Grandad Rudd (Ken G. Hall, 1935) aka Ruling the Roost, wr. Victor Roberts, George D. Parker from the play by Bert Bailey adapted from stories by Steele Rudd, Cinesound Productions, prod. Bert Bailey, Ken G. Hall, dp Frank Hurley, George Heath; Bert Bailey, Fred MacDonald, George Lloyd; 90 min.
Ken Hall says almost nothing about this film in his book, except to say that it made a profit, as did all his Cinesound films (tho Strike Me Lucky, unlike the others, took 'years' to do so). Ken G. Hall 1980, Australian Film: The Inside Story, Summit, Sydney; second edition: the first edition was entitled Directed by Ken G. Hall, 1977.
With this, the first of three spin-offs from On Our Selection, Hall began a gradual modification of the original Dad and Dave humour. The Rudds were transformed into prosperous farmers, and several newcomers appeared in their family to give the film greater dramatic variety. ... The softening of the rustic caricatures was perhaps at the expense of their energy and warmth, and the film's emphasis on Grandad's overbearing and parsimonious nature seemed to destroy much of the sympathy that he had once drawn from the audience. His pioneering spirit and his sudden bursts of good humour were almost entirely lacking. Pike & Cooper: 169.
Hall, Ken G. 1980, Australian Film: The Inside Story, Summit, Sydney; second edition: the first edition was entitled Directed by Ken G. Hall, 1977.
Pike, Andrew & Ross Cooper 1998, Australian Film 1900-1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, revised edition, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
Garry Gillard | New: 1 December, 2012 | Now: 6 April, 2020