''Robbery Under Arms'' is a 1920 Australian film directed by

Kenneth Brampton Kenneth Brampton (died 21 June 1942) was an Australian actor, writer and director. He was an actor in England before coming to Australia. He later ran an acting school. Filmography *'' Robbery Under Arms'' (1920) – actor, director *''The Din ...

and financed by mining magnate Pearson Tewksbury. It is an early example of the " Meat pie Western".

Plot

Two brothers, Dick and Jim Marsden, become involved with the bushranger, Captain Starlight. They romance two girls, work on the goldfields, and are captured by the police after Starlight is shot dead.

Cast

as Captain Starlight * S. A. Fitzgerald as Ben Marsden *

Roland Conway Roland James Conway (born James Edward Wayland; 1882 – 16 June 1960) was an Australian actor and producer best known for his work in silent films of the era. In the 1930s, he was president of the Actors' Federation of Australasia. In 1927, he ...

as Dick Marsden * Cliff Pyatt as Jim Marsden * Roy Redgrave as Dan Moran * William Pearson as Sir Frederick Moranger * Stuart MacRae as Inspector Goring *

Jackie Anderson "A Leela of Her Own" is the sixteenth episode in the third season of the animated series ''Futurama''. The episode is an homage to '' A League of Their Own''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 7, 2002. Bob Ueck ...

as Warrigal *

Vera Archer Vera may refer to: Names * Vera (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Vera (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) **Vera (), archbishop of the archdiocese of Tarr ...

as Jennie Morrison * Betty Crook as Miss Falkland *

Hilda Dorrington Hilda is one of several female given names derived from the name ''Hild'', formed from Old Norse , meaning 'battle'. Hild, a Nordic-German Bellona, was a Valkyrie who conveyed fallen warriors to Valhalla. Warfare was often called Hild's Game. ...

as Kate Morrison *

Tien Hogue Tien Hogue was the stage name of Anne Christina Hogue (29 June 1892 – November 1964), an Australian actress of stage and screen in the silent era. She was a popular personality, who, though marriage, became Lady Wyatt. Family The fourth dau ...

as Aileen Marsden *

Austral Nichol Austral means 'southern', often in reference to the Southern Hemisphere. Austral may also refer to: Businesses *Austral Líneas Aéreas, an Argentine airline * Air Austral, an airline based in Réunion *Austral (bus manufacturer), a defunct Aus ...

as Mrs. Knightley * Wilton Power as George Storefield *

Phyllis Ruthven Phyllis is a feminine given name which may refer to: People * Phyllis Bartholomew (1914–2002), English long jumper * Phyllis Drummond Bethune (née Sharpe, 1899–1982), New Zealand artist * Phyllis Calvert (1915–2002), British actress * P ...

as Grace Storefield * Sybil Shirley *

Nan Taylor Nan or NAN may refer to: Places China * Nan County, Yiyang, Hunan, China * Nan Commandery, historical commandery in Hubei, China Thailand * Nan Province ** Nan, Thailand, the administrative capital of Nan Province * Nan River People Given n ...

as Mrs. Marsden *

H. D. Wise H is the eighth letter of the Latin alphabet. H may also refer to: Musical symbols * H number, Harry Halbreich reference mechanism for music by Honegger and Martinů * H, B (musical note) * H, B major People * H. (noble) (died after 1 ...

as Mr. Knightley * Charles Chauvel

Production

There had been several attempts to make films based on Rolfe Boldrewood's 1888 novel since the bushranging ban by the New South Wales government in 1912. In particular there were attempts by Stanley Crick in 1916 and Alfred Rolfe in 1918. However

managed to secure permission for this 1920 version, mostly likely because it stressed the moral lessons of the story.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 101. Kenneth Brampton and actress

managed to persuade the mining magnate

Pearson Tewksbury Pearson may refer to: Organizations Education *Lester B. Pearson College, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada *Pearson College (UK), London, owned by Pearson PLC *Lester B. Pearson High School (disambiguation) Companies *Pearson PLC, a UK-based int ...

to raise the budget and act as producer.Graham Shirley & Brian Adams, ''Australian Cinema: The First Eighty Years'', Angus & Robertson, 1989 p 70-71 Brampton was acting in the play ''Lightnin which he left to make the film. The film was shot on location at Braidwood and in the Araluen Valley near Canberra. The bushrangers the Clarke brothers reportedly worked in this region. Renowned horseman "Top" Hassall doubled for Brampton on the horse riding scenes. Future director Charles Chauvel was working around the Sydney studios and attending to horses on the film. He has a bit part. The film was the final acting role for Roy Redgrave who died in 1922.

Reception

The movie was reportedly successful at the box office and grossed up to £16,000. However returns were so slow and the distributor and exhibitor took so much that Pearson Tewksbury was dissuaded from further film production. ''Variety'' said the film was "of only fair quality, the picture just gets by."

Preservation status

A "copy comprising about three-quarters of the film" was found and combined with already known footage to produce a near-complete version. A five-minute sequence is still missing.

References

External links

* *
''Robbery Under Arms (1920)''
at

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national c ...

{{Bushrangers , state=collapsed 1920 films 1920 Western (genre) films 1920s rediscovered films Articles containing video clips Australian black-and-white films Films based on Robbery Under Arms Rediscovered Australian films Silent Australian Western (genre) films Silent drama films