Townies and Hayseeds is a 1923 Australian film comedy from director Beaumont Smith

Beaumont Smith

Frank Beaumont Smith , was an Australian film director, producer and exhibitor, best known for making low-budget comedies. After a career in theatre production, including managing a midget circus, he made his first film in 1917, Our Friends, the Hayseeds. He went on to become one of the most...

. It is the fifth in his series about the rural family the Hayseeds.

Synopsis

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. There is a romantic subplot where Pa Townie's daughter Adelaide (Lotus Thompson

Lotus Thompson

Lotus Thompson was an Australian actress of silent and sound films. She was born in Sydney on 22 August 1906. Her film career began in 1921 and ended in 1949...

) is pursued by a returned serviceman, George, and an English "new chum" called "Choom"..

Some of the satire included 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

Billy Hughes

William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....

..

Production

The film was written, produced and sold within five weeks in May 1923 with shooting taking place in and around Sydney. Specific scenes and titles were added for the Melbourne and Adelaide release (eg Potts Point was changed to Toorak)..

Reception

The titles of the movie received praise for their cleverness.

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

Prehistoric Hayseeds

Prehistoric Hayseeds is a 1923 Australian film comedy from director Beaumont Smith. It is the sixth in his series about the rural family the Hayseeds and concerns their discovery of a lost tribe.-Synopsis:...

.

Cast

• George Edwards
  George Edwards (Actor)
  George Edwards was an Australian actor and producer.Edwards was a pioneer of the radio serial in Australia. Prior to that he was a comedian, vaudeville artist, acrobatic dancer and stage performer...
  
   as Pa Townie
• JP O'Neill as Dad Hayseed
• Pinky Weatherly as Mum Hayseed
• Ada S Claire as Ma Townie
• Lotus Thompson
  Lotus Thompson
  Lotus Thompson was an Australian actress of silent and sound films. She was born in Sydney on 22 August 1906. Her film career began in 1921 and ended in 1949...
  
   as Adelaide Townie
• W.J. Newman as Choom
• Gordon Collingridge
  Gordon Collingridge
  Gordon Collingridge was an Australian actor during the silent film era. He played many matinee idol type roles, most notably opposite Louise Lovely in Jewelled Nights .-Selected filmography:*Circumstance *Prehistoric Hayseeds...
  
   as George Fisher
• Ena Aldworth
• J Rayner
• Freddie Tauchert
• Gwen Gamble
• Matthew Gamble
• Jim Coleman
• Gloria Lloyd Weatherly
• Jack Tauchert
• Harold Parkes

External links

• and Hayseeds in the Internet Movie Database
  Internet Movie Database
  Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...