Cirrus@Austlit

1. The Flying Doctor's final production costs were officially announced as £35,000, but as Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper note, 'trade gossip suggested figures of around £45,000 (more than twice the cost of a Cinesound feature at that time).' Despite such a large budget, the film was heavily criticised by reviewers, who drew attention to its unconvincing storyline, its lack of dramatic organisation, and its over-sentimentality. The film was similarly received by the British film critics, and subsequently was never exhibited in the USA. Somewhat surprisingly, though, Mander was accorded special recognition at the 1936 Venice Film Festival.

2. Gaumont-British cut the film by some considerable length (approximately 25 minutes) and planned to release it as a supporting feature (despite strong protests by Mander and National Productions). The company eventually let go of its distribution rights for the UK and after a series of complex negotiations the film was screened by General Film Distributors.

3. Further reference: Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper. Australian Film 1900-1977, A Guide to Feature Film Production (1980), pp. 227-228.