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Strike Me Lucky

From Alfawiki
Cinesound Productions
IndustryFilm production
Founded1930s
Headquarters
Sydney
,
Australia
ProductsFilms

Strike Me Lucky is a 1934 Australian musical comedy film featuring the well-known vaudeville performer Roy Rene in his only cinematic appearance. As the fourth feature produced by Cinesound Productions, it ultimately failed to achieve commercial success. Director Ken G. Hall remarked that it was the sole film in his career that did not generate profit within a few years, although it did eventually recover its expenses.

Synopsis

'Mo' McIsaac and his companion Donald search for employment to provide for Miriam, an orphaned girl who dances for small change; Mo remains unaware that Miriam is actually the lost daughter of affluent Major Burnett. The pair become entangled when gangster Al Baloney and a Mae West impersonator named Kate abduct Miriam, leading to Mo being falsely accused.

Fleeing into the wilderness, Mo and Donald embark on a quest for a gold mine, inspired by the 1930 expedition to discover Lasseter's Reef. During their journey, they encounter hostility from an Aboriginal tribe before their innocence is established. Parallel to this, young lovers Margot Burnett and Larry McCormack develop a romance amid intermittent dance sequences.

Cast

  • Roy Rene as 'Mo' McIsaac
  • Alex McKinnon as Donald
  • 'Baby' Pamela Bevan as Miriam
  • Eric Masters as Al Baloney
  • Yvonne Banvard as Kate
  • John D'Arcy as Larry McCormack
  • Lorraine Smith as Margot Burnett
  • Dan Agar as Major Burnett
  • Molly Raynor as Bates
  • Bert Le Blanc as Lowenstein
  • Les Warton as Bull
  • Harry Burgess as Mike
  • Fred Kelly as castaway
  • Marie D'Alton as Mrs Huckleberry
  • Arthur Dodds
  • Charles Wheeler
  • Jack O'Malley
  • Charles Keegan
  • Nellie Small
  • Eva Sheedy


Development

During the early 1930s, Roy Rene was among Australia's foremost stage comedians. Inspired by the successful transition of performers like Bert Bailey and George Wallace into film, producer Ken G. Hall sought to replicate this achievement with Rene. Reflecting later, Hall acknowledged the elevated expectations following three consecutive hits and recognized the inherent risks in pursuing this project.

Hall observed that although Rene was highly regarded and skilled, his style of comedy did not resonate with family audiences, thereby restricting its mass market appeal.

Strike Me Lucky represented Cinesound's fourth feature film. Initially, Hall intended to produce Robbery Under Arms, but due to seasonal filming challenges, he deferred that project in favor of focusing on the Rene vehicle instead (Hall never completed Robbery Under Arms).

The film was originally titled Swastikas for Luck and was described as "a musical farce with a semi-serious background," portraying various facets of suburban and rural Australian life.

Script

This Cinesound Production featured an original screenplay rather than an adaptation from existing literature or stage works. Facing a shortage of writers, director Hall assigned Vic Roberts and George D. Parker—who had recently collaborated on Cinesound Varieties—to develop the script. Roberts contributed some song lyrics while Parker also fulfilled the role of dialogue director.

Hall admitted there were three separate drafts of the screenplay and later reflected that the Parker-Roberts duo had not succeeded with their previous Varieties script and perhaps should have been replaced for Strike Me Lucky. He noted that the script contained numerous absurd scenarios tailored to suit Wallace's comedic style, which worked well for him but lacked broader appeal.

Filmink characterized the movie as a "grab bag... more like a musical revue – a series of sketches with a very loose story and musical numbers."

Casting

The role of "Baby" Pamela Bevan, a five-year-old, was marketed as "Australia's Shirley Temple". The principal female lead was portrayed by 18-year-old Lorraine Smith, who hailed from a family involved in acting and had experience in amateur theatre.

Shooting

In anticipation of increased production stemming from a new film quota, Cinesound nearly doubled the size of its studio facilities. Filming took place over a period of seven weeks during June and July 1934, featuring scenes with more than 100 extras—a record number for Australian interior shoots at the time. The musical sequences were directed by Hamilton Webber, the musical director at Sydney's State Theatre, while the ballet segments were choreographed by Richard White.

Rene received a weekly salary of £70 for his role, which was among the highest paid to Australian film actors then, surpassed only by Bert Bailey and George Wallace. Despite this, he later expressed dissatisfaction with film acting, citing its repetitive nature and absence of immediate audience feedback.

On 18 August 1934, excerpts from the movie were broadcast nationwide as part of its promotional campaign.

Reception

The film's global premiere occurred in October 1934, coinciding with the inauguration of the expanded Cinesound Studios at Waverly. The event was attended by New South Wales Premier Bertram Stevens.

Although the film did not meet the quality standards required for registration under the New South Wales quota act, it was distributed through Cinesound’s affiliated company, British Empire Films.

Critical

Critical responses were divided. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that while audiences found enjoyment in the film, Roy Rene’s transition from stage to screen lessened his effectiveness. The review noted that Rene’s performance style, successful in live theatre, appeared strained on film and criticized director Ken Hall’s handling as unpolished. Additionally, the plot and dialogue were faulted for unnecessary Americanized elements and caricatured characters.

Box office

Despite strong initial attendance figures in Sydney and Melbourne—grossing £1,817 during its first four days at Sydney Capitol—the film failed commercially. Director Ken G. Hall admitted it was his sole project not to yield an immediate profit, attributing this to a weak screenplay and Rene’s challenges in adapting his live comedic approach to cinema. Hall explained that Rene’s comedy relied heavily on audience interaction, which was absent during filming, resulting in a less compelling performance. Furthermore, Rene’s humor skewed towards adult themes, limiting appeal among family audiences.

UK release

A condensed version was released in the United Kingdom but failed to garner significant attention.

Legacy

Although Rene held a contract with Cinesound for additional films, no further projects materialized. Nevertheless, he successfully modified his performance style for radio. Filmink suggested that had Ken Hall been more experienced by the late 1930s, he might have produced a superior Roy Rene film since Rene demonstrated adaptability through his radio work. The commercial failure of Strike Me Lucky likely discouraged both Hall and Rene from pursuing further cinematic ventures.

The disappointing box office results prompted Hall to revert to more dependable material with Grandad Rudd (1935).

Notes

  • Hall, Ken G. Directed by Ken G. Hall, Lansdowne Press 1977

External links

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