This is a good country for sheep and it’s not bad for men, but it’s hard on us women. – The Sundowners (1960)
Hello to all of the classic people that are returning. I am glad you are back. I want to welcome any new visitors. Today on Classic Movie Review, we are taking on The Sundowners (1960). I have always liked this movie because it has Robert Mitchum playing a manly man from down under, and most of the big stars are not Australian.
Before we get going, I want to shout out to Thomas B. for his comment about Thomas Gomez. What a great actor.
This movie has a 7.1 rating on IMDB.com.[1] On Rottentomatoes.com, this film has a 75 percent on the Tomatometer and 63 percent audience approval.[2]
This film was nominated for five Oscars. The nominations were: Best Picture – Fred Zinnemann, Best Actress in a Leading Role – Deborah Kerr, Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Glynis Johns, Best Director – Fred Zinnemann, and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium – Isobel Lennart[3]. It was the only best-picture nominee that didn’t win in any category. Deborah Kerr said in her life story Deborah Kerr: Not Just an English Rose, 1986 that she should have won, this being her sixth and final unsuccessful nomination for Best Actress.
New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther said in a December 9, 1960 review:
“…What is more, the migrants in this instance are no hard-bitten bags of skin and bones, working wearily around the sheep ranches without purpose, ambition or hope. They are fat, sassy, boisterous, cheerful people, given to gambling, beer-drinking, singing songs and generally raising mischief when they are not tending to their jobs. There’s the husband, as sweet and nice a fellow as Robert Mitchum has ever put upon the screen. Oh, he may be stubborn and sometimes thoughtless, but he’s the salt of the earth. There’s his wife, a loyal, patient woman, wistfully longing for a permanent home but resigned to the wanderlust of her husband. She’s an angel. Why not? She’s Deborah Kerr. There’s the son, a brighteyed, spirited youngster, attractively torn between the blithe vagabondage of the old man and his mother’s desire to settle down. He is played by Michael Anderson Jr., with the right blend of tenderness and spunk. And there’s the grand vagabond they encounter and absorb into their migrant menage—a bland, bearded, Brobdingnagian bachelor, played brightly by Peter Ustinov…[and] the bright, bouncy barmaid-inn keeper, played richly by Glynis Johns…”[4]
Actors – The Sundowners (1960)
Returning
The great actor Robert Mitchum played the itinerant sheep shearer, Paddy Carmody. Mitchum was first covered in the Film Noir Out of the Past (1947).
Often paired with Mitchum, Deborah Kerr was cast as the longing and sweet Ida Carmody. Kerr was first covered in the wartorn love story From Here to Eternity (1953).
Michael Anderson Jr. is pretty good as the young man reaching maturity, Sean Carmody. This actor was first covered in the Custer knockoff The Glory Guys (1965).
Peter Ustinov, as always, was over the top and amazing. This time in his role as rouge Rupert Venneker. Ustinov was first covered in the classic sci-fi Logan’s Run (1976).
New
Glynis Johns was cast in the role of Mrs. Firth. Johns was known as “the woman with the upside down eyes,”[5] based on the shape of her beautiful eyes. She was born in 1923 in South Africa. Johns was born while her parents were on tour as her father was an actor and her mother was a concert pianist.
In 1935, Johns began working as a child ballerina. This led to her being cast in another show at the Old Vic. Johns continued to dance on stage, and she later became a ballerina instructor. Johns began working in film in 1938. She had minor roles in South Riding (1938), Murder in the Family (1938), Prison Without Bars (1939), On the Night of the Fire (1940), The Briggs Family (1940), and 49th Parallel (1941). She also continued to work on stage.
Johns was becoming better known by the time she was in The Adventures of Tartu (1943), The Halfway House (1944), which also featured her father, Perfect Strangers (1945), This Man Is Mine (1946), Frieda (1947), and An Ideal Husband (1947).
Johns played the lead role Miranda (1948), as a mermaid, Third Time Lucky (1949), Dear Mr. Prohack (1949), and State Secret (1950). Johns gained more significant roles in films such as Flesh and Blood (1951), the excellent aviation film No Highway in the Sky (1951), Appointment with Venus (1951), and The Card (1952).
