Dad Rudd, MP
Encyclopedia
Dad Rudd, M.P. is a 1940 comedy that was the last of four films made by Ken G. Hall
starring Bert Bailey
as Dad Rudd. It was the last feature film directed by Hall prior to the war and the last made by Cinesound Productions
, Bert Bailey and Frank Harvey
.
) wants the size of a local dam increased for the benefit of local farmers but faces opposition from a wealthy grazier, Henry Webster (Frank Harvey
). When the local Member of Parliament dies, Webster runs for his seat, and Rudd decides to oppose him. Webster and his team use dirty tricks to defeat Rudd, so he calls in his old friend from the city, Entwistle (Alec Kellaway
) to help. Matters are complicated by the fact that Rudd's daughter Ann (Yvonne East) falls in love with Webster's son Jim (Grant Taylor
). On polling day, a major flood traps workers on the wrong side of the dam and the Rudds and Jim Webster team up to save the day. Dad Rudd is elected to parliament, where he gives a rousing speech.
were all comedies as producer Ken G. Hall
sought to ensure guaranteed box office successes. He elected to make another Dad and Dave film instead of two other long-planned projects, an adaptation of Robbery Under Arms
and a story about the Overland Telegraph.
"Though we were entertaining the idea of other types of stories, the amazing enthusiasm for Dad and Dave Come to Town
makes another Bailey picture the wisest commercial choice," said Ken G. Hall
in 1939. "We feel that, by placing 'Dad' in politics, we will inject any amount of comedy material which is typical of Bailey at his best."
William Freshman
was originally reported as having worked on the script but is not credited in the final film.
The movie was more serious than others in the series. "In one of the old 'Selection' books, Dad did stand for Parliament," said Bert Bailey
during shooting. "But that was for comedy purposes. In Dad Rudd, M.P., when Dad does come down and speak in Parliament, there is not one tinge of comedy. He is an earnest old chap, speakong in a plain, ordinary, common-sense way on water conservation. He is saying what he believes is the right thing to be done for the farmer, and for the country. For water is a national asset. In this scene, Dad does allude to the war. He says that the spirit which animated the pioneers who crossed the plains and fought the land is the same spirit behind the adventurous boys who go abroad to fight for Australia."
Ken Hall himself edited out this speech when the film screened on ABC TV in 1970. "In the light of the world as we know it in the seventies, it all sounded so follow, so phony, so naive," he wrote. But the speech remains in most copies of the film available today.
, both graduates of the Cinesound Talent School making their first film. Chips Rafferty
makes an early screen appearance as a fireman in the Keystone Kops
-style opening sequence.
The cast had more continuity than usual for a Cinesound Rudd film, with Alec Kellaway
, Connie Martyn, Ossie Wenban, Valerie Scanlan and Marshall Crosby all reprising their roles from Dad and Dave Come to Town
(1938).
American actor Barbara Weeks
, who was visiting Australia at the time of shooting with her husband, played a small role at the behest of Ken G. Hall.
, founder of Paramount Pictures
, then touring Australia. He had seen Dad and Dave Come to Town
on the boat trip from the US, and been so impressed with the film's quality he wanted to visit the studio.
Shooting took place in February and March 1940, in the Cinesound Studio and on location at Woronora Dam
and Camden
. Cinesound hired space on the lot of the closed-down Pagewood studios for building a scale reproduction of the dam for the climax. These were supervised by J Alan Kenyon, who did the special effects for most of Cinesound's movies.
According to Hall "it was the smoothest, best-made of the Bert Bailey films. In the process of the gradual evolution of the people and the storylines we had set down for these productions, the rawness had gone off the characters. There was much less burlesque of the types. The story was more modern and believable."
The movie was partly financed with an guaranteed overdraft of£15,000 from the New South Wales government.
saw Cinesound abandon feature production in June 1940 for the duration of the war. They never made another feature film.
