Australia Is Like This
| Australia is Like This | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Grant Taylor |
Production companies | Commonwealth Department of Information US Signal Corps Motion Picture Unit[1] |
Release date | 1945 |
Running time | 18 mins |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
Australia is Like This is a 1945 documentary about the experiences of two American soldiers in Australia during World War II until they leave for battle. It takes the form of a letter written by one of the soldiers to his family in America describing Australia.
It was also known as A Letter from Australia.[2]
Plot[]
The film is told in the form of a letter written by an American soldier and his friend on leave in Sydney. They leave a troopship and see the sights, encounter 'wrong side' traffic, and meet two Australian soldiers on leave who abandon their girlfriends to buy the Americans a beer. The Americans go to a Red Cross canteen and meet a waitress whose brother is in New Guinea. They take her to the zoo and accept a dinner invitation to her house. The troops then head north.
Cast[]
- John McCallum as Australian soldier
- Muriel Steinbeck
- Grant Taylor as Australian soldier
- Patricia Firman as waitress
- John Nugent Hayward
Production[]
The film was one of a series of shorts made by Australia's Department of the Interior, others including Island Target.
Filming began late September 1944, using a predominantly American crew.[3]
Release[]
The film was completed by January 1945.[4]
References[]
- ^ ""AUSTRALIA IS LIKE THIS"". The Queensland Times. National Library of Australia. 13 September 1944. p. 2 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ A Letter from Australia[permanent dead link] at National Film and Sound Archive
- ^ "AMERICAN FILM". The Cairns Post. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 13 September 1944. p. 4. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "PRIME MINISTER MEETS CABINET". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 12 January 1945. p. 5. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
External links[]
- Australia is Like This at National Film and Sound Archive
- Australia is Like This at Imperial War Museum
- Extract of film at Australian War Memorial
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- English-language films
- Australian films
- Australian film stubs
- 1940s film stubs
- World War II documentary film stubs