Orphan of the Wilderness
| Orphan of the Wilderness | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Ken G. Hall |
| Produced by | Ken G. Hall |
| Written by | Edmond Seward |
| Based on | novel Wilderness Orphan by Dorothy Cottrell |
| Starring |
Brian Abbot Gwen Munro |
| 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 (Australia) Pathe (UK) |
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Release date
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December 1936 (Australia) 10 November 1938 (USA) 1938 (UK) |
|
Running time
|
85 minutes (Australia) 69 minutes (UK) |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | ₤12,000 |
Orphan of the Wilderness is a 1936 Australian feature film from director Ken G. Hall about the adventures of a boxing kangaroo. It starred Brian Abbot who disappeared at sea not long after filming completed.
Chut is a kangaroo whose mother is killed by hunters. He wanders through the bush and eventually arrives at a homestead, where he is befriended by a farmer, Tom Henton. Years later, Tom puts Chut in a travelling circus run by Shorty McGee. Tom's girlfriend Margot performs in the circus and says she'll look after Chut.
McGee trains Chut as a boxing kangaroo and becomes famous around Australia. Neither Margot or Tom are aware that Shorty whips the kangaroo prior to bouts. One day Chut fights back against McGree and takes off into the bush, pursued by men with rifles and dogs. Tom and his station hands eventually ride to the rescue and Tom beats up McGee.
Chut settles down on Tom's property.
When Ken Hall returned from Hollywood in 1935, he announced that his first three films would be Thoroughbred, Big Timber and Robbery Under Arms.Stuart F. Doyle wanted Hall to make a 50-minute short to support Thoroughbred similar to the way Cinesound Varieties was used to support The Silence of Dean Maitland (1934). Hall says Edmond Seward discovered the story in Cosmopolitan magazine and was attracted to its originality and setting.
Eventually as scripting progressed, Hall decided to expand the story to feature length and add a romantic subplot.
Harry Abdy owned the kangaroo who played Chut in the movie. He had travelled in Australia and the USA as a boxing kangaroo.
Hall cast two newcomers in the leads, Brian Abbot and Gwen Munro.
Shooting took place in May and June 1936, on location at Burragorang Valley and Camden, and at Cinesound's studios in Bondi. J Alan Kenyon created a large bushland set inside the studio, 140 feet by 70 feet.
Production was difficult due to the problems of dealing with animals, who were unused to studio lights and following direction, especially kangaroos. Shooting held up for several days due to an illness of Gwen Munro. Harry Abdy was injured sparring with a kangaroo. Some cast and crew were injured in a car accident on the way back from location. Hall says he also had trouble with his actors:
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Wikipedia