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Funny Things Happen Down Under
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Umbrella Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (29th August 2025). |
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The Film
 "Funny Things Happen Down Under" (1965) A group of children in the rural town of Wallaby Creek learn that their hangout will be sold off. They find out the asking price is £200 (this was just before Australia switched to the Dollar) and the payment is due by Christmas, so they try to figure out ways to raise enough money to buy the place for themselves. The kids discover that their mineral water mysteriously colors their farm’s animals to unusual colors such as pink, green, and even multi-colored. They devise a plan to sell the colored wool to raise the funds, but will adults take them seriously? “The Terrific Adventures of the Terrible Ten” was an Australian television series that ran in 1960 for 52 ten minute episodes. Focused on a group of ten rural children who get into comical situations, the series was an early example of an Australian television show that was made for children with local actors. “Actors” may be a stretch as the cast members were basically family members of crew or local children without acting experience. The cast included both boys and girls and it seems like they were never around parents, although there were some episodes where their mothers or fathers came up in conversation. Adults played roles in varying situations from local farmers to villains in disguise, and the series played to a young audience with simplicity and with fun. The series was re-edited in 1964 with episodes being stringed together for 25 minute slots, and the following year it was their time to shine on the big screen, and also for the first time in full color. “Funny Things Happen Down Under” was produced by Roger Mirams who created the original television series and was directed by Joe McCormick, one of the series directors. As this was a full five years after the television series, there was some recasting of the children. For the film version, The Terrible Ten were played by Gary Gray, David Morgan, Rodney Pearlman, Joanna Mirams (Roger’s daughter), Gavan Ellis, Robert Brockman, Melissa Orr, Fiona Orr, Beverly Murch and Robert McKenzie. Rather than placing emphasis on The Terrible Ten, there was some stunt casting by enlisting 22 year old singer and actor Ian Turpie for a role in the production, playing Lennie Lamble, the sportscar driving heartthrob who is technically considered a “villain” in the eyes of the kids as his father is trying to buy their land. Turpie’s condition for signing on to the production was to have his 17 year old up and coming singer girlfriend Olivia Newton-John for a role in the film. She, along with child actress Sue Haworth would play two additional older kids that hung out with The Terrible Ten (making them the terrible twelve?), and Haworth’s character of Teena would be the one smitten by the character of Lennie. There was also the casting of Bruce Barry as the farmer Frank and Howard Morrison as the Maori shearer Kingie who is traveling the countryside. With Turpie, Newton-John, Barry and Morrison cast, it was also a showcase for their vocal skills, as all of them had singing backgrounds. The film would be based around musical segments, such as Newton-John singing while the other kids made Christmas pudding, Turpie serenading with his guitar, Barry singing baritone on horseback, and Morrison singing in Maori while playing a simple yet complex looking stick game with the kids. The plot itself is an odd one that doesn’t make too much sense when thinking logically. The idea that animals drinking mineral water would quickly change their fur colors would obviously sign something closer to nuclear contamination rather than an idea of kids trying to sell the wool and fur as products. The general lack of parental involvement is also something that carries over from the television series. Even though the characters of Frank and Kingie are around, they are not particularly central to the plot of the kids trying to buy the land. The television series was not a musical based one, so the kids being in the backgrounds singing like in the pudding scene seems tacked on rather than integrated. There are also moments that probably would be done differently today, such as when Rodney dresses up and pretends to be a Japanese businessman, somehow fooling the other businessmen using a fake Japanese accent and a fake mustache. As to how the adult businessmen could not spot that it was a kid in an oversized suit is implausible, but a fairly common routine in productions for kids. The humor itself is not particularly high brow or low brow, with some jokes landing but others feeling quite flat. As for the musical numbers, they are quite good, showing the differing vocal skills of each actor, but