Sunstruck

I think it helps to be a fan of old 1970s Aussie films which indeed i am , this is very easy going and a pleasant way to spend an afternoon , i would put it right up there with such classics as Wake in Fright , Theyre a Weird Mob , Age of Consent etc. It was filmed in Parkes , the location of the Dish that played an important role in the moon landing , ( see also the film the Dish , another classic ) one of my favourite actors is in Sunstruck namely John Meillon , who seemed to be in all of these films lol , he was right up there with the likes of the mighty Chips Rafferty in my humble opinion , back to the film , its not overly complex , a Welsh Pom Teacher lol who emigrates to Aussie land to forget about an unrequited love , and thats where the film becomes fun , he lands in Australia only minutes into the film and works his way into the affections of the locals , and Shirl lol , if you just want to escape todays trials and tribulations give this a whirl , especially if your like me older rather than younger , enjoy.

Well-loved little film that has stood the test of time. Rare dramatic performance from ex-goon, the late Harry Secombe. Here he plays a Welsh schoolteacher who has long dreamed of a move to Australia, where minimal research has led him to believe that sun, surf and girls are on tap! On his arrival at hicksville, the one-horse town of Kookaburra Springs in the blazing outback and where he has been commissioned to run the local school there, reality and fantasy clash head on.

Best described as a fish-out-of-water comedy, the film plays it for laughs, pathos, romance and light drama. Absolutely nothing to offend anyone. Filmed in and around the Parkes area (THE DISH!!) the cast here is uniformly good and lends Secombe great support.

Scripted by Stan Mars, at no stage does the film lag. True it is a little dated, but what would you expect just on thirty years later? Neat music score from Brian West....oh yeah, plenty of sun too!!!

As a member of the Choir from Wales who sang on the film in Welsh and Australian I would like to say how naturally funny Harry was. He kept everyone laughing and was a pleasure to be with. The film was a family film which did not get the coverage it deserved outside Australia. The fact that part of the film was filmed in a school in Wales was not included in many summaries is an oversight. However, the concept was sound and reflected the fact that many Welsh people became teachers to escape the Valleys. These welsh teachers travelled throughout the world and carried the love of music outside the welsh valleys. The Humour of Harry and the goons is timeless and builds upon the English pun and cleverness with language. Harry and the goons explored the use of many bizarre characters but unusually in this film he played a straight part which showed he was a very capable actor as well.

This is the last feature film of that much loved actor Harry Secombe.He did tour Australia and was extremely popular there.Hence this film.It is an adequate time filler.

Rangy denim-wearing blonde female lead Maggie Fitzgibbon (who recently died aged 91) will be remembered by older Brits as Vivienne Cooper in the sixties TV series 'The Newcomers'.

Here the positions are reversed as it's 'Welsh pom' Harry Secombe who's the stranger in town in yet another film set Down Under that mentions the heat but neither the aborigines nor the enormous spiders.