You Can't See 'round Corners

You Can't See 'round Corners is a 1969 Australian drama film directed by David Cahill and starring Ken Shorter and Rowena Wallace. The film is a theatrical version of the 1967 TV show You Can't See 'Round Corners. Both were based on the 1947 novel by Jon Cleary updated to the Vietnam War.

You Can't See 'round Corners
Directed byDavid Cahill
Written byRichard Lane
Based onnovel by Jon Cleary
Produced byPeter Summerton
StarringKen Shorter
Rowena Wallace
CinematographyGraham Lind
Edited byJacques De Vigne
Music byThomas Tycho
Production
company
Amalgamated Television Services
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • 16 January 1969 (1969-01-16)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60,000[1] or $100,000[2]

Synopsis

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Small-time bookie Frankie McCoy from Newtown, Sydney, is drafted during the Vietnam War. He loves his girlfriend Margie but is frustrated because she won't sleep with him before they are married. He goes through basic training at Kapooka, near Wagga Wagga but eventually deserts. Margie breaks up with him once she finds this out.

Frankie goes back to working as a bookie but suffers a series of losses. In order to cover these he robs an office, not realising the money he has stolen consists of marked bills. He visits a Kings Cross night club, meeting a girl, Myra, who he sleeps with and gives some of the stolen money. Both the military and regular police start to close in on Frankie, and he discovers that the bills were marked. He goes back to Myra to retrieve the money. They get in an argument and he winds up accidentally killing her. He contacts Margie but is chased after by some of the men he owes money to and winds up running in front of a moving car and being killed.

Cast

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Production

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The film was shot in mid 1967, financed by the Seven Network. It used the same cast, crew and sets as the TV series. Very little of it was shot on location. It was a co-production between ATN 7 and Universal.

Richard Lane says the film was made because the series had ended with the cast still five weeks under contract. ATN-7 decided to make a feature film version with the idea that if it was not good enough for theatres it could play on television.[3]

The film features appearances by a young Kate Fitzpatrick and Garry McDonald with hair.

Reception

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The film was the 19th most popular movie at the Australian box office in 1969.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Notes at Australian Screen Online [1]
  2. ^ "Casting". The Bulletin. 8 February 1969. p. 48.
  3. ^ Lane, Richard; De Berg, Hazel, 1913-1984. (Interviewer) (1969), Richard Lane interviewed by Hazel de Berg for the Hazel de Berg collection, retrieved 1 July 2023 {{citation}}: |author2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "The World's Top Twenty Films." Sunday Times [London, England] 27 Sept. 1970: 27. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. accessed 5 April 2014
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