THE PICTURE SHOW MAN

Australia, 1977, 98 minutes, Colour.
John Meillon, Rod Taylor, John Ewart, Harold Hopkins, Yelena Zigon, Patrick Cargill, Gary Mc Donald.
Directed by John Power.

The Picture Show Man is a very entertaining Australian film from the 70s, soon after the renaissance of the Australian film industry. It is a pleasing collection of anecdotes about travelling picture shows in Australia in the 20s with an enjoyable glimpse of wanderers and the way of life in the country and in rural towns.

It was written by Joan Long, a film historian, based on the memories of an actual picture show man, Lyle Penn. The film has a very good cast with John Meillon as the picture show man and Rod Taylor as a manager. John Meillon is at home in the role of Pym, the entrepreneur of twenty years, challenged by rival (Rod Taylor awkward in this role) and the advent of sound. Pym is bluff, kindly, pompous, stingy, won't let his son be independent. He is a character.

In supporting roles are Garry Mc Donald as a pianist, John Ewart, Harold Hopkins and Judy Morris. There are a number of character actors who also appear including Britain’s Patrick Cargill.

The film has a jaunty score by Peter Best and was directed by John Power (The Sound of Love, Father), director of a number of television films and television series in Australia who moved to America and directed a number of telemovies there.

The film is important as a rollicking part of Australia’s cinema history, the travelling picture show people who went from town to town, setting up the machines and screens, encountering all kinds of difficulties in their travel, strange interactions and characters in the country towns of Australia. While the underlying story is serious, the tone of the film is entertaining and comic.

1. How attractive and entertaining a film? How enjoyable a piece of Australiana? History, nostalgia? How important Is it for local audiences to see this kind of past?

2. The contribution of locations, colour photography, the atmosphere of town and countryside in the twenties? Comment on the film's attention to detail, to the picture show man, his machines, his presentation, the piano playing, the shows and the audiences, the vaudeville touches to add to the picture show?

3. The importance of the music, the theme song of ‘The Picture Show Man? The Tap Tap song?

4. How authentic did the atmosphere seem? The opening in the muddy countryside, Pym and his dray, his assistant, the rival? The showing of the films, the people in the towns, moving from town to town, the coming of sound? People roving around the countryside? How much did the atmosphere contribute to insight into the past?

5. The countryside and the way that it was presented as the environment for this worlds the open spaces and the mud, the halls, the mountains, rivers, roads and their dangers, the homesteads?

6. Pym as the picture show man? The initial impact as a character, the fact that he was a character? His work of twenty years, his devotion to the films and showing them, his son and incorporation into the business, the assistant? The fact that he stayed with the old methods? The strengths and weaknesses of his character? His hard-headedness, arrogance and dominance? Yet the conman and the showman? An old-fashioned man? The fact that he was mean with money and saved it? The humour of his dray and the horses, the racehorse, the new carriage? The fact that he wouldn’t trust people? John Meillon's style?

7. Pym's rival, smart, modernizing, poaching on Pym's land? Stealing away his assistant? Shrewd in terms of progress? The build-up to a physical fight between them? Rod Taylor's style in characterizing the rival? Appropriate for this film? A balance to Meillon?

8. Pym's assistant, his exasperation, his being tempted by Pym's rival, a 'yes man'? His later appearances in the film as a weak man?

9. Why did Larry seem colourless beside his father? Overshadowed by him? His father's dominance? his helping his father; having no independence? His skill at his work? His need to grow up, his infatuation with the young girl and the blossoming of romance? The lyrical sequence of their swim and the building on this of the possibility of a marriage? His father trusting him to work his own theatre? His seeing the possibilities of the future, sound? His involvement in the fight? The picture show man of the next generation?

10. The contribution of the character of Freddie? The fact that Freddie was a character? His past and his boasting of his reputation, his joining Pym and working with him, his friendship with Pym, his skill in piano playing? Giving an authentic feeling to the performances? His joining Pym in the singing? The humour of his being a ladies' man especially as illustrated by his tuning the piano of the widow? His involvement in the fight with the rival? An engaging character? The family at the property, the father and his interest in the picture show people, the younger daughter and her love for Larry, the humour of the elder daughter and her Isadora-like training of the girls in the countryside? Humour and irony?

12. The introduction of the magician and his wife? Their poverty, their being on the roads of New South Wales? Their characters and the desperation of the magician? The humour and atmosphere of the mind-reading sequences? Pym's emotional Involvement with the lady? The anger of the magician and his wanting to burn the theatre down? The swindling and the robbery of the money? Pym's disillusionment in his trust?

13. How important were the sequences of the showing of the films? Adolph Menjou and the comedy, the shade put down when there was a breakdown, the music, the danger of fire? The cameras roving over the variety of people in the audience - aborigines, Chinese? families?

14. What is the value of this kind of anecdotal film, picaresque structure and story? Did the film sustain its quality? The seeming impression of being rushed towards the end?

15. Australian values in enjoyment?