Grandad Rudd
| Grandad Rudd | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Ken G. Hall |
| Produced by | Ken G. Hall |
| Written by |
Vic Roberts George D. Parker |
| Based on | play by Steele Rudd stories Grandpa's Selection and Our New Selection by Steele Rudd |
| Starring |
Bert Bailey Fred MacDonald |
| Cinematography |
Frank Hurley George Heath |
| Edited by | William Shepherd |
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Production
company |
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Release date
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February 1935 |
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Running time
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90 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £8,000 or ₤15,000 |
| Box office | £18,000 |
| Gran'dad Rudd | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Steele Rudd |
| Date premiered | 22 September 1917 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | comedy |
Grandad Rudd is a 1935 comedy featuring the Dad and Dave characters created by Steele Rudd and based on a play by Rudd. It was a sequel to On Our Selection, and was later followed by Dad and Dave Come to Town and Dad Rudd, MP.
The movie's plot is similar to that of the play: Dad Rudd (Bert Bailey) has become a successful father but is very tight with his money and oppresses his sons Dave (Fred MacDonald), Joe (William McGowan) and Dan (George Lloyd). The sons eventually stand up to their father and manage to persuade him to give them a wage increase – but he increases their rent by an equal amount.
As in the play, there is a serious subplot about Dad's grandchild Betty (Elaine Hamill) who becomes engaged to a corrupt neighbour, Henry Cook (John D’Arcy), despite the true love of another farmer, Tom Dalley (John Cameron). The climax involves a comic cricket game involving the Rudds.
The play Gran'dad Rudd was first produced in 1917, being based on the stories Grandpa's Selection and Our New Selection.
The story is set twenty years after the events of the 1912 play, On Our Selection: Dad has become a prosperous farmer and member of Parliament, while Dave has married Lily and become a father. Dad tries to bully Dave and his other son Joe (who has also married), but their wives encourage them to rebel against their father.
There were subplots involving a love triangle between Dad's granddaughter Nell, handsome Tom Dalley, who has invented a potato harvester, and unscrupulous produce agent Henry Cook; the return of a prodigal son, Dan Rudd, keen to claim Dad's estate, and his romance with Amelia Banks; and their neighbours, Mrs Regan and the Banks family.
The original production was presented by Bert Bailey and Julius Grant, and saw Bert Bailey and Fred MacDonald repeat their stage roles as Dad and Dave respectively. Making its debut on 22 September 1917, it ran for seven weeks in that city, only ending because the theatre had to vacate for another production. It then toured around the country over the next few years, although it was never as successful as On Our Selection.
The box office success of On Our Selection (1932) saw Cinesound announce plans to make Gran'dad Rudd as a follow up almost immediately, but Steele Rudd issued a statement claiming that since he wrote the play, no movie could be made without his permission. For a time there was talk the second Dad Rudd film would be Rudd's New Selection, but this did not eventuate.
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Wikipedia