''Came a Hot Friday'' is a 1985 New Zealand

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

, based on the 1964 novel by

Ronald Hugh Morrieson Ronald Hugh Morrieson (29 January 1922 – 26 December 1972) was a novelist and short story writer in the New Zealand vernacular, who was little known in his home country until after his death. He earned his living as a musician and music teacher ...

. Directed and co-written by Ian Mune, it became one of the most successful local films released in New Zealand in the 1980s. The film's cast included famed New Zealand comedian

Billy T. James William James Te Wehi Taitoko (17 January 1948 – 7 August 1991) better known by his stage name Billy T. James, was a New Zealand entertainer, comedian, musician and actor. He became a key figure in the development of New Zealand comedy and a ...

Plot

In rural New Zealand in 1949, Wes Pennington ( Peter Bland) and his partner Cyril (Philip Gordon) are out to run a horse-racing scam for as long as they can. They are inveterate gamblers who have joined forces to trick local bookies, by taking advantage of delayed broadcasts of horse races. After arriving in small town Tainuia Junction, Wes and Cyril get involved in a bootlegging ring, arson and murder. Among a group of local eccentrics, they also meet the Tainuia Kid (Billy T. James), a Maori who believes himself to be a Mexican bandito. He becomes a kind of protector for the duo. Morrieson's novels featured some sexuality and violence, but the film downplayed these aspects of the source novel and concentrated more on the comical elements. Some argued that the film followed the spirit of the Ealing comedies. One writer argued that the book makes "good-natured, nostalgic fun of small town 1940s New Zealand where Friday night’s excitement is a pie and chips at the boozer" with "larger than life parodic characters".

Cast

* Peter Bland as Wes Pennington * Phillip Gordon as Cyril Kidman * Michael Lawrence as Don Jackson *

as The Tainuia Kid *

Marshall Napier James Marshall Napier (22 October 1951 – 14 August 2022) was a New Zealand-born character actor, playwright and graphic artist. He is known for a succession of strong supporting roles in Australasian films and television shows. He has also h ...

as Sel Bishop *

Don Selwyn Don Charles Selwyn (22 November 1935 – 13 April 2007) was a Māori actor and filmmaker from New Zealand. He was a founding member of the New Zealand Māori Theatre Trust and directed the 2002 film '' Te tangata whai rawa o Weneti (The Maori me ...

as Norm Cray * Marise Wipani as Esmerelda * Erna Larsen as Dinah * Philip Holder as Dick * Tricia Phillips as Claire *

Bruce Allpress Bruce Robert Allpress (25 August 1930 – 23 April 2020) was a New Zealand actor. Biography Allpress grew up in Dunedin, the second son of William and Gladys Allpress. He began performing in the 1960s in a vaudeville minstrel show called the ...

as Don's Dad * Michael Morrissey as Morrie *

Roy Billing Roy Harwood Billing (born 1947) is a New Zealand television actor, now based on Waiheke Island, New Zealand. He was brought up in Ruawai, Northland, New Zealand. Billing spent almost three decades living and working in Australia. He became w ...

as Darkie Benson * Hemi Rapata as Kohi * Bridget Armstrong as Aunt Agg *

Prince Tui Teka Tumanako "Tui" Teka (8 March 193723 January 1985), better known by his stage names Tui Latui or Prince Tui Teka was a Māori singer and actor. Teka was a member of the Maori Volcanics Showband before having a successful solo career. Career T ...

as Saxophonist

Home media

The film was released on DVD on 6 July 2011.

Awards

New Zealand Film and TV Awards

External links

*
''Came a Hot Friday'' at Rotten Tomatoes website

''Came A Hot Friday'' at NZonScreen (with video extracts)

References

1985 films 1980s New Zealand films New Zealand comedy films Films set in New Zealand 1980s English-language films 1985 comedy films Films set in the 1940s Films based on New Zealand novels Films directed by Ian Mune {{1980s-comedy-film-stub