the biggest routine seems to come out of nowhere right at the end in which it becomes a major piece of acrobatic action from a few adult shearers. While it is filled with spectacle, it feels out of place as the characters are suddenly placed in the film without any prior scenes. Like the television series, it’s a hodgepodge of ideas rolled into one, and one that does not particularly play with the constraints of a logical plot. It’s a fairly simple story of kids trying to save their playgrounds, but colorful animals, singing and dancing, a city trip to entice businessmen, as well as youth in love? Call it inconsistent, but the film always has something happening somewhere. In addition, for the film being centered on The Terrible Ten, the kids do not get too much time to shine their time on screen as they are mostly just background characters, especially with the very young characters who have little to say. It's also interesting to note that the title does not carry "The Terrible Ten" in it. The story was an expansion of the TV series and it does a fair job bridging the gap with some of the visual gags, such as the cameo by Roger Mirams and Joe McCormick as the two men on the porch who are perplexed when seeing the colorful animals pass them by. It was made much grander with the scope of using color film as well as adding a plotline that emphasizes the colorful aspect of the animals. The singing and dancing choreography was also something not seen on the series previously. The film premiered in Australia for the 1965 Christmas season but it was not a particular hit. The film was eventually cut down from 90 minutes to an extremely short 60 minutes, but the shorter reissue had the same fate. The longer original version was sent for export, including Mirams' home country of New Zealand, the UK, and others. The film did not particularly make a dent critically or commercially, without any awards nominations or recognition. With Newton-John's music career and film career taking off in the 1970s and onward, the curiosity for her first film appearance made the film more noticed, though Newton-John was said to have been embarrassed by it. Yes, there are some moments that are a bit on the silly and cringy side, but it is in the name of innocent fun and programming for children before there was a market for it in Australia or New Zealand. "Funny Things Happen Down Under" is not the best film in the world, nor the worst film by far. It is inconsistent in tone but it is a fun piece of nostalgia that is still enjoyable today. A new Christmas classic? "Classic" might be a stretch but it certainly can be played for the holidays, especially now with this restored edition from Umbrella. Note this is a region ALL Blu-ray
Video
Umbrella presents both cuts of the film in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. By 1965, it would have been normal to have a film screened in a widescreen format instead of 1.33;1, so matting might have been possible. But for compositions such as the credits, it does seem like it was designed for 1.33:1. Possibly to produce it for television rather than theatrical? The shorter Australian version was scanned and restored at 2K resolution. The longer international version was transferred from a differing source print, and the two versions look strikingly different in terms of color restoration and damage marks. The Australian version has rich colors and excellent sharpness, though it is apparent that the source material was not in the best of shape. There is some fading of colors and damage marks are prevalent with scratches and debris though most have been cleaned and removed. As for the international version, colors are much more faded being closer to pale. Clarity is fair but is not as sharp as the Australian version, though on a positive note there are less damage marks to be found. Rather than splicing together from different sources, it is great that Umbrella has transferred and restored both versions separately and given the choice to watch and compare them for the first time on home video. The extended international cut runs 90:09 and the Australian cut runs 60:30. Thirty minutes is certainly a lot to be removed for the shortened version. Not only is it shorter, but there are some examples of scenes being rearranged, like Turpie's seranade song being played at a much earlier time in the shorter version. The trims mostly come from shortening of scenes to get the plot rolling. For example, the longer version has the businessmen realizing Rodney was just a kid with a false mustache when the glue comes off, but in the shorter version, the end portions are removed so the businessmen continue to believe Rodney was an older man dealing with them. It makes no difference to the plot later on when the businessmen visit Wallaby Creek, and this goes for other scenes with trims. Pacing is much faster in the shorter version, but it is not exactly considered "better".
