Mama's Gone A-Hunting is a 1977 Australian television film.[2] The title is taken from the English nursery rhyme and lullaby, Bye, baby Bunting. The film featured many well known Australian actors of the period, including Gerard Kennedy, Carmen Duncan, and starred Judy Morris
| Mama's Gone A-Hunting | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Peter Maxwell |
| Written by | Bruce A. Wishart |
| Based on | story by Robert Bruning |
| Produced by | Robert Bruning |
| Starring | Gerard Kennedy Vince Martin Judy Morris Carmen Duncan |
| Cinematography | Russell Boyd |
| Edited by | Rod Hay |
Production company | Gemini Productions |
| Distributed by | Network 7 |
Release date | 26 May 1977 (Channel 7, Sydney) |
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $90,000[1] |
It was one of a series of TV movies Robert Bruning made for Channel 7.[3] He sold it to Paramount to distribute world wide.[4]
Plot edit
A psychiatric prison escapee, Elliot, and his partner, David decide to kidnap a baby and hold it for a $500,000 ransom.
The parents of the child, Joshua and Helena, go to the Sydney Opera House, leaving their child with a babysitter, Tessa. Before Elliot and David can complete the kidnapping, Tessa decides to take the baby for herself.
They chase after her to Sydney's Central Railway Station, where David is killed by a train while looking for Tessa. Tessa leaves the baby with an Old Woman in a restaurant at the station. She fights with Elliot, pushing him against a stone pylon, causing him to fall to his death.
Tessa returns the baby to its parents.
Cast edit
- Judy Morris as Tessa Goodman
- Gerard Kennedy as Elliot Faulkner
- Vince Martin as David
- Peter Stratford as Joshua Stevens
- Carmen Duncan as Helena Stevens
- Queenie Ashton as Old Woman in Restaurant
- Greg Bepper as Bellhop
- Muriel Hopkins as Smoking Maid
- Kerry McGuire as Concierge
- Enid Lorimer as Old woman in elevator (uncredited)
Production edit
The film was shot in Sydney.[1]
Bruning called it "a modern-day thriller. A great deal of the action happens around Central Railway Station [in Sydney] at night. It's a fairly exciting project." The cast included Queenie Ashton who said "It isn't a big role, but as things are at the moment I need the work."[5]
Reception edit
The Age wrote that "this handsome telefilm had almost everything on its side – from Russell Boyd's poetic photography and Peter Maxwell's direction to the assured acting of such principals as Gerard Kennedy and Carmen Duncan. Even the unhappy writer, Bruce Wishart, achieved verisimilitude most of the time. But the story, written in an off moment by Bruning himself, got Wishart in the end."[6]
References edit
- ^ a b "First Look for a Thrill". Sydney Morning Herald. 8 August 1976. p. 89.
- ^ Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p103
- ^ Beilby, Peter; Murray, Scott (September–October 1979). "Robert Bruning". Cinema Papers. pp. 517–519.
- ^ "Selling our films to the world". Sydney Morning Herald. 29 May 1977. p. 47.
- ^ Leslie, Bill (17 October 1976). "Our Queenie to bounce back". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 31.
- ^ Pinkney, John (27 May 1977). "'Mr Bruning's Films Need Pruning'". The Age. p. 3.
External links edit
- Mama's Gone A-Hunting at IMDb
- Mama's Gone a Hunting at Oz Movies
- Mama's Gone A-Hunting at National Film and Sound Archive
- Mama's Gone A Hunting at AustLit (subscription required)
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