Townies and Hayseeds

City-dweller Pa Townie goes to the country for a holiday with his wife Ma and children Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brissy, Perth and Hobart. They stay with the Hayseed family, who they then invite to stay at their place in Potts Point. In a romantic subplot, Pa Townie's daughter Adelaide (Lotus Thompson) is pursued by a returned serviceman, George, and an English "new chum" called "Choom".[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37203335 "TOWNIES AND HAYSEEDS.". The Advertiser (Adelaide) 5 Sep 1923: 17]{{Citation

| title=Beaumont Smith's New Film Production.

| journal=Everyones.

| volume=3| issue=168 (23 May 1923)

| location=Sydney

| publisher=Everyones Ltd

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-562137495

| id=nla.obj-562137495

| access-date=23 March 2024

| via=Trove

}}

The film has satirical elements including a "suicide club" at The Gap in Sydney, with Pa Townie trying to commit suicide, and a send up of former Prime Minister Billy Hughes.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65040878 "TOWNIES AND HAYSEEPS" The Register (Adelaide) 7 Sep 1923: 14]

• George Edwards as Pa Townie
• JP O'Neill as Dad Hayseed
• Pinky Weatherly as Mum Hayseed
• Ada S Claire as Ma Townie
• Lotus Thompson as Adelaide Townie
• W.J. Newman as Choom
• Gordon Collingridge as George Fisher
• Ena Aldworth
• J Rayner
• Freddie Tauchert
• Gwen Gamble
• Matthew Gamble
• Jim Coleman
• Gloria Lloyd Weatherly
• Jack Tauchert
• Harold Parkes

The film was written, produced and sold within five weeks in May 1923 with shooting taking place in and around Sydney under the title The Townies.{{Citation

| title=Beaumont Smith Restarts Production.

| journal=Everyones.

| volume=3| issue=167 (16 May 1923)

| location=Sydney

| publisher=Everyones Ltd

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-562092913

| id=nla.obj-562092913

| access-date=23 March 2024

| via=Trove

}}{{Citation

| title="Townies and Hayseeds."

| journal=Everyones.

| volume=3| issue=171 (13 June 1923)

| location=Sydney

| publisher=Everyones Ltd

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-562034957

| id=nla.obj-562034957

| access-date=23 March 2024

| via=Trove

}}

Specific scenes and titles were added for the Melbourne and Adelaide release (e.g. Potts Point was changed to Toorak).Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 117.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65032086 "TOWNIES AND HAYSEEDS." The Register (Adelaide) 8 Sep 1923: 18]

Everyone's said the film "is reported to be of a very unusual type, and breaks fresh ground as far as comedy photoplays are concerhed. It has many humorous topical skits in it, and we are given to understand Beaumont Smith, in constructing it, has had access to the humor of “Smith Weekly”. As, is always the case with this producer’s pictures, there will be no delay in placing the feature on the market."{{Citation

| title=Beaumont Smith's "The Townies."

| journal=Everyones.

| volume=3| issue=169 (30 May 1923)

| location=Sydney

| publisher=Everyones Ltd

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-562103081

| id=nla.obj-562103081

| access-date=23 March 2024

| via=Trove

}}

Everyone's said " Its early presentation is imperative, as it contains many topical skits that wii set Sydney laughing heartily."{{Citation

| title="Townies and Hayseeds."

| journal=Everyones.

| volume=3| issue=170 (6 June 1923)

| location=Sydney

| publisher=Everyones Ltd

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-562109324

| id=nla.obj-562109324

| access-date=23 March 2024

| via=Trove

}}

The titles of the movie received praise for their cleverness.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37203335 "TOWNIES AND HAYSEEDS". The Advertiser (Adelaide) 5 Sep 1923: 17] Indeed, one reviewer though the titles were funnier than the actual sequences themselves.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article40225576 |title=Cairns, Pictures, To-night "Townies and Hayseeds. |newspaper=Cairns Post (Qld. : 1909 - 1954) |location=Qld. |date=14 May 1924 |accessdate=29 September 2013 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

In August 1923 Smith shoot scenes in Melbourne and recut the film to be relocated in Melbourne for its release in that city.{{Citation

| title="Townies and Hayseeds" for Melbourne.

| journal=Everyones.

| volume=3| issue=178 (1 August 1923)

| location=Sydney

| publisher=Everyones Ltd

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-562087480

| id=nla.obj-562087480

| access-date=23 March 2024

| via=Trove

}}

The film enjoted successful seasons in Melbourne and Sydney and Smith sold the rights for other states.{{Citation

| title="Townies and Hayseeds."

| journal=Everyones.

| volume=4| issue=182 (29 August 1923)

| location=Sydney

| publisher=Everyones Ltd

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-561111920

| id=nla.obj-561111920

| access-date=23 March 2024

| via=Trove

}}

The film was popular enough to lead to another in the series, Prehistoric Hayseeds.

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0331358/Townies and Hayseeds] in the Internet Movie Database
• [http://colsearch.nfsa.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=no;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=%22townies%20and%20hayseeds%22;querytype=;rec=1;resCount=10 Townies and Hayseeds] at National Film and Sound Archive

{{Beaumont Smith}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Townies And Hayseeds}}

Category:1923 films

Category:Films directed by Beaumont Smith

Category:Lost Australian comedy films

Category:Australian silent feature films

Category:Australian black-and-white films

Category:Silent Australian comedy films

Category:1923 comedy films

Category:1923 lost films