Smiley Greevins is a cheeky, mischievous and imaginative little boy who lives in the small Australian country town of Murrumbilla. His alcoholic father, Bill is a poor drover who is often away for long periods while his mother, overworked and embittered by her life, is the one who has to deal with Smiley's frequent misadventures. One of these pranks sees Smiley and his friend Joey run foul of the local policeman, Sgt Flaxman. Amused by the careful attention the sergeant is paying their new schoolteacher, Miss Workman, the boys initially enjoy viewing this budding romance from a safe distance. When Flaxman one day escorts Miss Workman to her house, however, Smiley borrows his police bicycle. When he accidentally crashes the bike Smiley and Joey quickly replace it from where they took it and flee the scene.
Determined to buy his own bike Smiley subsequently takes on odd jobs to raise the money for his dream, but in doing so unwittingly helps the local publican, Rankin to sell opium to the local Aborigines. When Smiley's father returns home and steals all the money he has saved Smiley is furious. He confronts his father and in the ensuing argument unintentionally knocks his dad out with a cricket bat. Frightened of the consequences he runs into the bush and is later bitten by a snake. A swagman saves his life and when Smiley gets back to town he tells the police about Rankin, who is subsequently arrested. The story ends with the grateful townsfolk rallying together to buy Smiley his bike.
Smiley Gets a Gun
( dir. Anthony Kimmins
)
Canberra
:
Canberra Films
,
1958
Z1367275
1958
single work
film/TV
children's
When Smiley lets it be known that he desperately wants to own a rifle, Sergeant Flaxman promises him one if he can prove himself a responsible citizen by helping others and keeping out of trouble. The sergeant keeps score of Smiley's deeds and misdeeds by marking 'nicks' on a tree outside his father's blacksmith shop. Trouble starts brewing, however, when Smiley's father makes a bet that the boy will not be able to earn the eight nicks required to get his gun. In one of his 'misadventures,' Smiley is suspected of stealing a cache of gold and becomes a fugitive from justice after running away in shame. When the real thief is later caught, Smiley is rewarded with a .22 calibre rifle.
Smiley : The Musical
David Cocker
(composer),
Mark Jones
(composer),
Lance Strauss
(composer),
1992
Dover Heights
:
David Spicer Productions
,
1992
Z1641152
1992
single work
musical theatre
Set in the late 1940s, the narrative unfolds in and around the outback community of Murrumbilla. At the Sunday School Break-up Picnic we meet the town's personalities, most notably Smiley, an irrepressible larrikin kid with a spontaneous zest for life, who regularly creates havoc by determining to give anything a go! His on-going conflicts with Mrs Gaspen, the self appointed pillar of local society, are most often arbitrated by Police Sergeant Flaxman who, like most residents, tolerates Smiley's impulsive enthusiasm for the whimsical because of the inevitably humorous consequences. In such a harsh environment laughter is a valuable contribution to the rough, homespun texture of daily life. Smiley's father is away droving and, when he is in town, spends most of his time at Rankin's Hotel. His mother is faced with raising Smiley single-handed. She works long and hard to do the best she can, and, as events evolve, comes to rely on the support that the townspeople are able to offer. When Smiley's obsession with owning a bicycle is thwarted by the unexpected return of his father, he is confronted with a complexity of challenges. All eyes watch to see if this "menace to society" has the grit to act responsibly and unselfishly.
The show evokes classic images including a picnic under shady river gums, a bush shack, the country pub, the general store and turns on a bush fire and the breaking of the drought. (ctd. David Spicer Productions, q.v.)
Reel Men : Australian Masculinity in the Movies, 1949-1962
Carlton
:
Melbourne University Press
,
2019
17379128
2019
multi chapter work
criticism
'Set against the shifting social and political backdrop of a nation throwing off the shackles of one war yet faced with the instability of the new world order, Reel Men probes the concept of 1950s masculinity itself, asking what it meant to be an Australian man at this time. Offering a compelling exploration of the Australian fifties, the book challenges the common belief that the fifties was a 'dead' era for Australian filmmaking. Reel Men engages with fourteen Australian feature films made and released between 1949 and 1962, and examines the multiple masculinities in circulation at this time. Dealing with beloved Australian films like Jedda (1955), Smiley (1956), and The Shiralee (1957), and national icons of the silver screen including Chips Rafferty, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, and Peter Finch, Reel Men delves into our cultural past to dismantle powerful assumptions about film, the fifties, and masculinity in Australia.' (Publication summary)
'...This chapter does not look specifically at textual adaptations, it uses two texts - Saturdee, a novel by Norman Lindsay published in 1934, and Anthony Kimmins's classic Australian film Smiley, released in 1956 - to examine shifts in children's status as consumers. Primarily, however, it concerns itself with the cultural transition that took place in Australia after World War Two.' (Source: Introduction, Toni Risson, 2011)
'...This chapter does not look specifically at textual adaptations, it uses two texts - Saturdee, a novel by Norman Lindsay published in 1934, and Anthony Kimmins's classic Australian film Smiley, released in 1956 - to examine shifts in children's status as consumers. Primarily, however, it concerns itself with the cultural transition that took place in Australia after World War Two.' (Source: Introduction, Toni Risson, 2011)
Reel Men : Australian Masculinity in the Movies, 1949-1962
Carlton
:
Melbourne University Press
,
2019
17379128
2019
multi chapter work
criticism
'Set against the shifting social and political backdrop of a nation throwing off the shackles of one war yet faced with the instability of the new world order, Reel Men probes the concept of 1950s masculinity itself, asking what it meant to be an Australian man at this time. Offering a compelling exploration of the Australian fifties, the book challenges the common belief that the fifties was a 'dead' era for Australian filmmaking. Reel Men engages with fourteen Australian feature films made and released between 1949 and 1962, and examines the multiple masculinities in circulation at this time. Dealing with beloved Australian films like Jedda (1955), Smiley (1956), and The Shiralee (1957), and national icons of the silver screen including Chips Rafferty, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, and Peter Finch, Reel Men delves into our cultural past to dismantle powerful assumptions about film, the fifties, and masculinity in Australia.' (Publication summary)
