''Rudd's New Selection'' is a 1921 Australian

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

directed by

Raymond Longford Raymond Longford (born John Walter Hollis Longford; 23 September 18782 April 1959) was a prolific Australian film director, writer, producer, and actor during the silent era. Longford was a major director of the silent film era of the Australia ...

based on the Dad and Dave stories by

Steele Rudd Steele Rudd was the pen name of Arthur Hoey Davis (14 November 1868 – 11 October 1935) an Australian author, best known for his short story collection ''On Our Selection''. In 2009, as part of the Q150 celebrations, Rudd was named one of the ...

. It is a sequel to ''

On Our Selection ''On Our Selection'' (1899) is a series of stories written by Australian author Steele Rudd, the pen name of Arthur Hoey Davis, in the late 1890s, featuring the characters Dad and Dave Rudd. The original edition of the book was illustrated by ...

'' (1920). The plot concerns the marriage of Dave Rudd (

Tal Ordell Talone Ordell (1880 – 1948), better known as Tal Ordel, was an Australian actor, writer and director. Ordell was probably born in Calcutta, India, seventh child of Victorian-born parents William Odell Raymond Buntine, drover, and his wife Susann ...

) and introduces a sister, Nell (

Lottie Lyell Lottie Lyell (born Charlotte Edith Cox, 23 February 1890 – 21 December 1925) was an Australian actress, screenwriter, film editing, editor and filmmaker. She is regarded as Australia's first film star, and also contributed to the local industr ...

). Although popular on release, the movie is now considered lost.

Synopsis

The movie is set eight years after the events of ''On Our Selection''. The Rudd family are now more prosperous, but Dad is as autocratic as ever. His children are grown up and the baby twins are up to mischief Dave is married and tries to do as little work as possible, but is forced to do so by his wife and domineering mother. Dave's sister Nell is pursued by the Regan brothers, the younger of whom, Jim, was a decorated returned soldier, the elder, Jack, a drunkard. The two brothers fight over Nell and Jack commits suicide. Jim is arrested for his murder but the truth comes out at the end and he and Nell are married. There are other comic subplots, including one where Mr Dandelioon, a prohibitionist candidate for parliament, visits the Rudds and Joe laces his tea with rum.

Cast

*J.P. O'Neill as Dad Rudd *Ada Clyde as Mum *

as Dave Rudd *

as Nell *Charlotte Beaumont as Sarah *

Gilbert Emery Gilbert Emery Bensley Pottle (June 11, 1875 – October 28, 1945), known professionally as Gilbert Emery, was an American actor who appeared in over 80 movies from 1921 to his death in 1945. He was also a playwright, author of seven Broadway pla ...

as Mr Dandelion *Louis Fors as Joe *Billy Williams as Jack Regan *Ernest T Hearn as Jim Regan *Dick Varley as storekeeper *Clyde Marsh as Trooper Brady *May Renne as Lily *William Coulter as Grogan *Ada St Claire as Mrs Banks *Meadow Peel as Matilda *Anne Parsons as Mrs McFluster

Production

Shooting began in late 1920 on location in the

Megalong Valley Megalong Valley is part of the Blue Mountains (Australia), Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It is located west of Katoomba, New South Wales, Katoomba. On its eastern side, the valley is separated from the Jamison Valley by Narrow N ...

, with interiors shot in the Carrolls' Studio at Waverly. The romantic male lead was Ernest Hearne, an ex-soldier from Queensland.

Rudall Hayward Rudall Charles Victor Hayward (4 July 1900 – 29 May 1974) was a pioneer New Zealand filmmaker from the 1920s to the 1970s, who directed seven feature films and numerous others. Biography Hayward was born in Wolverhampton, England, and died i ...

worked on the film as an assistant.

Reception

Reviews were good.

Box Office

Steele Rudd later claimed the film earned £2345 in one cinema alone, from which the producers earned £519. This sort of return helped disillusion him with the film industry.

References

External links

*
''Rudd's New Selection''
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 ...

''Rudd's New Selection'' at SilentEra
{{Dad and Dave 1921 films 1921 drama films 1921 lost films 1920s Australian films 1920s English-language films Australian black-and-white films Australian silent feature films English-language drama films Films based on works by Steele Rudd Films directed by Raymond Longford Lost Australian drama films Silent Australian drama films