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Showgirl's Luck - Wikipedia

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Showgirl's Luck
Directed by	Norman Dawn
Written by	Martyn Keith
Starring	Arthur Tauchert
Cinematography	Norman Dawn Jack Fletcher Walter Sully
Edited by	Norman Dawn
Music by	Jack O'Hagan Ormond Bulmers
Production company	Australian Talkies
Release dates	December 1931 (1931-12) (Sydney) 1933 (1933) (UK)
Running time	55 mins
Country	Australia
Language	English

Showgirl's Luck is a 1931 Australian musical directed by Norman Dawn. It was the first Australian full talking film.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Synopsis

Peggy Morton (Susan Denis) works as the star of a touring tent show in rural Queensland when she is offered the lead in the first Australian talking film, being made in the Blue Mountains. A rival, Mona Blake (Sadie Bedford) tells her that the offer has been withdrawn and takes the job instead. Peggy's show closes and she finds a job by posing as a Swedish maid. She winds up employed at the same hotel being used by the film company and discovers Mona's deception. Mona's husband abducts Peggy but an actor, Barry (Arthur Clarke) rescues her. Peggy ends up getting cast in the film.

Cast

Susan Denis as Peggy Morton
Arthur Tauchert as Hap
Arthur Clarke as Barry
Fred Bluett as Hollis
Sadie Bedford as Mona^[4]
Paul Longuet as Dud
George Saunders as Uncle George
Peggy Pryde
George Lloyd
Les Coney
Des Tooley
the Loretto Brothers

Production

The film was directed by Norman Dawn, who had previously made two films in Australia. He returned to Sydney in October 1929 with plans to make a sound movie using a sound-on-disc recording system.^[5] He announced he would go into partnership with J. C. Williamson Ltd but this does not seem to have eventuated.^[6] The formed a company, Australian Talkies. One of his investors was radio announcer, "Uncle George" Saunders.^[7] An original title of the film was Talkie Mad.^[8]

Shooting started in May 1930 and took place at the Lapstone Hill Hotel in the Blue Mountains and at the Sydney Showground. The female lead, Susan Denis, was Dawn's wife. Dawn liked to use sophisticated optical effects such as exposures and matts.^[1]

Release

By the time the film was read for trade screening in January 1931, the sound-on-disc system was out of date and Dawn tried to transfer the sound to an optical track. It did not premiere until December 1931, after which it only ran a week in Australian cinemas.^[9] Although the film managed to be released in the UK, commercial and critical reception was poor and Dawn made no further films in Australia.^[1]

Uncle George Saunders later declared bankruptcy and complained about Dawn:

The directors [of Australian Talkies] borrowed £1,400. Norman Dawn and his wife were brought from the United States to produce a picture, and then Dawn disappeared. They learnt he had gone back to America. He had trouble with his wife and left us high and dry with the picture. The person who lent us the money took possession. The directors lost everything.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p155
^ "Showgirl's Luck". Filmnews. Vol. 17, no. 5. New South Wales, Australia. 1 June 1987. p. 7. Retrieved 5 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^ Vagg, Stephen (23 December 2019). "Australian Film Musicals You Probably Didn't Realise Existed". Filmink.
^ "GOOD Times". The Canberra Times. Vol. 61, no. 18, 934. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 6 August 1987. p. 29. Retrieved 5 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "AUSTRALIAN TALKIES". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 11 October 1929. p. 13. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
^ "AUSTRALIAN "TALKIES."". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 27 February 1930. p. 11. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
^ ^a ^b "BANKRUPT RADIO ANNOUNCER". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 13 August 1940. p. 5. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
^ "ABOUT THE SHOWS". Western Mail. Perth: National Library of Australia. 21 August 1930. p. 6. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
^ "FILM WORLD". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 4 March 1938. p. 4. Retrieved 28 March 2012.

External links

Showgirl's Luck in the Internet Movie Database
Showgirl's Luck at National Film and Sound Archive
Showgirl's Luck at Oz Movies

Films directed by Norman Dawn

Lasca (1919)
The Adorable Savage (1920)
A Tokyo Siren (1920)
White Youth (1920)
Thunder Island (1921)
Wolves of the North (1921)
The Fire Cat (1921)
The Son of the Wolf (1922)
Five Days to Live (1922)
The Vermilion Pencil (1922)
Lure of the Yukon (1924)
After Marriage (1925)
Justice of the Far North (1925)
Typhoon Love (1926)
For the Term of His Natural Life (1927)
The Adorable Outcast (1928)
Black Hills (1929)
Showgirl's Luck (1931)
Tundra (1936)
Arctic Fury (1949)
Two Lost Worlds (1951)
Wild Women (1951)

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