Lee Robinson (director)
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Lee Robinson (22 February 1923 – 22 September 2003) was an Australian producer, director and screenwriter who was Australia's most prolific filmmaker of the 1950s and part of the creative team that produced the late 1960s international hit television series ''
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo ''Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'' (known commonly as ''Skippy'') is an Australian television series created by Australian actor John McCallum, Lionel (Bob) Austin, and Lee Robinson, produced from 1967 to 1969 (airing from 5 February 1968 to 4 May 1 ...
.''


Biography

Robinson was born in
Petersham, New South Wales Petersham is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. Petersham is located 6 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Inner West Council. Petersham is known ...
and left school aged 12. He worked at the ''Daily Telegraph'' as a copy boy, and wrote short stories prior to the war. He first entered film as a member of the
Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...
History Unit where he filmed Australian troops in
Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province ...
and
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
. His commanding officer in the History Unit was the author and screenwriter
Jon Cleary Jon Stephen Cleary (22 November 191719 July 2010) was an Australian writer and novelist. He wrote numerous books, including '' The Sundowners'' (1951), a portrait of a rural family in the 1920s as they move from one job to the next, and '' The ...
. After the war he was going to work for the ABC as a scriptwriter when he received an offer to join the
Australian Information Service The Australian Information Service (AIS) was one of a series of federal government organisations created to promote the image of Australia, in existence between 1940 and 1996. First created in 1940, the Australian News and Information Bureau (AN ...
film unit (later
Film Australia Film Australia was a company established by the Government of Australia to produce films about Australia in 1973. Its predecessors were the Cinema and Photographic Branch (1913–38), the Australian National Film Board (1939–1955, under differ ...
) where he directed a film on
Albert Namatjira Albert Namatjira (; born Elea Namatjira; 28 July 1902 – 8 August 1959) was an Arrernte painter from the MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia, widely considered one of the most notable Australian artists. As a pioneer of contemporary Indige ...
called '' Namatjira the Painter'' (1946). Robinson made several films in the
Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...
such as '' Outback Patrol'', '' The Pearlers'' and '' Crocodile Hunters'' as well as a short film with actors in a studio called '' Double Trouble'' (1951). The high quality and Australian subject matter of these films led them to be released theatrically as support for main features. He developed a film called ''Saturday to Monday'' but was unable to secure finance - he later sold the script to Ealing who filmed it as '' The Siege of Pinchgut''.


Association with Chips Rafferty

Robinson had known actor
Chips Rafferty John William Pilbean Goffage MBE (26 March 190927 May 1971), known professionally as Chips Rafferty, was an Australian actor. Called "the living symbol of the typical Australian", Rafferty's career stretched from the late 1930s until he died i ...
from writing radio serials for him. Together with George Heath they formed a company called Platypus Productions with the goal of producing Australian films that Robinson would direct and Rafferty could appear in. The Australian Government put a £10,000 limit on any non-essential Australian company, forcing them to make their first film '' The Phantom Stockman'' (1953) for that amount. The movie was a success, launching the career of Robinson discovery Victoria Shaw and Robinson found out that modestly made films with good advertising made their money back. He also felt that a film with an unconventional setting should have a conventional story line. Rafferty and Robinson then formed a new company, Southern International Productions, and made the popular '' King of the Coral Sea'' (1954), which marked the feature film debut of
Rod Taylor Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He appeared in more than 50 feature films, including '' Young Cassidy'' (1965), '' Nobody Runs Forever'' (1968), '' The Train Robbers'' (1973), and '' A Matt ...
. This was followed by '' Walk into Paradise'' (1956), an Australian/French
international co-production A co-production is a joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint vent ...
which American showman
Joseph E. Levine Joseph Edward Levine (September 9, 1905 – July 31, 1987) was an American film distributor, financier and producer. At the time of his death, it was said he was involved in one or another capacity with 497 films. Levine was responsible for the ...
acquired for American release and shrewdly retitled ''Walk into Hell''. The film became the most successful Australian film up to that time.. In 1959, he was also asked to film a series of Sydney rock concerts, later released as ''
Rock 'n' Roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
'', which today provides a rare record of early Australian rock performers. He became involved with Waratah Productions making ''Adventure Unlimited''.


Fauna Productions

With feature film production drying up, Robinson moved from directing and writing to producing. In 1966 he formed Fauna Productions with
John McCallum John McCallum (born 9 April 1950) is a Canadian politician, economist, diplomat and former university professor. A former Liberal Member of Parliament ( MP), McCallum was the Canadian Ambassador to China from 2017 to 2019. He was asked for ...
to produce the television series ''
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo ''Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'' (known commonly as ''Skippy'') is an Australian television series created by Australian actor John McCallum, Lionel (Bob) Austin, and Lee Robinson, produced from 1967 to 1969 (airing from 5 February 1968 to 4 May 1 ...
''. Robinson had been advised that a children's show would sell well globally. Robinson was inspired by '' Flipper'', changing the dolphin into a
kangaroo Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
. The series was filmed in colour before Australia had colour television. Robinson directed a feature film of the series called '' The Intruders'' (1969) or ''Skippy and the Intruders''. Throughout the 1970s, he concentrated on television production. In the early 1980s, he returned to feature films, producing two films based on the activities of
Z Special Unit Z Special Unit () was a joint Allied special forces unit formed during the Second World War to operate behind Japanese lines in South East Asia. Predominantly Australian, Z Special Unit was a specialist clandestine operation, direct action, lo ...
during World War II.


