''Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford'' is a 1916 Australian
silent comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Fred Niblo
Fred Niblo (born Frederick Liedtke; January 6, 1874 – November 11, 1948) was an American pioneer film actor, director and producer.
Biography
He was born Frederick Liedtke (several sources give "Frederico Nobile", apparently erroneously) in Yo ...
.
The film was the first made by the film unit of theatrical firm
J. C. Williamson, and one of the last to be released.
[Marsden, Ralph. 'The Old Tin Shed in Exhibition Street': The J. C. Williamson Studio, Melbourne's Forgotten Film Factory nline Metro Magazine: Media & Education Magazine, No. 157, 2008: 144-153. Availability: . ited 15 Nov 14] It was Niblo's
debut film as a director and is considered a
lost film
A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...
.
Plot
Two swindlers, Blackie Daw (Henry Carson Clarke) and J. Rufus Wallingford (
Fred Niblo
Fred Niblo (born Frederick Liedtke; January 6, 1874 – November 11, 1948) was an American pioneer film actor, director and producer.
Biography
He was born Frederick Liedtke (several sources give "Frederico Nobile", apparently erroneously) in Yo ...
), arrive in Battlesburg, Iowa, and con the local townsfolk that they are wealthy businessmen. They use the town's money to establish plans for a factory to produce covered carpet tacks and set off a major real estate boom. They are about to leave town with their money when they receive a genuine order for a large supply of tacks. They decide to marry local girls and settle down in Battlesburg.
Cast
*
Fred Niblo
Fred Niblo (born Frederick Liedtke; January 6, 1874 – November 11, 1948) was an American pioneer film actor, director and producer.
Biography
He was born Frederick Liedtke (several sources give "Frederico Nobile", apparently erroneously) in Yo ...
as J. Rufus Wallingford
* Henry Carson Clarke as Blackie Daw
*
Enid Bennett as Fanny
* Eddie Lamb
* Pirie Bush
* Sydney Stirling
* Charles Clary
* Kathryn Williams
Original play
Williamsons often imported American plays and American actors to star in them.
Fred Niblo
Fred Niblo (born Frederick Liedtke; January 6, 1874 – November 11, 1948) was an American pioneer film actor, director and producer.
Biography
He was born Frederick Liedtke (several sources give "Frederico Nobile", apparently erroneously) in Yo ...
came out to Australia in 1912 with his wife Josephine Cohan, sister of
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer.
Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...
, and stayed for three years, appearing in a number of plays. One of these was ''Get-Rich-Quick-Wallingford'', by Cohan, which proved enormously popular with Australian audiences. In the American production,
Hale Hamilton played Wallingford, and
Edward Ellis played Daws.
The play opened at the Gaiety in September 1910 was a huge hit and had 424 performances in New York, 198 shows in London, and a translation in Paris.
Production
W. J. Lincoln adapted the play into a script in March 1915 and shooting began the following month. Filming took place at the J. C. Williamsons Studio, opposite Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne, and on location, in particular at the Junction Hotel in St Kilda.
Lincoln was the original director and appears to have definitely been in charge during the location shoot. However he had to pull out during production because of his alcoholism and Niblo stepped in. While filming, Niblo was also rehearsing a play in the morning and appearing in ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' at night. He would have likely been heavily assisted by his stage manager Maurice Dudley and assistant stage manager Dick Shortland, as well as cinematographer Maurice Bertel.
The cast includes
Enid Bennett, who understudied Josephine Cohan on stage and went with Niblo and her to America when they returned there in 1915. Bennett later married Niblo on Cohan's death in 1916.
[Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p59]
Reception
The film was not a success at the box office, with critics noting in particular the absence of the play's wisecracking dialogue.
However the ''Sunday Times'' did describe the film as "one of the finest ever taken in Australia".
''Punch'' said that "it is not always that a popular stage favourite is able to make a success upon the screen. Mr. Niblo's extraordinary personality has assisted him greatly, and the film version is in many respects superior to the stage representation."
The ''Moving Picture World'' called the movie "very poor".
Tom Imrie, "Australian Notes", ''Moving Picture World'' 5 April 1916
accessed 23 November 2014 This contributed to the decision of J.C. Williamson to wind up their filmmaking arm.
References
External links
*
''Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford''
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 ...
Original text of George Chester's story
at Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks."
It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...
''Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford''
at AustLit
AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource (also known as AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway; and AustLit: The Resource for Australian Literature) is a national bio-bibliographical database of Australian literature. It is an internet-based, ...
{{Fred Niblo
1916 films
1916 comedy films
1916 lost films
1916 directorial debut films
Australian silent feature films
Australian black-and-white films
Films directed by Fred Niblo
Lost Australian comedy films
Silent Australian comedy films
Films produced by J.C. Williamson's
1910s English-language films
Lost silent Australian films
English-language comedy films