| Fatty Finn | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Maurice Murphy |
| Written by | Bob Ellis |
| Produced by | Brian Rosen |
| Starring | Ben Oxenbould Rebecca Rigg Jeremy Larsson Martin Lewis |
| Music by | Grahame Bond Rory O'Donoghue |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Hoyts |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $350,000[1] |
| Box office | $1,064,000 (Australia)[2] |
Fatty Finn is a 1980 Australian film, directed byMaurice Murphy and starringBen Oxenbould withRebecca Rigg. It is based on the 1930s cartoon-strip character,Fatty Finn, created bySyd Nicholls and is loosely based on the 1927 silent film,The Kid Stakes.
Set in inner-cityWoolloomooloo inSydney,New South Wales in 1930, the neighbourhood nice guys are led by Fatty (real name Hubert Finn), an ambitious 10-year-old with an eye for making aquid. From shady frog jumping contests to a fixed goat race, Fatty uses his enterprise to raise enough money to buy acrystal set (radio without a separate power supply) that's worth seventeen shillings & sixpence (17/6), more than his Dad is able to save up in a year. Bruiser Murphy the bully and his gang try to stop him. Fatty uses his brains against his enemies' brawn to eventually triumph.
ScreenwriterBob Ellis says it was his idea to make the film. He complained about interference from the film's producers, John Sexton andYoram Gross, claiming Sexton in particular wanted a lot of changes, but changed his mind afterDavid Puttnam praised Ellis' original draft. He later said of the film that "all the performances are dreadful, the conspicuous exception being Bert Newton's."[3]
Of the $350,000 budget, $120,000 came from theAustralian Film Commission.
The movie was set in Woolloomooloo but the area had changed a lot since then so was shot in and aroundGlebe. Filming took place in January and February 1980.[4]
Fatty Finn grossed $1,064,000 at the box office in Australia.[5]
The film was nominated for sevenAustralian Film Institute Awards in 1981 winning in the categories of 'Best Achievement in Costume Design' and 'Best Original Music Score'.[6]