Hal McElroy
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Hal McElroy and James "Jim" McElroy (born 6 April 1946) are Australian film and television producers. They are twin brothers. They are best known for three films they produced jointly in the 1970s, all directed by
Peter Weir Peter Lindsay Weir ( ; born 21 August 1944) is a retired Australian film director. He is known for directing films crossing various genres over forty years with films such as '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975), '' Gallipoli'' (1981), '' The Y ...
at the start of his career: ''
The Cars That Ate Paris ''The Cars That Ate Paris'' is a 1974 Australian horror comedy film, produced by twin brothers Hal and Jim McElroy and directed by Peter Weir. It was his first feature film, and was also based on an original story he had written. Shot mostly in ...
'' (1974), '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975), and ''
The Last Wave ''The Last Wave'' (also released in the United States as ''Black Rain'') is a 1977 Australian mystery drama film directed by Peter Weir.''Variety'' film review; 16 November 1977, p. 21. It is about a white solicitor in Sydney whose seemingly no ...
'' (1977). They were also joint associate producers of '' Let the Balloon Go'' (1976). The McElroy brothers also worked on projects separately before, during and after these joint projects. They have had entirely separate careers since 1982, with the exception of ''
Till There Was You "Till There Was You" is a show tune written by Meredith Willson, popularised by his 1957 stage production ''The Music Man'' and its 1962 movie musical adaptation, and further popularised by the Beatles cover. The song became the first To ...
'' (1991). Hal now works with his wife Di McElroy.


Early and family life

Hal and Jim McElroy were born in 1946 in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
. As twins, they were always inseparable and had identical interests, school activities and friends. They entered the film industry together in 1966, moving to
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
to work on productions such as ''
Age of Consent The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to Human sexual activity, sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is un ...
'' (1969) and ''
Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 185411 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader, bank robber and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing armour of the Kelly gang, a suit of bulletproof ...
'' (1970). They were inspired to become producers themselves, and set up a production company.Spectrum, "Profile: The Man With The Formula", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 11 October 1997, p.3s Hal met his wife Di, a producer of live television shows, while both were working on the
Australian Ballet The Australian Ballet (TAB) is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur an ...
's 1973 film of ''
Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...
'' in Melbourne. She was secretary to the Administrator of the Australian Ballet, Dame
Peggy van Praagh Dame Margaret van Praagh (1 September 1910 – 15 January 1990) was a British ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, repetiteur, producer, advocate and director, who spent much of her later career in Australia. Early life Peggy van Praagh ...
, and personal assistant to Sir
Robert Helpmann Sir Robert Murray Helpmann (né Helpman) (9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986) was an Australian ballet dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. After early work in Australia he moved to Britain in 1932, where he joined the Vic-Wells Ballet (no ...
and
Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the preeminent male ballet dancer of his generation as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all ...
. Hal was production manager for the film company. They married in 1975, and had their honeymoon at the
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
, where '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' was being exhibited."The two of us: Hal & Di McElroy", "Good Weekend" magazine, ''The Age'', 15 August 1998, p.12 They have three children. Hal and Jim had always lived together, and this continued even after Hal married Di. In 1977, a light and sound spectacular called Laserdome, in which the three McElroys had invested heavily, failed within three days and they lost their house and all their other assets. In 1994 Hal and Jim parted company, as they felt a need to establish their own separate identities, in both their professional and personal lives. In November 1996, Hal McElroy was involved in a serious traffic collision which threatened to leave him blind, brain-damaged and paraplegic. He recovered, but now has seven screws and a plastic plate in his head. Hal and Di McElroy became business partners, with a company called McElroy Television, later McElroy Allmedia.McElroy Allmedia: Di McElroy
Retrieved 16 April 2013
Their first co-production was ''
Dog's Head Bay ''Dog's Head Bay'' is a 1999 Australian television series co-written by David Williamson on the ABC. It was about a criminal lawyer, Alex Santorini, who buys a house in the sleepy coastal town of Dog's Head Bay. One of the stars was Shane Withing ...
'' (1999), written by
David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
and Kristin Williamson.