Audio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono Both versions feature a lossless mono audio track. The audio tracks have been restored though there are still some issues that remain. Dialogue is fairly clear as well as the music cues with the lip synching sequences, though there are some issues of fidelity to be noted. Dialogue is mixed well against the music and effects and well balanced. There are some moments where hiss or pops can be found, though they are not common throughout. Overall, the audio is a pleasant experience in both versions, with some minor issues to be heard. There are optional English subtitles for both versions of the film, in a white font which are well timed and easy to read. They are not identical though, and there are times that certain words or names were not properly spelled. In the Australian version, when Kingie is introduced the subtitle stated "King" rather than "Kingie", though on the international version his name is correctly written as "Kingie". In addition, when he mentions his hometown of Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu, the Australian version spells it out in a single word without spaces while the international version has the subtitles dividing the name.
Extras
"Roger Mirams: Goodies and Baddies" documentary (35:49) This documentary is hosted and introduced by Andrew Mercado and features Joanna Mirams, one of the stars of The Terrible Ten and the daughter of producer Roger Mirams in an interview discussing her father's life and career. Talked about are his start in Wellington as a film distributor, his time during WWII and shooting war documentaries, moving to Australia with the family and getting into the early television business, creating programming for children with "The Terrible Ten", the making of "Funny Things Happen Down Under", the subsequent television work, and much more. It's a great interview and there is a lot of ground covered, with clips from various films and series as well as rare photos. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1 / 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Australian Television Historian Andrew Mercado on Olivia Newton-John" featurette (5:37) Mercado returns for this featurette which looks at the career of Newton-John and her film career, including her international breakthrough in "Grease", the flop but camp favorite "Xanadu", plus many more, illustrated with clips and stills. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in various ratios in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "The Terrific Adventures of the Terrible Ten" 4 episodes (75:40) Presented here are four episodes of the original 1960 television series. First is "Bad Day for Bubla", in which the character of Bubla's father is accused of stealing money and could lead to losing his job at the bank. But when the kids notice a mysterious suited man with a massive bag filled with cash, it leads them to try to capture the real thief. The second episode is "Captain Moonlight's Secret, a multi-part episode of the kids hearing a story from farmer Mr. Martin about the legend of bushranger Captain Moonlight, and they go off to search for his hidden treasure. The third is "Two Days to Zero", in which a secret formula for rocket fuel is stolen from the United Nations, and the thieves wind up in Wallaby Creek, where the kids clue in that they were the ones that stole the secret formula. "Adventure in the City" is the fourth episode, in which the kids go to the big city of Sydney, where a sniper attack is about to take place. The four episodes are presented in their original black and white, transferred from film elements. They are not in the best of shape, with quite heavy damage marks especially at the start and end of reels, though they are still in fairly watchable states. The quality is fairly consistent across all the episodes, as is with the audio, which at times sound fuzzy and crackly, but intelligible. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Considering that this is the film's home video debut on a digital format (it did have a VHS release decades ago), it is great that Umbrella put both cuts plus extras including episodes of the original series. It would have been interesting to hear from other surviving cast members, though many have passed away and some of The Terrible Ten cast members have been long gone from the world of entertainment. it would have been hard to track them down. A featurette to focus on the differences between the two cuts would have been interesting too. Notable clips: A clip of the Christmas pudding scene with Newton-John and The Terrible Ten A clip of the stick game musical scene with Morrison and the Terrible Ten A clip of the television series A 2021 webinar hosted by Peter Kraus discussing the film and the time it was made
Packaging
The disc is packaged in a keep case with reversible artwork, with the only difference being the Australian G rating logos being removed from the other side. The packaging states region B only, but the disc is in fact region ALL. It is also available with a slipcover exclusively at the Umbrella Webshop, limited to 2000 copies.
Overall
"Funny Things Happen Down Under" is quite an inconsistent children's film, without a clear focus on who the main characters are and a fairly nonsensical plot, but it is a charming and innocent look with an Australian family friendly musical feature from sixty years back. Umbrella has restored both cuts of the film and giving audiences the opportunity to see this quirky little kids feature on the Blu-ray format. Extras are lean but good, making this release come as a recommended one.
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