Smiley

CinemaSerf7/10

May 5, 2024

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"Smiley" (Colin Petersen) is a young lad who lives a pretty basic existence with his mum (Margaret Christensen) whilst his dad is off on the drover's trail. He's a lively young man with a streak of decency a mile wide - except when he's being used as a "beast of burden". It's to the vicar "Lambeth" (Sir Ralph Richardson) that he owes this expression and it's him that donates a sixpence to start off the boy's quest to raise a massive £4 to buy a bike. That's the story, really. How can he earn enough money to get mobile? Along the way he is constantly "flabbergasted" by the goodwill of his neighbours as they find him odd jobs to do - even a bit of pub singing - to raise his cash. Meantime, the local police sergeant "Flaxman", another contributor to the cause, is concerned that someone is smuggling opium into the nearby Aboriginal camp - and he's suspicious of landlord "Rankin" (John McCallum), especially when he begins to pay "Smiley" well over the odds to deliver packages across the river. Things come to quite a comical head when his dad returns and the police hone in on the criminal. It's maybe a little long, this, but there's an engaging effort from the young Petersen and Bruce Archer as his best pal "Joey". Some of the language might not sit so well seventy years later, but essentially it's a story of mischief and spirit from a boy who manages to cheer up just about everyone he meets - especially their characterful cleric.