Ken G. Hall
Kenneth George Hall, AO OBE , better known as Ken G. Hall, was an Australian film director, considered one of the most important figures in the history of the Australian film industry.-Early years:...
starring Bert Bailey
Bert Bailey
Albert Edward Bailey , better known as Bert Bailey, was a New Zealand-born writer and actor best known for playing Dad Rudd on stage and screen.-Biography:...
as Dad Rudd. It was the last feature film directed by Hall prior to the war and the last made by Cinesound Productions
Cinesound Productions
Cinesound Productions Pty Ltd was one of Australia's first feature film production companies. Established in June 1932, Cinesound developed out of a group of companies centred around Greater Union Theatres, that covered all facets of the film process, from production, to distribution and...
, Bert Bailey and Frank Harvey
Frank Harvey (Australian screenwriter)
Frank Harvey was an English-born actor, producer and writer best known for his work in Australia.-Biography:...
.
Synopsis
Dad Rudd (Bert BaileyBert Bailey
Albert Edward Bailey , better known as Bert Bailey, was a New Zealand-born writer and actor best known for playing Dad Rudd on stage and screen.-Biography:...
) wants the size of a local dam increased for the benefit of local farmers but faces opposition from a wealthy grazier, Henry Webster (Frank Harvey
Frank Harvey (Australian screenwriter)
Frank Harvey was an English-born actor, producer and writer best known for his work in Australia.-Biography:...
). When the local Member of Parliament dies, Webster runs for his seat, and Rudd decides to oppose him. Webster and his team use dirty tricks to defeat Rudd, so he calls in his old friend from the city, Entwistle (Alec Kellaway
Alec Kellaway
Alec Kellaway was a South African-born actor best known for his work in Australian theatre and film, notably playing a number of character roles for director Ken G. Hall. He was the brother of Cecil Kellaway...
) to help. Matters are complicated by the fact that Rudd's daughter Ann (Yvonne East) falls in love with Webster's son Jim (Grant Taylor
Grant taylor
Grant Taylor is a professional skateboarder who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the son of former professional skateboarder Thomas Taylor. He began skating at an early age and turned pro in 2009...
). On polling day, a major flood traps workers on the wrong side of the dam and the Rudds and Jim Webster team up to save the day. Dad Rudd is elected to parliament, where he gives a rousing speech.
Script
The last six films made by Cinesound ProductionsCinesound Productions
Cinesound Productions Pty Ltd was one of Australia's first feature film production companies. Established in June 1932, Cinesound developed out of a group of companies centred around Greater Union Theatres, that covered all facets of the film process, from production, to distribution and...
were all comedies as producer Ken G. Hall
Ken G. Hall
Kenneth George Hall, AO OBE , better known as Ken G. Hall, was an Australian film director, considered one of the most important figures in the history of the Australian film industry.-Early years:...
sought to ensure guaranteed box office successes. He elected to make another Dad and Dave film instead of two other long-planned projects, an adaptation of Robbery Under Arms
Robbery Under Arms
Robbery Under Arms is a classic Australian novel by Rolf Boldrewood . It was first published in serialised form by The Sydney Mail between July 1882 and August 1883, then in three volumes in London in 1888...
and a story about the Overland Telegraph.
"Though we were entertaining the idea of other types of stories, the amazing enthusiasm for Dad and Dave Come to Town
Dad and Dave Come to Town
Dad and Dave Come to Town is a 1938 Australian comedy film directed by Ken G. Hall, the third in the 'Dad and Dave' comedy series starring Bert Bailey.-Synopsis:...
makes another Bailey picture the wisest commercial choice," said Ken G. Hall
Ken G. Hall
Kenneth George Hall, AO OBE , better known as Ken G. Hall, was an Australian film director, considered one of the most important figures in the history of the Australian film industry.-Early years:...
in 1939. "We feel that, by placing 'Dad' in politics, we will inject any amount of comedy material which is typical of Bailey at his best."
William Freshman
William Freshman
William Freshman was an Australian-born actor, writer and director. He moved to England as a child and worked in the British film industry, writing over 20 screenplays and working as an associate producer at British International Pictures...
was originally reported as having worked on the script but is not credited in the final film.
