatic, vicious, cruel... a great performance...

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

established Randell as a force to watch."

Box Office

Eric Porter later claimed the film made £27,000 at the Australian box office but that he had trouble selling it to Australian television.

References

External links

* * *
''A Son is Born''
at National Film and Sound Archive
Complete copy of script
at National Archives of Australia
''A Son is Born''
at Oz Movies {{DEFAULTSORT:Son Is Born, A 1946 films Australian black-and-white films Australian drama films 1946 drama films 1940s Australian films