Jim McElroy

Jim's first credit was as production manager on the television series ''
Spyforce ''Spyforce'' is an Australian television series that aired from 1971 to 1973 on Nine Network. The series was based upon the adventures of Australian Military Intelligence operatives in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II, South West ...
'' (1971). His later solo projects have all been in film. They include: * '' The Year of Living Dangerously'' (1982; producer; this was also directed by Peter Weir;
Linda Hunt Linda Hunt (born Lydia Susanna Hunt; April 2, 1945) is an American actress. She made her film debut playing Mrs. Oxheart in Popeye (film), ''Popeye'' (1980). Her portrayal of the male character Billy Kwan in ''The Year of Living Dangerously (fil ...
won an
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...
) * ''
A Dangerous Summer ''A Dangerous Summer'' (aka ''Flash Fire'') is a 1982 Australian crime film drama film directed by Quentin Masters and starring Tom Skerritt, Ian Gilmour, Guy Doleman and James Mason. Premise Howard Anderson, a restless and discontented Ame ...
'' (1982; writer and producer) * ''Traps'' (1994; producer) * '' Mr. Reliable'' (1996; producer) * ''
Dear Claudia ''Dear Claudia'' is a 1999 Australian romantic comedy. Premise A postman, Walter, and a woman, Claudia, are stranged on a tropical island after the postman's plane crashes in the ocean. Cast * Bryan Brown as Walter Burton * Aleksandra Vujcic as C ...
'' (1999; producer).


Hal McElroy

Hal McElroy's solo projects include: ; Film * ''
Alvin Purple ''Alvin Purple'' is a 1973 Australian sex comedy film starring Graeme Blundell in the title role; the screenplay was written by Alan Hopgood and directed by Tim Burstall, through his production company Hexagon Productions and Village Road ...
'' (1973; production manager and first assistant director) * ''
Between Wars ''Between Wars'' is an Australian 1974 drama/war film released on 15 November 1974. It was directed by Michael Thornhill and written by Frank Moorhouse. Plot The film examines four periods in the life of (the fictitious) doctor Edward Trenbow: ...
'' (1974; production manager and associate producer) * ''
The Man from Hong Kong ''The Man from Hong Kong'' (), originally released in the US as ''The Dragon Flies'', is a 1975 action film written and directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith in his directorial debut and starring Jimmy Wang Yu and George Lazenby, with Hugh Ke ...
'' (1975; assistant director) * ''
Caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is a companion to the player, providing both practical support and strategic guidance on the course. Caddies are responsible for carrying the player’s bag, managing clubs, and assisting with basic course maintena ...
'' (1976; assistant director) * ''
Blue Fin ''Blue Fin'' is a 1978 Australian family film directed by Carl Schultz and starring Hardy Krüger, Greg Rowe and Elspeth Ballantyne. It is based on a 1969 Australian novel written by Colin Thiele. Plot Based on the children's novel by South A ...
'' (1978; producer) * ''
Razorback A feral pig is a pig, domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. The term feral pig has also been applied to wild boars, which can interbreed with domestic pigs. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorb ...
'' (1984; producer) * ''
A Dangerous Life ''The Four Day Revolution'' (broadcast in the Philippines as ''A Dangerous Life'') is a 1988 Australian television film directed by Robert Markowitz and written by David Williamson. The story is about the journey and the love affair of an America ...
'' (1988; originally a six-hour TV miniseries, producer) * '' The Sum of Us'' (1994, executive producer) ; Television * '' Return to Eden'' (1982 series, executive producer) * ''
A Dangerous Life ''The Four Day Revolution'' (broadcast in the Philippines as ''A Dangerous Life'') is a 1988 Australian television film directed by Robert Markowitz and written by David Williamson. The story is about the journey and the love affair of an America ...
'' (1988 TV miniseries, producer) * '' A*mazing'' (series; 1994–98) * ''
Blue Heelers ''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for twelve years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted th ...
'' (series; executive producer of 54 episodes 1994–95) * '' Water Rats'' (series, executive producer of 62 episodes 1996–98) * '' Time Masters'' (series; 1996–98) * ''
Murder Call ''Murder Call'' is an Australian television series, created by Hal McElroy for the Southern Star Entertainment and broadcast on the Nine Network between 1997 and 2000. The series was inspired by the ''Tessa Vance'' novels by Jennifer Rowe, ...
'' (series, executive producer of 55 episodes 1997–2000) * ''
Going Home Going Home or Goin' Home may refer to: Film and television Films * Going Home (1944 film), ''Going Home'' (1944 film), an unreleased entry in the Private Snafu series * Going Home (1971 film), ''Going Home'' (1971 film), starring Robert Mitchum ...
'' (series, 2000–2001, 130 episodes, executive producer with Di McElroy) * '' Balmain Boys'' (2003 movie, executive producer) * ''
Sea Patrol ''Sea Patrol'' is an Australian television drama that ran from 2007 to 2011, set on board HMAS ''Hammersley'', a fictional patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The series focused on the ship and the lives of its crew members. Despi ...
'' (series, executive producer of 41 episodes 2007–11).


References


External sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mcelroy, Hal and Jim 1946 births Living people Australian film producers Australian television producers Mass media people from Melbourne Sibling filmmakers Brother duos Australian twins