The Hayseeds (Beaumont Smith, 1933) JC Williamson Picture Productions, wr. Beaumont Smith, ass. dir. Raymond Longford, dp Tasman Higgins; Cecil Kellaway, Katie Towers, Tal Ordell; 98 min.
Following the enormous popularity of On Our Selection (1932), Beaumont Smith decided to update his silent comedy family, the Hayseeds. In addition to the starchy, sophisticated young lovers with their stage-English accents, Smith introduced several songs and a troupe of musical hikers who performed a precision ballet in conscious imitation of Busby Berkeley. Dad Hayseed was also given numerous rhetorical lines in praise of 'dear old Australia', and Smith decorated the film with frequent visual reference to the flora and fauna of the bush. Pike & Cooper: 164.
Garry Gillard | New: 28 November, 2012 | Now: 9 April, 2020