The movie was more serious than others in the series. "In one of the old 'Selection' books, Dad did stand for Parliament," said Bert Bailey
Bert Bailey
Albert Edward Bailey , better known as Bert Bailey, was a New Zealand-born writer and actor best known for playing Dad Rudd on stage and screen.-Biography:...
during shooting. "But that was for comedy purposes. In Dad Rudd, M.P., when Dad does come down and speak in Parliament, there is not one tinge of comedy. He is an earnest old chap, speakong in a plain, ordinary, common-sense way on water conservation. He is saying what he believes is the right thing to be done for the farmer, and for the country. For water is a national asset. In this scene, Dad does allude to the war. He says that the spirit which animated the pioneers who crossed the plains and fought the land is the same spirit behind the adventurous boys who go abroad to fight for Australia."
Ken Hall himself edited out this speech when the film screened on ABC TV in 1970. "In the light of the world as we know it in the seventies, it all sounded so follow, so phony, so naive," he wrote. But the speech remains in most copies of the film available today.
Casting
The romantic leads were played by Yvonne East and Grant TaylorGrant taylor
Grant Taylor is a professional skateboarder who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the son of former professional skateboarder Thomas Taylor. He began skating at an early age and turned pro in 2009...
, both graduates of the Cinesound Talent School making their first film. Chips Rafferty
Chips Rafferty
Chips Rafferty MBE was an iconic Australian actor. Called "the living symbol of the typical Australian", Rafferty's career stretched from the 1940s until his death in 1971, and during this time he performed regularly in major Australian feature films as well as appearing in British and American...
makes an early screen appearance as a fireman in the Keystone Kops
Keystone Kops
The Keystone Kops were incompetent fictional policemen, featured in silent film comedies in the early 20th century. The movies were produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917. The idea came from Hank Mann who also played police chief Tehiezel in the first film...
-style opening sequence.
The cast had more continuity than usual for a Cinesound Rudd film, with Alec Kellaway
Alec Kellaway
Alec Kellaway was a South African-born actor best known for his work in Australian theatre and film, notably playing a number of character roles for director Ken G. Hall. He was the brother of Cecil Kellaway...
, Connie Martyn, Ossie Wenban, Valerie Scanlan and Marshall Crosby all reprising their roles from Dad and Dave Come to Town
Dad and Dave Come to Town
Dad and Dave Come to Town is a 1938 Australian comedy film directed by Ken G. Hall, the third in the 'Dad and Dave' comedy series starring Bert Bailey.-Synopsis:...
(1938).
American actor Barbara Weeks
Barbara Weeks
Barbara Weeks was an actress of the 1930s. Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Weeks entered into acting through her participation in the Ziegfeld Follies...
, who was visiting Australia at the time of shooting with her husband, played a small role at the behest of Ken G. Hall.
Production
During pre production, Cinesound was visited by Adolph ZukorAdolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor , born Adolph Cukor, was a film mogul and founder of Paramount Pictures.-Early life:...
, founder of Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, then touring Australia. He had seen Dad and Dave Come to Town
Dad and Dave Come to Town
Dad and Dave Come to Town is a 1938 Australian comedy film directed by Ken G. Hall, the third in the 'Dad and Dave' comedy series starring Bert Bailey.-Synopsis:...
on the boat trip from the US, and been so impressed with the film's quality he wanted to visit the studio.
Shooting took place in February and March 1940, in the Cinesound Studio and on location at Woronora Dam
Woronora Dam
Woronora Dam collects water from the catchment of the Woronora River, which drains into the dam and then to Georges River. The dam supplies water to residents within the Sutherland Shire in Sydney's south and also the northern Illawarra suburbs of Helensburgh, Otford, Stanwell Tops, Stanwell Park...
and Camden
Camden
- Australia :* Camden, New South Wales** Camden Council ** Electoral district of Camden- England :* London Borough of Camden** Camden Town, an area in the borough* Camden School for Girls- United States :* Camden, Alabama* Camden, Arkansas...
. Cinesound hired space on the lot of the closed-down Pagewood studios for building a scale reproduction of the dam for the climax. These were supervised by J Alan Kenyon, who did the special effects for most of Cinesound's movies.