Personal life

Robinson and his wife, Gwenyth, remained together from their marriage in 1940 until her death in 1968. They had five children. He was awarded the
Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...
(OAM) in the 1985 Australia Day Honours for "service to the Australian film and television industry".


Quotes

"To put an Australian tag on it n Australian feature filmwas the worst thing you could do."


Feature films

*'' The Phantom Stockman'' (1953) (director, writer) *'' King of the Coral Sea'' (1954) (director, writer) *'' Walk into Paradise'' (1956) (director, writer) *'' Dust in the Sun'' (1958) (director, writer) *'' The Stowaway'' (1958) (director, producer, writer) *''
The Restless and the Damned ''The Restless and the Damned'' (also known as ''L'Ambitieuse'') is a 1959 French-Australian film co produced by Lee Robinson. It was shot on location in Tahiti and the Tuamotu Islands. There are French and English-language versions. The film's ...
'' (1959) (producer) *''Hula, Hula'' (1959) – French-Italian film *'' The Intruders'' (1969) (director, producer, writer) *''
Attack Force Z ''Attack Force Z'' (alternatively titled ''The Z Men'') is a 1982 Australian-Taiwanese World War II film directed by Tim Burstall. It is loosely based on actual events and was filmed in Taiwan in 1979. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festiva ...
'' (1981) (producer) *''
The Highest Honor ''The Highest Honour'' is a 1982 Australian/Japanese co-production about Operation Jaywick and Operation Rimau by Z Special Unit during World War II. The same story inspired the TV mini-series '' Heroes'' (1988) and '' Heroes II: The Return'' ...
'' (1983) (producer)


Documentaries

*''Darwin Gateway to Australia'' (1946) *'' Namatjira the Painter'' (1947) *'' The Pearlers'' (1949) *''Problem Town'' (1949) – a documentary about Broome that was shot but not released due to its subject matter *'' Crocodile Hunters'' (1949) *''Flight Plan' (1950) *'' Double Trouble'' (1951) *'' Outback Patrol'' (1952) *'' Bush Policeman'' (1953) *'' The Power Makers'' (1957) *''Bring Out a Briton'' (1958) *''
Rock 'n' Roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
'' (1959) *''Australia Today – the District Commissioner'' (1963) *'' The Dawn Fraser Story'' (1964)


Radio

*''
Chips ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. After the final first-run telecast on NBC in May 1983, the series went into reruns on Sundays fr ...
'' (1952) *'' The Winner'' (1952) – series starring boxer Tommy Burns *'' The Bill Morris Story'' (1953)


Television

*''
High Adventure High adventure is a type of outdoor experience. It typically is meant to include activities like backpacking, hiking, kayaking or canoeing. It may also include mountaineering, rock climbing, mountain biking, orienteering, hang gliding, paragliding ...
'' (1957–58) – episodes "Australian Outback", "Uncontrolled Territory", "Dewline" *''Machete'' (1960) – pilot for CBS series not picked up shot in Tahiti for Gil Ralston *'' Adventure Unlimited'' (1965, filmed 1963) (ten episodes) *''
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo ''Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'' (known commonly as ''Skippy'') is an Australian television series created by Australian actor John McCallum, Lionel (Bob) Austin, and Lee Robinson, produced from 1967 to 1969 (airing from 5 February 1968 to 4 May 1 ...
'' (1968–71) *''
Barrier Reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. C ...
'' (1971–72) *'' Boney'' (1972–73) *''
Shannon's Mob ''Shannon's Mob'' is an Australian TV series about an Australian intelligence agency. It was the last TV series from Fauna Productions, who were responsible for ''Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'' among others. Synopsis FIASCO (The Federal Intelligence ...
'' (1975–76) *''
Bailey's Bird ''Bailey's Bird'' is an Australian TV series which was filmed in Asia. It was about a pilot and his son operating a charter operation in South East Asia.Geoff Mayer, 'Lee Robinson Obituary', ''Screening the Past''Robinson interviewLee Robinson
at the
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 ...

1950 article by Robinson on Big Game Safaris in the Northern Territory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Lee Australian film directors Australian film producers Australian screenwriters Mass media people from New South Wales Australian Army soldiers Australian Army personnel of World War II 1923 births 2003 deaths Australian male short story writers Australian film studio executives Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia 20th-century Australian screenwriters Skippy the Bush Kangaroo Australian film production company founders Australian television show creators