Lovers and Luggers

In London, concert pianist Daubenny Carshott is feeling dissatisfied with his life and wanting a masculine adventure; he also desires the beautiful Stella Raff. Stella agrees to marry him if he brings back a large pearl with his own hands from Thursday Island. Daubenny notes a painting in Stella's apartment from "Craig Henderson" but when asked Stella is evasive about the artist.

Daubenny travels to Thursday Island where he buys a lugger and a house from the villainous Mendoza. He makes friends on the island, including another diver, Bill Craig, the drunken duo of McTavish and Dorner, and the boisterous Captain Quidley. He also meets Quidley's daughter, the beautiful Lorna, who likes to dress in men's clothing so she can walk around on her own at night. Lorna and Daubenny become friends and she secretly falls in love with him but Daubenny assumes she is in love with Craig.

Captain Quidley teaches Daubenny to dive. Quidley, Lorna, Daubenny and Mendoza all go out diving for pearls. Daubenny finds a pearl, to the fury of Mendoza, who believes since Daubenny used his lugger that Mendoza should have a share. Daubenny disagrees and the two men fight on board the lugger, causing the pearl to drop over the side.

Both men get in their diving suits and go down to retrieve the pearl. Mendoza dies and Daubenny is trapped. Bill Craig risks his life to rescue Daubenny.

Back on Thursday Island, Stella has arrived, accompanied by an aristocratic friend, Archie. Daubenny discovers that Bill Craig is Craig Henderson, and was also in love with Stella, and sent on a similar mission to find a pearl. Daubenny and Craig both reject Stella.

Daubenny decides to leave Thursday Island on his boat. Lorna reveals she is in love with him, not Craig, and the two kiss and decide to get married. They sail off into the sunset with Captain Quidley.

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• Lloyd Hughes as Daubenny Carshott
• Shirley Ann Richards as Lorna Quidley
• Sidney Wheeler as Captain Quidley
• James Raglan as Bill Craig/Craig Henderson
• Elaine Hamill as Stella Raff{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17385336 |title=ACTRESS WHO HAS A CHARMED LIFE. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=8 June 1937 |access-date=14 August 2012 |page=6 Supplement: Women's Supplement |publisher=National Library of Australia}}
• Frank Harvey as Carshott's manager
• Ronald Whelan as Mendoza
• Alec Kellaway as McTavish
• Leslie Victor as Dormer
• Campbell Copelin as Archie
• Charlie Chan as Kishimuni
• Marcelle Marnay as Lotus
• Horace Cleary as China Tom
• Claude Turton as Charlie Quong
• Bobbie Hunt as Lady Winter
• Paul Furness as Professor of psychology
• Charles Zoli as Carshott's valet
• Bill Onus as an Aboriginal man{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |id2=onus-william-townsend-bill-11308|title=Onus, William Townsend (Bill) (1906 - 1968) |first=Ian |last=Howie-Willis| access-date=16 August 2021|quote= This article was published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 15, (Melbourne University Press), 2000|date= 2000}}

{{div col end}}

{{infobox book |

| name = Lovers and Luggers

| title_orig =

| translator =

| image =

| caption =

| author = Gurney Slade,

| illustrator =

| cover_artist =

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

| series =

| genre = adventure

| publisher =

| release_date = 1928

| english_release_date =

| media_type =

| exclude_cover = yes

| pages =

| isbn =

| preceded_by =

| followed_by =

}}

The script was based on a 1928 novel by Gurney Slade, from whom Cinesound obtained the film rights in late 1936.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17299628 |title=CINESOUND FILM. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=24 December 1936 |access-date=14 August 2012 |page=10 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} In the novel, Daubenny travels to "Lorne" (Broome, thinly-disguised) rather than Thursday Island. Lorna is not related to Captain Quid, but actually is Stella's half-sister. There are two other British expatriates diving for pearls in addition to Craig, Chillon and Major Rawlings. Daubney does not romance Lorna and is reunited with a reformed Stella at the end. Lorna winds up with Craig.[https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-1169100331 Stephen Vagg, 'FRANK HARVEY: AUSTRALIAN SCREENWRITING PIONEER' – Australasian Drama Studies Journal, April 2006]

Although the novel was set in Broome Ken G. Hall had Cinesound screenwriter Frank Harvey relocate the story to Thursday Island because it was easier to access.

[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37014263?searchTerm=%22lovers%20and%20luggers%22&searchLimits=l-category=Article%7Ccategory%3AArticle|||sortby=dateAsc 'Australian Firm to Make Pearling Story Film', The Courier-Mail (Brisbane), Wednesday 23 December 1936 p 11]

Hall gave the lead role to American actor Lloyd Hughes, who had been a star in the silent era and since then mostly worked on stage.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11062945?searchTerm=%22lovers%20and%20luggers%22&searchLimits=l-category=Article%7Ccategory%3AArticle|||sortby=dateAsc 'Hollywood Actor for Australian Film', The Argus (Melbourne), Saturday 8 May 1937 p 15] Hall had met Hughes when the director visited Hollywood in 1935.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17407665 |title=INTELLIGENCE, DIGNITY, AND EASE. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=21 September 1937 |access-date=14 August 2012 |page=7 Supplement: Women's Supplement |publisher=National Library of Australia}} The actor went on to make The Broken Melody for Hall.

