When we recently highlighted the fact that after 30 years the government has failed to establish a film industry in the Territory, we also advised readers that we would be running unusual items from our Fractured Flickers File.
Well, run this across your plasma screen. While doing some research , we punched into Google the name of the late Harry Giese , he being the powerful former NT Director of Welfare, official member of the Legislative Council , Interim Ombudsman , oral history chief,etc. Eventually we were led to a site seemingly offering no less than 208 photos of him. This seemed to be an inordinate number of photos of one person, perhaps more than those taken of the Queen in the NT. Was he that photogenic? Then we discovered it was his photo collection , not hundreds taken of his best profile.
The photos included a large number of landscapes taken by another Welfare officer, the late Ted Evans. We are like bloodhounds, leave no stone unturned, so viewed each and every photo . Near the end , we came across a shot of Harry on the film set of the TV series Whiplash at French’s Forest, Sydney . In the group, with a Cobb and Co building in the background, was the American star , Peter Graves, It must be said the Harry, tall, dark haired, with sunnies and a sportscoat , looked more like a film star than the Yank. But for the fact that he was clean shaven, Harry could have been taken for the swashbuckling Errol Flynn .
Whiplash, loosely based on the Cobb and Co stagecoach company, with Graves playing Chris Cobb , produced 34 half hour episodes and was first screened in Britain , then in Australia in 1961.
Darwin’s Aboriginal actor, the tragic Robert Tudawali , appeared in several episodes. Other Australian actors to play parts in the gun- slinging, boomerang throwing western type film were Reg Livermore, Chuck Faulkner ( Canadian ?), Leonard Teale, Queenie Ashton , Stuart Wagstaff (Brit. ), Chips Rafferty and Lionel Long. Frank Ifield sang the theme songs.
Most of the scripts were written by Americans, including Rene Roddenberry , creator of Star Trek . Conflict arose when one script called for “a herd of stampeding sheep.” Apparently the Americans were not happy about the size of loincloths on Aboriginal actors , and asked for “more gumleaves” to be added.
There is no information to explain why Harry Giese was on the film set in Sydney. Was he , like a Hollywood agent and Welfare wallah , looking after the interests of Tudawali or in charge of the gumleaf modesty wardrobe ? STOP PRESS : Soon after posting this item news came through that American actor Peter Graves had died .
Well, run this across your plasma screen. While doing some research , we punched into Google the name of the late Harry Giese , he being the powerful former NT Director of Welfare, official member of the Legislative Council , Interim Ombudsman , oral history chief,etc. Eventually we were led to a site seemingly offering no less than 208 photos of him. This seemed to be an inordinate number of photos of one person, perhaps more than those taken of the Queen in the NT. Was he that photogenic? Then we discovered it was his photo collection , not hundreds taken of his best profile.
The photos included a large number of landscapes taken by another Welfare officer, the late Ted Evans. We are like bloodhounds, leave no stone unturned, so viewed each and every photo . Near the end , we came across a shot of Harry on the film set of the TV series Whiplash at French’s Forest, Sydney . In the group, with a Cobb and Co building in the background, was the American star , Peter Graves, It must be said the Harry, tall, dark haired, with sunnies and a sportscoat , looked more like a film star than the Yank. But for the fact that he was clean shaven, Harry could have been taken for the swashbuckling Errol Flynn .
Whiplash, loosely based on the Cobb and Co stagecoach company, with Graves playing Chris Cobb , produced 34 half hour episodes and was first screened in Britain , then in Australia in 1961.
Darwin’s Aboriginal actor, the tragic Robert Tudawali , appeared in several episodes. Other Australian actors to play parts in the gun- slinging, boomerang throwing western type film were Reg Livermore, Chuck Faulkner ( Canadian ?), Leonard Teale, Queenie Ashton , Stuart Wagstaff (Brit. ), Chips Rafferty and Lionel Long. Frank Ifield sang the theme songs.
Most of the scripts were written by Americans, including Rene Roddenberry , creator of Star Trek . Conflict arose when one script called for “a herd of stampeding sheep.” Apparently the Americans were not happy about the size of loincloths on Aboriginal actors , and asked for “more gumleaves” to be added.
There is no information to explain why Harry Giese was on the film set in Sydney. Was he , like a Hollywood agent and Welfare wallah , looking after the interests of Tudawali or in charge of the gumleaf modesty wardrobe ? STOP PRESS : Soon after posting this item news came through that American actor Peter Graves had died .
