Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Saturday 25 October 1952, page 14


MELBOURNE-MADE

FILM FULL OF LAUGHS

THE first Australian feature-length film produced in Melbourne since 1934 has been completed.

This is "Night Club" . . . which went into production at Park Orchards on July. 5 under "sensa-tional" conditions induced when the club was attended by Melbourne licensing police.

Director Dick Harwood and producer David Silcock, who made the film in conjunction with Cambridge Film Productions, are well satisfied

with the results.

They are taking the film to Sydney on November 8 to screen before major distributors.

Mr. Harwood is ex-

cited about the fact

that he has discovered, he claims, an Austra- lian comedy duo in Joey Porter and Joff Ellen who should make a great hit with audiences.

Joey Porter has played in a number of English

films and is well known on the Australian stage as a comedian and pan-tomime dame.

Joff Ellen's clowning made him a favorite with patrons of the Plaza Theatre, North-cote.

In combination they keep "Night Club" moving at a brisk pace, states Dick Har-wood ... so much so that he is starring them in a slap-stick comedy of Brisbane's famous show business train, which he will put into pro-duction almost immediately.

"Night Club."' which will run for 65 minutes on the screen, tells the story of a neurotic night club singer (played by Melbourne mannequin and croonette Joan Bilceaux), who per-suades a wealthy woolgrower to back her in a show.

.

THE playboy son of the

big wool man al.o

becomes involved in the girl's schemes . . but he out

MARJORIE HARWOOD, who plays the ingenue lead in the Melbournemade film, "Night Club."

By F. KEITH

MANZIE

• JOFF ELLEN and Joey Porter in a scene from "Night Club. Director Dick Harwood claims that

Ellen and Porter are a comedy team "natural."

wits her by bringing his own show to town, recruited from talent he's discovered in the country.

In addition to scenes in the club, backstage, and in a country town, there are also sequences at a racecourse and in Melbourne at night.

Others in the cast are Colin Crane, Frank Holbrook, Marjorie Harwood (ingenue lead), Alex Roy, Ray Jones, Johnny Goodwin, and Reg. Glenny.

Specialty acts used in the night club comprise the Leonard Boys, Lloyd Nairn, the Spencer Trio, Tricia Dorran, the Clarence Sisters, Allan Knight, Follie Setches, Barney March, the Uren Girls, Olive Wallace ballet, and Geoff Kitchen quintet.

Most of "Night Club" was shot on a unique French camera. the "Camaflcx" (only one of its kind in

Australia), which operates on either 35mm. (standard) or

16mm. film.

*

A CONTRACT is being

completed for the television rights in America and the 16mm. rights (non-commercial) have already been sold. The London premiere of the film is ex-pected to be early in the New

Year.

"Comedy is the keynote of the show," says Dick Har-wood. "That's what the film public is demanding these days.

"Revivals of old Pat Hanna and George Wallace slap-stick comedies are proving an outstanding success.

"The response demonstrates that the public wants a hearty laugh . . and so that's the type of Australian film I'm concentrating on."