Smiley Gets a Gun is a 1958 Australian comedy-drama film in CinemaScope directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring Sybil Thorndike and Chips Rafferty. It is the sequel to the 1956 film Smiley.

Smiley
Directed byAnthony Kimmins
Written byAnthony Kimmins
Rex Rienits
Based onnovel by Moore Raymond
Produced byAnthony Kimmins
StarringSybil Thorndike
Chips Rafferty
CinematographyEdward Scaife
Edited byG. Turney-Smith
Music byWilbur Sampson
Color processColor by DeLuxe
Production
company
Canberra Films
Distributed byTwentieth Century Fox
Release dates
  • May 1958 (1958-05) (London)
  • December 1958 (1958-12) (Australia)
  • April 15, 1959 (1959-04-15) (Fargo)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

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A young boy named Smiley desperately wants a gun. A deal is made between him and Sergeant Flaxman that if he gets 8 nicks (marks on a certain tree) for his good deeds he will get a .22 caliber £2 rifle. He has several adventures and is accused of stealing some gold. Smiley runs away but the real thief is caught and Smiley is rewarded with a gun.

Cast

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Production

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The novel Smiley had been so popular that author Moore Raymond followed it up with Smiley Gets a Gun in 1947.[1]

The actor who first played Smiley, Colin Petersen, had moved to England, meaning a replacement had to be found. Anthony Kimmins looked at over 4,000 other applicants before finding Keith Calvert.[2] Moore Raymond also had returned to England, writing Smiley comics for Swift Comics. Kimmins' daughter Verena who helped the young actors in the first Smiley movie had a featured role in the film.

Filming took eight weeks towards the end of 1957. Shooting took place at Camden and Pagewood Studios.[3]

Release

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The film was less successful than its predecessor and a proposed third film, Smiley Wins the Ashes, was never made.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "YOUNG AUSTRALIAN". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 14 February 1947. p. 13 Edition: SECOND EDITION. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  2. ^ "Smiley and his gun". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 25 December 1957. p. 10. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  3. ^ "SMILEY GETS A GUN". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 3 September 1958. p. 66. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  4. ^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998 p226
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