This was the time that Johns came on my radar with films like The Sword and the Rose (1953), Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue (1953), Personal Affair (1953), The Seekers (1954), The Beachcomber (1954), Mad About Men (1954) a sequel to Miranda, the absolutely hilarious The Court Jester (1956) co-starring with Angela Landsbury, Around the World in 80 Days (1956), The Sundowners (1960) along with her father, and Mary Poppins (1964) where she played the voting rights, obsessed mother.
In 1967, she played one of only five guest villains on “Batman” 1966-1968 as Lady Penelope Peasoup. Later films include While You Were Sleeping (1995) and Superstar (1999).
Story – The Sundowners (1960)
A wagon travels down a dusty road in Australia as the credits roll. The wagon is driven by Paddy (Robert Mitchum). His wife, Ida (Deborah Kerr), and their teenage son Sean (Michael Anderson Jr.) are on board. They are heading towards the dusty town of Bulinga. The family camps by a river. As Ida hauls water, Paddy complains about how little money they have. Paddy watches Ida undress. The pair is deeply in love.
In the morning, Ida cooks and washes clothes by the campfire. Sean looks at a farm across the stream that is for sale. Ida likes it, and Paddy tells them everything wrong with the farm. Paddy makes a case for living the life of a rover or a Sundowner.
Paddy takes the wagon horse into town to find out about a job. Ida reminds him he may need another horse, and Paddy says he may take on another drover.
Sean goes hunting for rabbits. Paddy is late coming back, and Ida knows he is in a pub somewhere. Sean is about to shoot a rabbit when his dog attacks a man. The man starts to hit the dog with a buggy whip, and Sean threatens to shoot him.
The man is Rupert Venneker (Peter Ustinov). He is working as a laborer for a widow on a farm. Sean tells that his father is looking for a job moving sheep. Rupert gives Sean a lift into town. He likes the boy’s spunk.
Paddy is drinking and singing in the pub of the dirt road town. Rupert goes into one pub, and Sean goes in the other to retrieve his father. Paddy is very popular in the pub. Paddy sends Sean back to camp. Rupert complains about the singing in the pub. Rupert goes into the pub and knocks Paddy unconscious. When Rupert comes out carrying Paddy, the dog attacks again. Some men comment that Rupert’s father is a lord.
Rupert loads Paddy into the wagon. Sean gets the dog to release Rupert. By the time Paddy is loaded, the law has come, and people think the dog has rabies.
In the morning, Paddy is hung over. Ida wakes him, and he hears Rupert outside. Ida says the drover that Paddy hired is ready for work. Paddy tries to un-hire Rupert, but Ida stands up to him. Rupert has several horses with him.
They pick up a mob of 1200 sheep that they are to herd to Cawndilla. He will be paid for the number of sheep he delivers. Paddy tries to get Rupert to get rid of his captain’s hat. Rupert explains that it was his when he was in the China trade. The dogs do a lot of the work as the men crack whips and shout. A long montage of sheep and local animals is shown. The group makes camp and pins the sheep for the night. Sean talks to Rupert about life and the world. Rupert has not only been a sea captain, but he was also in the lancers before he was cashiered.
The days pass with work like chasing dingos away and many dusty miles. They stop at a farm, and the couple allows them to stay. The family eats inside, and the young daughter flirts with Sean. Since the farmer used to be a drover, Ida begins to think seriously about having a home. Paddy puts the conversation off until another time.
One day on the journey, they see a wildfire burning in the distance. They send Ida ahead to the river while the three men try to speed up the sheep. As the fire gets closer, Paddy sends Sean to find his mother.
The fire drives kangaroos into the sheep, and the herd begins to break up. Paddy risks his life to save as many of the valuable sheep as possible. Rupert heads into the smoke looking for Paddy.
At the river, Ida and Sean finally see the herd coming out of the smoke. Rupert and the dog are pushing the herd, and Paddy is still missing.
In the fire, Paddy forces his horse into the stream where they can avoid being burned. Ida takes Rupert’s horse and heads back to look for Paddy. Fearing the worse, Ida finds her husband and his horse. They are safe.
The group gets the sheep herd into Cawndilla. Ida looks with envy at a wealthy lady seated on a train. Paddy gets paid and is ready to head on to Queensland. The entire group goes to a good hotel with a bar. The clerk is Mrs. Firth (Glynis Johns). Mrs. Firth comes out talking a mile a minute and is happy to see another woman. She and Rupert flirt a little.
Since it is the end of the job, Rupert offers to buy Paddy a drink. They fight about who should pay. Ida and Sean go to take baths.
