Splendid Fellows

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title: "Splendid Fellows" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1934-films", "films-directed-by-beaumont-smith", "films-directed-by-raymond-longford", "australian-adventure-drama-films", "1930s-adventure-drama-films", "australian-black-and-white-films", "1934-drama-films", "1930s-english-language-films", "1934-australian-films", "english-language-adventure-drama-films"] description: "1934 Australian film" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splendid_Fellows" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1934 Australian film ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox film"]

Field	Value
name	Splendid Fellows
image	Splendid_Fellows.jpg
caption	Original poster
director	Beaumont Smith
Raymond Longford (associate)
Kenneth Brampton (dialogue)
producer	Beaumont Smith
writer	Beaumont Smith
Kenneth Brampton
starring	Frank Leighton
cinematography	George D. Malcolm
editing	Frank Coffey
studio	J.C. Williamson Picture Productions
distributor	British Empire Films
released
runtime	84 mins
country	Australia
language	English
budget	£5,000{{Citation
title	Counting the CASH in Australian Films. “Selection Nets Rert Bailey £14,000 What Others Cost and Lost—Stars' Salaries and Story Prices.
journal	Everyones.
date	12 December 1934
location	Sydney
publisher	Everyones Ltd
url	http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-577835346
id	nla.obj-577835346
access-date	24 August 2024
via	Trove
page	19-20}}
::

| name = Splendid Fellows | image = Splendid_Fellows.jpg | caption = Original poster | director = Beaumont Smith Raymond Longford (associate) Kenneth Brampton (dialogue) | producer = Beaumont Smith | writer = Beaumont Smith Kenneth Brampton | based_on = | narrator = | starring = Frank Leighton | music = | cinematography = George D. Malcolm | editing = Frank Coffey | studio = J.C. Williamson Picture Productions | distributor = British Empire Films | released = | runtime = 84 mins | country = Australia | language = English | budget = £5,000{{Citation | title=Counting the CASH in Australian Films. “Selection Nets Rert Bailey £14,000 What Others Cost and Lost—Stars' Salaries and Story Prices. | journal=Everyones. | date=12 December 1934 | location=Sydney | publisher=Everyones Ltd | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-577835346 | id=nla.obj-577835346 | access-date=24 August 2024 | via=Trove | page= 19-20}}}} Splendid Fellows is a 1934 Australian film from director Beaumont Smith about an Englishman (Frank Leighton) who comes to Australia. The cast includes Eric Colman, brother of Ronald Colman, and Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, who has a cameo as himself. It was Smith's last film.

Plot

"Silly ass" Englishman Hubert Montmorency "Monty" Ralston goes to Australia after an argument with his father, accompanied by his valet, Thomson. In a Sydney two up parlour he befriends Australian farmer Jim McBride and goes with him to McBride's farm where he meets flying parson, Reverend Arthur Stanhope. He also falls for McBride's daughter, Eileen.

Monty persuades his father to buy a plane for the parson and enters it in the Centenary Air Race from London to Melbourne. While the race is in progress, Stanhope's old plane crashes and Monty flies to the rescue. A blind prospector, Blind Teddy, flying with the parson regains his sight and recognises a long-lost goldfield.

Cast

• Frank Leighton as The Hon. Hubert Montmorency Ralston
• Leo Franklyn as Thompson
• Frank Bradley as Jim McBride
• Eric Colman as Reverend Arthur Stanhope
• Isabelle Mahon as Eileen McBride
• Peggy Ross as Mrs McBride
• Bill Stewart as Teddy Lawson)
• Andrew Higginson as Lord Ralston
• Madge Aubrey as Mrs Brogan
• Charles Zoli as Signor Spigoni
• Sir Charles Kingsford Smith as himself

Production

The film was shot at the studios of Cinesound Productions in Rushcutter's Bay, Sydney in July and August 1934. It was originally entitled The Big Race but was retitled after an American film of that name was announced.

Footage of the real Centenary Air Race was incorporated, as was that of the landing of C. W. A. Scott and Tom Campbell Black at Laverton, and the arrival of the Duke of Gloucester to Melbourne. This meant the movie was not actually completed until October.

Raymond Longford was an assistant director.

Isabelle Mahon was a 17-year-old actor who had appeared on stage in Gay Divorce.

Reception

When the film was in post-production, Smith announced plans to make another feature, in New Zealand, "a modern drama with a sporting theme and glimpses of Māori life." However, Splendid Fellows was a commercial disappointment on release and led to Smith's permanent retirement from film production. Reviews were mixed.

Everyones, trade paper for the Australian industry, later wrote, "Letters to the dailies insist upon a departure from such hoary old warriors as Selection, The Dean and The Hayseeds: and from reliance upon Wallace and Mo as true Australian-type comedians. Yet when Beau Smith responds to the alleged demand for a modern theme and real human beings, by turning out the creditable Splendid Fellows, the public expresses its undying gratitude with a swift kick in the pants."{{Citation | title=Australian Production OUR MIKEROSCOPE | journal=Everyones. | date=28 November 1934 | location=Sydney | publisher=Everyones Ltd | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-577821237 | id=nla.obj-577821237 | access-date=24 August 2024 | via=Trove

References

References

1. "Raymond Longford", ''Cinema Papers'', January 1974 p51
2. Ross Cooper,"Filmography: Beaumont Smith", ''Cinema Papers'', March–April 1976 p333
3. Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 169.
4. Vagg, Stephen. (12 October 2025). "Forgotten Australian Films: Smithy".
5. Vagg, Stephen. (3 September 2025). "Forgotten Australian Films: The Hayseeds".
6. (27 October 1934). "Adelaide To Have Outdoor Talkie Theatre.". National Library of Australia.
7. (25 July 1934). "AUSTRALIAN FILM.". National Library of Australia.
8. (13 September 1934). "AUSTRALIAN FILMS.". National Library of Australia.
9. (6 October 1934). "The TALK OF THE TOWN.". National Library of Australia.
10. (4 August 1934). "AUSTRALIA Rich in Film TALENT.". National Library of Australia.
11. (9 October 1934). "GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.". [[National Library of Australia]].
12. (9 October 1934). "TALKING FILM.". National Library of Australia.
13. (19 November 1934). "Hoyts de Luxe A CREDITABLE EFFORT.". National Library of Australia.
14. (19 November 1934). "FILM REVIEWS.". National Library of Australia.

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