This is a cheery film about the tough life of the people who brought entertainment to the far-flung rural towns in the 1920s, and it succeeds due to a wonderful cast of some of Australia's best 70s actors, together with a script that speeds the story along to the next stage without crossing all the t's along the way.
This is veteran character actor John Meillon's one lead role, and he breathes life into his character of Pym, the leader of the troupe, with his usual mix of humour, pompousness and vulnerability. He is well supported by the handsome Harold Hopkins, as Pym's son Larry, and John Ewart who plays Freddie the feisty pianist with an eye for rural women. Freddie joins the pair when their previous pianist, played by comedian Garry McDonald defects to join Pym's competitor Palmer, played by veteran Rod Taylor who returned from Hollywood for a rare Australian film.
The cast is rounded out by some local women they encounter: the widow Mrs Duncan (Jeanie Drynan), the cheery Lucy (Sally Conabere) who befriends the shy Larry, and her sister, the artistic dance teacher Miss Lockhart (Judy Morris).
It's a light-hearted and affectionate film of the tough life of these early showmen. The team overcome a number of near-disasters that could have ended their enterprise, but soldier on.
This is veteran character actor John Meillon's one lead role, and he breathes life into his character of Pym, the leader of the troupe, with his usual mix of humour, pompousness and vulnerability. He is well supported by the handsome Harold Hopkins, as Pym's son Larry, and John Ewart who plays Freddie the feisty pianist with an eye for rural women. Freddie joins the pair when their previous pianist, played by comedian Garry McDonald defects to join Pym's competitor Palmer, played by veteran Rod Taylor who returned from Hollywood for a rare Australian film.
The cast is rounded out by some local women they encounter: the widow Mrs Duncan (Jeanie Drynan), the cheery Lucy (Sally Conabere) who befriends the shy Larry, and her sister, the artistic dance teacher Miss Lockhart (Judy Morris).
It's a light-hearted and affectionate film of the tough life of these early showmen. The team overcome a number of near-disasters that could have ended their enterprise, but soldier on.