According to Hall "it was the smoothest, best-made of the Bert Bailey films. In the process of the gradual evolution of the people and the storylines we had set down for these productions, the rawness had gone off the characters. There was much less burlesque of the types. The story was more modern and believable."
The movie was partly financed with an guaranteed overdraft of£15,000 from the New South Wales government.
Release
Dad Rudd MP was a hit at the box office, earning £28,000 and achieving a release in Britain. Nonetheless, the drain on material caused by World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
saw Cinesound abandon feature production in June 1940 for the duration of the war. They never made another feature film.
Cast
- Bert BaileyBert BaileyAlbert Edward Bailey , better known as Bert Bailey, was a New Zealand-born writer and actor best known for playing Dad Rudd on stage and screen.-Biography:...
as Dad Rudd - Fred MacDonaldFred MacDonaldFred MacDonald , was an Australian actor best known for playing Dave Rudd opposite Bert Bailey on stage and screen, starting with the original 1912 production of On Our Selection...
as Dave Rudd - Grant TaylorGrant taylorGrant Taylor is a professional skateboarder who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the son of former professional skateboarder Thomas Taylor. He began skating at an early age and turned pro in 2009...
as Jim Webster - Frank HarveyFrank HarveyFrank Harvey was an English screenwriter who jointly won a BAFTA Award with John Boulting and Alan Hackney for I'm All Right Jack in 1960. He was born 11 August 1912 in Manchester. During his career he was nominated for a second BAFTA for Private's Progress. He died 6 November 1981 in Ottery St...
as Henry Webster - Connie Martyn as Mum
- Yvonne East as Ann Rudd
- Ossie Wenban as Joe
- Valerie Scanlan as Sally
- Alec KellawayAlec KellawayAlec Kellaway was a South African-born actor best known for his work in Australian theatre and film, notably playing a number of character roles for director Ken G. Hall. He was the brother of Cecil Kellaway...
as Entwistle - Jean Robertson as Mrs Webster
- Barbara WeeksBarbara WeeksBarbara Weeks was an actress of the 1930s. Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Weeks entered into acting through her participation in the Ziegfeld Follies...
as Sybil Vane - Ronald Whelan as Lewis
- Letty Craydon as Mrs McGrury
- Marshall Crosby as Ryan
- Joe ValliJoe ValliJoe Valli was a Scottish actor, who worked for many years in Australian vaudeville and film. He had a long-running vaudeville partnership with Pat Hanna, Chic and Joe.- Selected filmography :* Diggers * Waltzing Matilda...
as MacTavish - Field Fisher as Jenkins
- Billy Stewart as Bloggs
- Natalie Raine as Susie
- Lorna Westbrook as Minnie
- Leo Gordon as Fordham
- Chips RaffertyChips RaffertyChips Rafferty MBE was an iconic Australian actor. Called "the living symbol of the typical Australian", Rafferty's career stretched from the 1940s until his death in 1971, and during this time he performed regularly in major Australian feature films as well as appearing in British and American...
as fireman - Raymond LongfordRaymond LongfordRaymond Longford was a prolific Australian film director, writer, producer and actor during the silent era. Longford was a major director of the silent film era of the Australian cinema. He formed a production team with Lottie Lyell...
as electoral officer
External links
- Dad Rudd, MP in the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Dad Rudd, MP at Australian Screen OnlineAustralian Screen OnlineAustralian Screen Online is an on-line database operated by the Australian National Film and Sound Archive. It provides information about and excerpts from a wide selection of Australian feature films, documentaries, television programs, newsreels, short films, animations, and home-movies. It also...
- Dad Rudd's speech to parliament at Australian Screen OnlineAustralian Screen OnlineAustralian Screen Online is an on-line database operated by the Australian National Film and Sound Archive. It provides information about and excerpts from a wide selection of Australian feature films, documentaries, television programs, newsreels, short films, animations, and home-movies. It also...
- Dad Rudd, MP and the making of a national audience by Julieanne Lamond