Later Ida and Sean see that sheep shearers are coming from all over, and the idea of staying in one place is brought up again. Ida thinks the family can make enough money for a down payment on the farm in Bulinga.
The adults sing around the piano, and Mrs. Firth dances with Rupert. Paddy invites Rupert to come to Queensland with the family. He says he is interested in staying around to see what happens.
Early in the morning, Ida talks about getting local jobs. Rupert said that Mrs. Firth got too serious, and he had to flee. Against Paddy’s wishes, she gets Rupert a roller job, Paddy a job as a shearer, Sean as a tar boy, and her as the camp cook. Bluey Brown (John Meillon) speaks for Ida when some of the other men want a male cook. Once Ida cooks for the group, they are all set.
The workers head out to the station named Waddle Run. On the way, they almost crash into another truck carrying workers from another camp. When Ocker (Ronald Fraser) smarts off, a donnybrook breaks out. The men all load back into the trucks laughing about the good fight.
The single males live in a bunk house. Ida and Paddy live in their tent, but she has a house where she can do the cooking. The sheep shearing equipment is powered by a generator. The men start shearing, and it a quite an interesting process. The number of sheep sheared is recorded on a board, and great pride is taken in being the best.
Ida is delighted to stay in one place for a while. She gets a visit from the ranch owner’s wife, Mrs. Halstead. The ladies bond pretty well over the lonely life they live. That night, Ida gives Paddy’s sore back a rub.
Ida keeps a tight handle on the money, wanting to amass the downpayment for the farm. Rupert goes to see Mrs. Firth.
Bluey’s pregnant wife, Liz, arrives, so they have another woman at the station. Bluey comes running when he finds out his wife is there. There is only one doctor for 500 square miles.
One day, Ida gets a letter from the farmers they stayed with. The men talk about their dreams and life after shearing. Paddy stays late to have tea with his wife. He invites her to town on Saturday night. Rupert comes back after spending the night with Mrs. Firth. Apparently, he has spent the night many times before.
During a tea break, Rupert suggests they set up a shearing contest with another station to make extra money. Paddy is the campion shearer, so he will represent the station. Paddy comes for his date with Ida, and she is not ready. She doesn’t want to leave Liz behind in case the baby comes. Bluey leaves to go with the men, and at Ida’s insistence, Paddy goes along also.
In the bar, Paddy is distant and is thinking about his wife’s wishes. Rupert arrives at the bar, and Rupert flirts with Mrs. Firth. The mayor of Cawndilla (Mervyn Johns), the actual father of Glynis Johns comes into the bar. They have had some kind of relationship in the past, but he has been replaced by Rupert. Paddy buys a beer for Sean.
Bluey’s wife goes into labor, and the doctor is 20 miles away. Ida calls, trying to get the men to come back but a drunks answers and hangs up. The two ladies take care of the birth. Mrs. Halstead drives to town to retrieve Bluey. She finds Bluey passed out on the floor. Paddy rousts the drunk, and the group heads back to the station.
Mrs. Halstead gets back, but the doctor never makes it. She goes in to help with the birth process. Ida is indignant when she sees Sean is drunk. Ida slaps Paddy. The two older women work with Liz as she struggles through the birth of a baby boy.
In the morning, Ida and Paddy make up about their fight. Paddy tells her that they have been on the station for six weeks, and he is ready to move on. Ida insists they need the money to buy the farm for their futures. He says he is leaving on Saturday with or without the family. On the way out, Paddy is told that the shearing contest is on for Saturday. He says he is not going to participate. The best insult thrown is that he is a dirty dingo. Sean runs to his mother and is told that Paddy is leaving on Saturday.
Sean goes to see his dad in the tent. Sean tells Paddy that he thinks his father is also a dingo for wanting to run out on the family. The group of men comes to see Paddy. Rupert says the money they raise in the competition will be used for Bluey’s baby. Paddy agrees to compete. Mrs. Firth invites the group to a party on Sunday. Paddy tells Ida and Sean that he will stay until the end of the season.
On the day of the competition, men from both stations are making heavy side bets. The other station brings in a little old man named Johnson. Johnson has no teeth and a wooden leg. He says he is the worse shearer at his station.
