Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 12 April 1961, page 5


A k i Lui i»Í J (irahain Cr usade

CROWD SCENE during the 1959 Billy Graham Crusade in Australia. Many such scenes were filmed here for "Shadotv of the Boomerang,"

"r I lHE best dramatic documentary we've ever

J. had" is Billy Graham's tribute lo Cinesound for its "Shadow of the Boomerang," a religious-domestic drama hased on the Graham Crusade in Sydney and Melbourne in 1959. Praising the sincerity of the acting, the U.S. evangelist described aboriginal Jimmy Little as "outstanding."

The film, released for international screening by World Wide Pictures-the Billy Graham Evan-gelistic Film Company in Hollywood-had its gala premiere at a recent showing at Sydney's Troca

dero.

Money for the 93-minute film-it cost less than £100,000-came from funds raised by the Aus-tralian Crusade.

Except for producer-director Dick Ross, Presi-dent of World Wide, and the stars, Hollywood actress Georgia Lee and TV actor Dick Jones, the cast is all-Australian, including the thousands at the Crusade's mass meetings in Sydney and

Melbourne.

The script, by Australian author John Ford, concerns a young American, Bob (Dick Jones), whose arrival in Australia with his sister, Kathy (Georgia Lee), to manage his father's newly acquired station, coincides with the Graham rallies.

Bob's agnostic and racial prejudices make the

homestead miserable. But the accidental death of

"that nigger"-devout Johnny (Jimmy Little) -brings about Bob's conversion during an outback relay of a Graham service.

AMERICAN STARS of "Shadotv of the Boomerang," Geor-gia Lee and Dick Jones, on location at Camden, N.S.W. Cinesound com-pleted filming it in Eastman Color in 25 shooting days on a budget of less than

£100,000.

STOCKMAN Johnny ( Jimmy Little ) is fatally gored ivhen saving headstrong Bob Prince (Dick Jones) from a boar's attack. The death of the devout aboriginal brings about Bob's conversion by evan' gelist Billy Graham.

BILLY GRAHAM

BOB PRINCE, the boorish young American owner of an Australian property, vents his racial prejudices on aboriginal stockman Johnny. He prevents Johnny attending an outback relay of a Billy Graham service, and instead insists that he accompany him on a boar-hunt, during tvhich Johnny loses his life.