Dad and Dave Come to Town
| Dad and Dave Come to Town | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Ken G. Hall |
| Produced by | Ken G. Hall |
| Written by |
Bert Bailey Frank Harvey |
| Based on | story by Ken G. Hall characters created by Steele Rudd |
| Starring |
Bert Bailey Fred MacDonald Shirley Ann Richards |
| Music by | Hamilton Webber |
| Cinematography | George Heath |
| Edited by | William Shepherd |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | British Empire Films (Aust) |
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Release date
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30 September 1938 (Aust) 1939 (UK) 1943 (USA) |
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Running time
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97 minutes (Aust) 78 mins (UK) |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £12,000 or ₤23,000 |
| Box office | £40,000 (Australia) £35,000 (UK) |
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. It was the feature film debut of Peter Finch.
Life is busy on the Rudd farm: Dave keeps inventing things, Joe has a tooth ache, Billy Ryan wants to marry Sarah Rudd but Dad is feuding with Billy's father, Old Man Ryan, who wants to buy Dad's bottom paddock.
Dad receives news that his brother, Alfred, whom he has not seen for 20 years, has died and left Dad a house in the city, Bellavista, along with a shop that sells women's clothes called Cecille's. Dad moves to the city with Dave, Mum and daughter Jill. He discovers that the store is struggling, and is unaware that the store's manager, Rawlins, is secretly in league with a rival shop owner, Pierre, who wants to take over Cecille's.
Dad puts Jill in charge and she starts rejuvenating the store, impressing the effeminate floorwalker, Entwistle. She discovers Rawlins' treachery and forces him to resign, replacing him with Entwistle as manager. She hires a young press agent, Jim Bradley, who used to work for Pierre, to promote the store. Jill and Jim begin a romance. Dave falls for a store model called Myrtle and Mum is hounded out of the kitchen at Bellavista by the housekeeper, Miss Quince. Jill and Jim want to renovate Cecille's and put on a giant fashion show. Dad agrees and borrows money against his farm to finance it.
The show looks as though it is going to be a big success when Pierre reveals he lent Dad's brother £1,000 and calls in the debt the night before. Dad is inspired to keep going by some inspiring words from Mum, who fires Miss Quince. Pierre orders bailiffs to repossess Cecille's during the show, but Dave, Myrtle and Entwistle manage to stop them by getting Myrtle to lure them into a room and Dave knocking them out. Pierre then arrives with the police, but Dad is bailed out by Old Man Ryan, who pays the £1,000. The show is a big success, and Dad returns to the country, leaving Jill in charge of Cecille's, with a new appreciation for people who live in the city.
Hall made the movie because Cinesound Productions needed a guaranteed box office success. There had recently been a ruling that Australian films were no longer eligible as British under the local quotas in England, which hurt their ability to sell overseas. Hall needed to make a film which was appealed to local audiences and On Our Selection (1932) had just enjoyed a fifth run in Sydney, indicating the market was still strong for Dad and Dave movies.
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