The contest stays even for a time. During the first break, Paddy is showing signs of being worn out. Johnson is relaxing and smoking his pipe. They are even at the lunch break, but Paddy can’t stand up by himself. Johnson comes outside smoking and laughing. Johnson soundly beats Paddy at the end. The men are disappointed with Paddy’s performance.
Ida gets a letter and is told that the farm in Bulinga is still for sale at 2,000 pounds. She thinks they will have 400 pounds at the end of the season, which will be the downpayment.
The men from both stations have a great time at the bar. Ida asks for help cooking, and all the men run outside to play a coin-flipping game. Mrs. Firth stands for the men saying they work hard and need to play. A drover comes in with a herd. Paddy sees a horse the man has with him and is quite struck by the animal. Paddy borrows some money from Sean and wins a couple of hundred pounds. He bets the money against the drover and wins the horse.
Sean begins riding the horse, and the pair are very fast. Paddy plans to race the horse on local tracks and make money as they travel. Rupert says he will help with the training. Sean and Ida convince Paddy to go to the racetrack at Bulinga. They decide to name the horse Sundowner, a term for the itinerant lifestyle.
Rupert drags in one morning and says he is going to leave Mrs. Firth behind. Although she thinks he should stay with Mrs. Firth, Ida says he is welcome to come to Bulinga with them.
Finally, the season ends, and everyone has to say their sad farewell. Mrs. Firth is unfazed by Rupert leaving.
The group makes it to a rural racetrack. Sean is riding Sundowner, and he easily wins the race. The group makes it back to Bulinga. The farming couple tells them to camp on the for-sale farm. This is the first time Paddy learns that Ida has been working in the background to acquire the farm. Ida is ready to move in, but Paddy wants nothing to do with it. Ida tells him she has the downpayment and wants to bet some money on Sundowner at the Bulinga Cup race. Ida gives Paddy 50 pounds to bet on Sundowner.
Paddy returns late in the night. He has lost the 50 pounds and has given IOUs for the rest of the money in their jar.
With the money gone, the group of four leaves the farm in the morning. Sean and Ida are mad at Paddy. Rupert offers to lend 100 pounds, but Paddy refuses. Ida gives the money jar to Paddy. They also discuss selling Sundowner after the race.
They go to the race, and the prize for winning is 50 pounds. Sean gets a late start in the race because Sundowner is acting up. Before long, he catches the pack and eventually takes the lead. Sean wins the race by a neck.
The group has won 200 pounds in the race, and Paddy has already sold Sundowner for another 200. They will have enough money to make the downpayment. Ida doesn’t want Paddy to sell the horse.
An announcement of a protest is made. With minimal due process, Sundowner has been disqualified for interference. Local rat bastards.
Ida breaks into loud laughter as she realizes her dream is not coming true. The other three soon join in. The horse buyer comes and offers only 25 pounds. They rudely send him away.
The group of four and Sundowner heads away to continue their nomadic life.
Conclusion – The Sundowners (1960)
Jack Warner wanted to shoot the movie in Arizona, but Director Zinneman convinced him to shoot in Australia. This movie’s scenery is epic and this would be just another film without the harsh landscape.
The most common use of the term sundowner does not represent hardworking people like those shown in this movie. Typically, a sundowner will arrive at the end of the workday (sundown) and ask for a meal. Their goal is to leave early in the morning before any work begins.
Robert Mitchum was the third actor selected for the role of Paddy. First was Gary Cooper, but he was too ill to take the job. Next was Errol Flynn, but Flynn died before the film could start. He would have been fantastic at the slightly undomesticated Paddy. Mitchum was excited to do this movie so he could work with his friend Deborah Kerr. They became friends while making Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957), where Kerr was a nun and Mitchum was a Marine, both of whom were caught behind Japanese lines during World War II.
Finally, the for-sale farm at Bulinga was actually on the Snowy River[6]. So give The Man from Snowy River (1982) another listen.
World-Famous Short Summary – Don’t gamble with locals
This show is now completely free and independent, brought to you without ads. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe and leave a review where you get your Podcasts. It really helps the show get found.
As a technical note, references and citations are listed for each show on the site at classicmovierev.com.
Beware the moors.
[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054353/
[2] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1020479-sundowners
[3] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054353/awards
[4] https://www.nytimes.com/1960/12/09/archives/film-on-australians-opens-at-music-hall.html
[5] Glynis Johns – Wikipedia
[6] The Sundowners (1960 film) – Wikipedia
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.