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Racing Luck (1941 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Racing Luck' is a 1941 Australian comedy film directed by Rupert Kathner and starring Joe Valli, George Lloyd and Marshall Crosby.Reade p.125 The jockey Darby Munro, who had a cameo as himself, described it as the best Australian film he had ever seen.
Plot
Two World War I veterans, Blue and Darkie, save an old race horse from being put down. Bluey restores it to healthy using potions used on camels during the war. The horse starts to win races but Darkie gets too excited, suffers a stroke and dies.
Cast
* Joe Valli Darkie
* George Lloyd as Bluey
* Marshall Crosby Sir Reginald Franklin
* Olga Moore Sylvia Perry
* Keith Wood Robert Franklin
* Connie Martyn Mrs Perry
* Darby Munro Himself
* Raymond Longford
Production
Rupert Kathner and his partner Alma Brooks set up a new company to make the movie, Fanfare Films. The film was shot in mid-1941 at a small studio in North Sydney. There were only a few location scenes, such as the flashback to a battle.
It was known during filming as 'For Services Rendered'.
Music was compiled from popular classics.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, 'Australian Film 19001977: A Guide to Feature Film Production', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p195
Release
The film had a minor release. The critic from 'The Australian Women's Weekly' called it "one of the more amateurish local efforts" with "little entertainment value. Plot is trivial and jerkily developed, while the acting is at times painfully lame." 'The Sydney Morning Herald' said that the film:
Shows that decent support pictures could be produced here for very little money, compared with previous more expensive ones. They must, however, have better production and direction and a better story than 'Racing Luck'.
Kathner and his partner Alma Brooks were later charged with conspiracy to defraud by investors in Fanfare Films, but were acquitted. They had earlier been accused taking money from someone who was not mentally competent.
References
Bibliography
* Reade, Eric. 'History and heartburn: the saga of Australian film, 1896-1978'. Associated University Presses, 1981.
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