Smiley | |
---|---|
Directed by | Anthony Kimmins |
Written by | Anthony Kimmins Rex Rienits |
Based on | novel by Moore Raymond |
Produced by | Anthony Kimmins |
Starring | Sybil Thorndike Chips Rafferty |
Cinematography | Edward Scaife |
Edited by | G. Turney-Smith |
Music by | Wilbur Sampson |
Color process | Color by DeLuxe |
Production company | Canberra Films |
Distributed by | Twentieth Century Fox |
Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
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.
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.
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]
The film was less successful than its predecessor and a proposed third film, Smiley Wins the Ashes, was never made.[4]