STEELE RUDD’S CHARACTERS

Southland Times, Issue 23740, 11 February 1939, Page 8

STEELE RUDD’S CHARACTERS

“DAD” ON A VISIT TO INVERCARGILL

MR BERT BAILEY RECALLS EARLIER SCENES The years have left few signs of their ravages on Mr Bert Bailey, the original “Dad” of “On Our Selection,” who is at present visiting Invercargill with the picture “Dad and Dave Come to Town.” “I have grown a bit older than I was,” said Mr Bailey in an interview with The Southland Times yesterday, “and ‘Dad’ has got to grow old with me. The old fellow has to take it on the chin and like it.”

Mr Bailey's last visit to New Zealand was in 1913 when he played in “On Our Selection,” and since that time Steele Rudd’s famous characters have become national figures, portraying a form of humour that makes a wide appeal in both countries. Steele Rudd was well known to Mr Bailey. His real name was Arthur Hoey Davis, and he used to write sailing notes in Brisbane, under the name of “Steel Rudder.” When he wrote the books that made him famous he adapted his old pen name, which was an instant success. Mr Bailey said that the talking picture had opened up a new public for the play, and had made the characters very much better known. “The whole joke of the thing,” he added, “is that I am not an Australian, but a New Zealander, having been born in Auckland.” He mentioned a number of other New Zealanders who had gone to Australia and made a success on the stage there—Harry Pilmmer, Harry Diver, Harry Roberts and Harry Marshall, to name but four. Plimmer was in America and was doing very well there. WIDE APPEAL IN DOMINION Fortunately for the play this particular class of production had been a wonderful success in New Zealand. Australian picture producers were very largely dependent on the New Zealand market, which was of far greater importance to them than the English market. A picture had to be a success in Australia and New Zealand if it was to do any good. There were several pictures already in preparation at the Cinesound studios including a George Wallace picture called “Gone To The Dogs.” Mr Bailey has found that New Zealand and Australian humour are identical. “If you consider the Australian; and New Zealand pioneers you will see that basically there is no difference between them,” he said. “They had to cut the same trails and they had to use the same bullock teams, and they had to carve their homes out of the bush in just the same way. Both were endowed with personal courage, perseverance and a profound belief in themselves.”

Farming, Mr Bailey considers, is a little easier in New Zealand today than it is in Australia. He had seen 60, 70 and 100-acre blocks in New Zealand producing wonderful results, with from five to 10 sheep to the acre in some places. Euch results were unheard of in Australia. “The older I grow,” he said, “the more satisfied I am that Australians and New Zealanders are prone to travel great distances to other parts of the world to see sights that are to be found just round the corner in their own countries. Mr Ken Hall, of Cinesound, has told me that he would like to make a picture with a New Zealand background, and I think he should.” Mr Bailey was keenly appreciative of the Automobile Association’s colour route system in the South Island, and in Southland in particular. “It is one of the finest ideas I have seen,” he said, “and makes it absolutely impossible for the motorist to lose his way, and unnecessary for him to stop to read the signs. There is nothing like it in Australia, and I did not see it in the North Island either.”