''Clowning Around'' is a 1991 Australian children's series later edited into a

family film A children's film, or family film, is a film genre that generally relates to children in the context of home and family. Children's films are made specifically for children and not necessarily for a general audience, while family films are made ...

that was shot on location in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, Western Australia and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France. It was based on the novel ''Clowning Sim'' by David Martin.Albert Moran, ''Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series'', AFTRS 1993 p 119 The film was produced by independent film company Barron Entertainment Films in Western Australia and educational film company

WonderWorks ''WonderWorks'' is a U.S. children's anthology television series which ran from 1984 to 1992 for eight years. Produced by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) along with Walt Disney Home Video purchased the home video rights to the series in 1 ...

in the United States, was directed by George Whaley. It was distributed by

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

. It featured Australian actors such as Margaret Williamson,

Noni Hazlehurst Leonie Elva "Noni" Hazlehurst is an Australian actress, director, writer, presenter, and broadcaster who has appeared on television and radio, in dramas, mini-series, and made for television films, as well also on stage and in feature films ...

Ernie Dingo Ernest Ashley Dingo Member of the Order of Australia, AM (born 31 July 1956) is an Indigenous Australians, Indigenous Australian actor, television presenter and comedian, originating from the Yamatji people of the Murchison (Western Australia), ...

Rebecca Smart Rebecca Elizabeth Smart (born 30 January 1976) is an Australian actor, known for her role in the 1987 television film '' The Shiralee''. Early life and education Smart was born in Tamworth, New South Wales on 30 January 1976. She was educated ...

, and

Jill Perryman Jill Perryman (born 30 May 1933) is an Australian retired actress, singer and dancer with a career that spanned 70 years. Perryman is from a family of show business performers; her sister was actress Diana Perryman and her son is media persona ...

, and also featured veteran American actor

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American actor and dancer. He had a prolific career in film, television, theatre and radio, which spanned over 50 years, from 1940 to 1992. He was a major star at Metr ...

along with French actor Jean-Michel Dago. This series was followed up with a sequel entitled ''Clowning Around 2'', which was released in 1993.

Plot

Simon Gunner, is a star-struck foster kid who aspires to become a circus clown. With the help of veteran funster Jack Merrick, Simon ultimately fulfills his goal.

Cast

*Clayton Williamson as Simon Gunner * Annie Byron as Una Crealy *Jean-Michel Dagory as Anatole Tolin *

as Jack Merrick *

as Mr. Ranthow *

as Linda Crealy *

as Sarah Gunner * Heather Mitchell as Sarah Gunner (season 2) *

as Miss Gabhurst *Steve Jodrell as Skipper Crealy * Nell Feeney as Lilly *

Heath Ledger Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, he moved to the United States in 1998 to further develop his film care ...

as orphan (uncredited)

References

https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/clowning-around-i-1991/5213/

External links

* 1991 films Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Australian children's television series French children's television series Australian independent films PBS original programming television series about orphans 1990s children's television series 1990s Australian television series 1990s French television series {{child-film-stub