The Lure of the Bush
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Franklyn Barrett
| The Lure of the Bush | |
|---|---|
 Truth 26 October 1918 | |
| Directed by | Claude Flemming |
| Written by | Franklyn Barrett[1] |
| Story by | Percy Reay as "Jack North"[2] |
| Produced by | Rock Phillips Franklyn Barrett |
| Starring | Snowy Baker |
| Cinematography | Franklyn Barrett |
Production company | Snowy Baker Films |
| Distributed by | E. J. Carroll |
Release dates |
|
Running time | six reels[4] |
| Country | Australia |
| Languages |
|
| Budget | £1,500[5][6] |
| Box office | over £20,000[5][6] |
The Lure of the Bush is a 1918 Australian silent film starring renowned Australian sportsman Snowy Baker. It is considered a lost film.
Hugh Mostyn (Snowy Baker) is sent from his family station to England for an education and returns to Australia years later as a "gentleman", complete with a white suit and monocle. He seeks work as a jackeroo and is teased by station hands who pretend to hold him up as bushrangers, but he beats them all up. He also breaks into a wild brumby, takes part in a kangaroo hunt, defeats the station bully (Colin Bell) in a boxing match, wins the heart of the manager's daughter, and later rescues her from a rejected suitor.[7]
Cast
- Snowy Baker as Hugh Mostyn
- John Faulkner
- Rita Tress as Trixie Stanley
- Claude Flemming as Harry Darvell
- Colin Bell
- Joan Baker as rider
Production
The movie was made by the same producers as Snowy Baker's first film, The Enemy Within, Franklyn Barrett and Rock Phillips.[2]
The script was the prize winner in a competition held by the Bulletin.[5] It was written by journalist Percy Reay.[8]
The film was shot at Wills Allen Gunanden statio and Sir Charles Mackellar's Kurrembede station at Gunnedah.[1][9]
One scene involved a joke being played on the lead that bushrangers were still active. There was a ban about the depiction of bushrangers at the time. Franklyn Barrett says police visited the set and amendments to the script had to be made.[10] Harvey Nowland a former driver for Cobb and Co did the coach riding.[11]
The female lead, Rita Tress, was a real life squatter's daughter.[12]
Colin Bell was a real-life boxer and his on-screen fight with Baker went for five minutes.[9]
Claude Flemming, director, later claimed this was the first film to feature a kangaroo hunt.[13]
Reshoots
Baker visited Hollywood in 1918 and re-shot some sequences there at Jesse Lasky's studios for its American release.[14][15]
He came back with American filmmakers who made his next three movies.[16]