This was the first of what would be several character roles Alec Kellaway played for Ken G. Hall. The cast included a Hong Kong actor called Charlie Chan.{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/z-non-white-aussie-movies-tv-white-australia/?fbclid=IwAR2a3frfNd9RfNEqJta07m8mnH4x5RejXkRemRiAUmojmurXyhJAAMPuEUE|title=The A to Z of Non-White Aussie Movies and TV in White Australia|date=25 May 2020}}

James Raglan was signed on a seven-week contract.{{cite magazine|magazine=Wireless Weekly|title= ANNOUNCER WANTED FOR MOVIE We Visit the Cinesound Studios|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-718643209|page=18|date=11 June 1937}}

Hall was enthusiastic about the project because of his love for the tropics, although budget considerations meant most of the film had to be shot in the studio, with only the second unit going to Thursday Island under Frank Hurley. Hurley also shot some footage at Port Stephens and Broken Bay.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17360445?searchTerm=%22lovers%20and%20luggers%22&searchLimits=l-category=Article%7Ccategory%3AArticle|||sortby=dateAsc 'NEW AUSTRALIAN FILM Will Deal With Pearling', The Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 16 April 1937 p 5] Cinesound built one of its largest ever sets to recreate Thursday Island.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17383172 |title=THURSDAY ISLAND IN A BONDI STUDIO. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=27 July 1937 |access-date=14 August 2012 |page=9 Supplement: Women's Supplement |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

A tank was built to shoot the underwater scenes. However the water was not clear, so the scenes were shot at North Sydney Olympic Pool.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17702248 |title=Electrically-Controlled Blowfly to Worry Comedian!. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=24 September 1940 |access-date=14 August 2012 |page=12 Supplement: Women's Supplement |publisher=National Library of Australia}}[http://www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/resources/documents/Newsletter_Pool_Autumn.pdf North Sydney Pool Newsletter] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605164516/http://www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/resources/documents/Newsletter_Pool_Autumn.pdf |date=5 June 2012 }} Hall would direct scenes on boats by radio.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17385230 |title=DIRECTING FILMS BY RADIO. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=14 July 1937 |access-date=14 August 2012 |page=10 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

In June, Hall paid tribute to art director Eric Thompson saying, "we have had almost incessant rain since we began production some five weeks ago with the result that we have been compelled to keep on working 'exteriors,' and immediately we finish one set Eric's boys have to start demolishing and assembling a new set for the next take".{{cite magazine|magazine=Everyones|page=7|date=7 July 1937|title= "Lovers and Luggers" on Schedule: Hall's Enthusiasm |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-561444630}} Stuart F. Doyle resigned from Cinesound during production but was kept on to supervise the finishing of the movie.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17392307 |title="LOVERS AND LUGGERS.". |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=8 July 1937 |access-date=14 August 2012 |page=5 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

Reports of the budget ranged from £18,000{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11155291 |title=NEW AUSTRALIAN MOVING PICTURE. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=14 March 1938 |access-date=14 August 2012 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11160622 |title=THE CINEMA WEEK BY WEEK. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=9 April 1938 |access-date=15 August 2012 |page=7 Supplement: The Argus Week–end Magazine |publisher=National Library of Australia}} to £24,000.

A charity ball was held to promote the release of the film.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17423627 |title=WITCH DOCTOR'S HUT. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=24 December 1937 |access-date=14 August 2012 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

The film was released in both the US and England. It was the last Australian film sold to Britain as a British quota picture before the British quota laws were amended.

Reviews were positive, the critic from The Sydney Morning Herald calling it "Australia's finest picture to date."{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17429353 |title=FILM REVIEWS. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=28 February 1938 |access-date=14 August 2012 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} The Bulletin called it "a jolly good entertainer...a great advance even on "Tall

Timbers". It hasn't spectacle as unique as the timber drive in that film, but it has an altogether better story, more interesting scenes, more action, more varied characters, and it deals with a more colorful cross-section of life...It is almost incredibly better film than the narrative outline might seem to permit."{{cite magazine|magazine=The Bulletin|title=SUNDRY SHOWS |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-574122199|date=29 December 1937|page=32}}

The movie was profitable but was a slight disappointment at the box office, and Ken G. Hall thought this helped make Greater Union's then-managing director Norman Rydge disillusioned with feature production.Graham Shirley and Brian Adams, Australian Cinema: The First Eighty Years, Currency Press, 1989p156

Variety said it and Broken Melody performed better in the "nabes and stix" but were not as successful as Gone to the Dogs and Dad and Dave Come to Town which "smashed records everywhere".{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety133-1939-01#page/n22/mode/1up|magazine=Variety|date=4 January 1939|title=US Tops in Aussie|first=Eric|last=Gorrick|page=23}}

However Hall said in 1972 that "I think I like it best of all the pictures that I've made. Because of the backgrounds. I'd go tomorrow to make a film about the Tropics."Philip Taylor, 'Ken G. Hall', Cinema Papers January 1974 p 76

{{reflist|33em}}

• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033216/ Lovers and Luggers] in the Internet Movie Database
• [http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/lovers-and-luggers/ Lovers and Luggers] at Australian Screen Online
• [http://www.ozmovies.com.au/movie/lovers-and-luggers Lovers and Luggers] at Oz Movies

{{Ken G. Hall}}

Category:1937 films

Category:1930s adventure drama films

Category:1930s melodrama films

Category:Films directed by Ken G. Hall

Category:Australian adventure drama films

Category:Australian romantic drama films

Category:1937 romantic drama films

Category:1930s Australian films

Category:1930s English-language films

Category:Cinesound Productions films

Category:Films set on Thursday Island

Category:Films with screenplays by Frank Harvey (Australian screenwriter)

Category:Australian films based on novels

Category:Films based on screenplays by Edmund Barclay

Category:English-language adventure drama films

Category:English-language romantic drama films