This film is now only notable for being Bud Tingwell's first leading role. Tingwell was an actual WWII veteran, having served as a fighter pilot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Bud_Tingwell
Zelma Roberts' novel Always Another Dawn was published by F. J. Thwaites in Sydney in 1948 (222 pages). A New Zealander, her husband had been killed on active service in the New Zealand 2nd Division. She then turned to writing, and as well as optioning the book, producer/director T. O. McCreadie worked with her on the screenplay.
This was the first of three features produced by the McCreadie brothers. Tom and his elder brother Alec formed their production company Embassy Pictures in 1940, and made several shorts before deciding to enter feature film production after the war. They had worked as suburban exhibitors in Sydney from the nineteen twenties, and they maintained their interest in distribution and exhibition.
They also imported a number of European films for specialised distribution, and in 1946 they imported a Russian feature, Memory's Horses, which they dubbed into English - the first time such dubbing had been attempted in Australia.
After making three films in reasonable proximity, the production company collapsed in 1950 because of the box office failure of their films, financial difficulties and personal disagreements within the company.
Some firsts:
For their first feature, the McCreadies sought documentary authenticity by obtaining the help of the Australian Navy, which included generous access to the HMAS Bataan, and the Flinders Naval Depot - the navy even fired torpedoes for filming. Remarkably, production lasted some six months, with post-production taking a further four months.
This was Charles Tingwell's first leading role. He would go on to a long career internationally and domestically.
Terry McCoy, who was given a small role as a "small boy" won the part in a competition, which the McCreadies used in exhibitor showman style to generate some cheap publicity in the press.
Terence, aged ten, was from Dulwich Hill, and was one of three finalists. Judging was conducted by McCreadie, writer Zelma Roberts, and the editor of Playtime, a children's supplement for the Sydney Morning Herald, which organised the contest.
In less useful publicity, £300 - the payroll for H.MA.S. Bataan - was stolen as the destroyer left Sydney with Embassy Pictures crew and Commonwealth Pictures technicians on board, as it steamed to Port Phillip Bay to reconstruct scenes involving the action of the H.M.A.S. Yarra in the Java sea against the Japanese.
Production company: McCreadie Brothers Embassy Pictures
Budget: A£30,000
Locations: Flinders Naval Depot, Victoria, HMAS Bataan and studio interiors at Commonwealth Film Laboratories Sydney, N.S.W.
Filmed: shooting began February 1947
Australian distributor: Universal
Australian release: opened Embassy Theatre, Sydney 24th September 1948.
Rating: For General Exhibition
35mm black and white
Running time: 108 mins (Oxford); 73 mins UK
Box office: poor. With negative reviews, the film ran only two weeks in its first engagements in Sydney and Melbourne, and for shorter runs in other cities.
It was quickly reduced to supporting feature status. In 1949 a cut down version, running 73 minutes, was released in England by Eros Films, and did only modest business.
See
https://web.archive.org/web/
20140322191646/
https://www.ozmovies.com.au/
movie/always-another-dawn