Smiley (1956)

Smiley Greevins is a cheeky, mischievous, imaginative little boy who lives in the small town of Murrumbilla in the Australian outback. His father Bill is a poor drover who is often away ... See full summary »

Director:

Anthony Kimmins

Writers:

Anthony Kimmins, Moore Raymond (novel),

Stars:

Colin Petersen, Bruce Archer, Ralph Richardson

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colin Petersen	...	Smiley Greevins
Bruce Archer	...	Joey
Ralph Richardson	...	Reverend Lambeth
John McCallum	...	Jim Rankin
Chips Rafferty	...	Sergeant Flaxman
Jocelyn Hernfield	...	Miss Workman
Reg Lye	...	Pa Bill Greevins
Margaret Christensen	...	Mrs. Greevins
Charles 'Bud' Tingwell	...	Mr Stevens
Marion Johns	...	Mrs. Stevens
Gavin Davies	...	Fred Stevens
Toni Hansen	...	Jean Holt
William Rees	...	Mr Johnson
John Fegan	...	Nobby
Guy Doleman	...	Bill McVitty

Storyline

Smiley Greevins is a cheeky, mischievous, imaginative little boy who lives in the small town of Murrumbilla in the Australian outback. His father Bill is a poor drover who is often away from home. Much to the exasperation of his overworked wife, Ma Greevins, Bill is also very fond of the drink. Smiley is determined to buy himself a push bike and so he takes on odd jobs in an effort to save up enough money. But Smiley always seems to get caught up in some sort of misadventure. Smiley is a classic Australian film that will delight audiences of all ages.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | character name in title

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hymy-Pekka

Filming Locations:

Camden, New South Wales, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last cinema film acting role of John McCallum.

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Goofs

Smiley leaves his shirt and hat and a letter behind when he crosses the river to take a parcel the King Billy. However, when he returns he only collects the letter and his shirt.

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Connections

Followed by Smiley Gets a Gun (1958)

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Soundtracks

"All Things Bright and Beautiful"
(uncredited)
Music by William H. Monk and lyrics by Cecil F. Alexander
Sung in the church

User Reviews

Agreed!

Sure it looks old and the actors speak in an unusually strong Aussie accent that can be off-putting even for this Down Under fellow but its simplicity, scenery shots and innocent story really is wonderful.

I remember seeing this as a kid one summer holiday (the type of movie they put on at midday to entertain us kids along with old Tarzan flicks and bad, bad oh! so bad Sci Fi relics).

Instantly it hit chords within me. As an Australian country lad watching this, I could smell the sun on the gum leaves and the as above-mentioned accents where, yes, goddamn awful BUT so familiar.

For an Aussie, anywhere (and all others everywhere else), watch this film...enjoy it for what it is...