 First edition | |
| Author | Jon Cleary Joy Cleary |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Ure Smith |
Publication date | 1959 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Pages | 234 |
Strike Me Lucky is a 1959 novel written by Jon Cleary in collaboration with his wife Joy. [1] The plot concerns an Australian family who discover gold and the effect this has on their small town.
Cleary originally wrote it as a short story for the Saturday Evening Post. Later while the Clearys were living in Spain, Joy was at a loose end and decided to adapt the story into a novel, which Jon then rewrote. It was published under her name and enjoyed minor success. [2] It was based on a story "Trumpets of Home" which was based on a true story. [3]
Marlon Brando optioned the film rights for his production company Pennebaker, intending to make it as a co-production in England, but no movie was made. [4] [5] However Jon Cleary did later adapt it into a play in 1969. [6]
In The Bulletin a reviewer noted: "Joy Cleary, who is Jon Cleary’s wife (this is her first novel), may have had her eye on the films when writing the story, for it builds up into just the sort of climax Hollywood likes, with the schoolmaster and the glamorous Gina dashing madly in an old Rolls Royce from one public meeting to another to cope with various uproars, and with the Town Drunk at last blowing-up the mine which has by then run-out of gold...It would have been better, really, if Mrs. Cleary had kept her eye on Australia in the way, say, that Chevallier keeps his eye on France, for these people are not very real, and, consequently, are not profoundly comic. But it could make a most diverting film, and on its superficial level it reads crisply and amusingly." [7]
The Sundowners is a 1960 Technicolor comedy-drama film that tells the story of a 1920s Australian outback family torn between the father's desires to continue his nomadic sheep-herding ways and the wife and son's desire to settle in one place. The Sundowners was produced and directed by Fred Zinnemann, adapted by Isobel Lennart from Jon Cleary's 1952 novel of the same name, with Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, and Peter Ustinov, Glynis Johns, Mervyn Johns, Dina Merrill, Michael Anderson Jr., and Chips Rafferty.
Betty Evelyn Box was a prolific British film producer, usually credited as Betty E. Box.
Jon Stephen Cleary was an Australian writer and novelist. He wrote numerous books, including The Sundowners (1951), a portrait of a rural family in the 1920s as they move from one job to the next, and The High Commissioner (1966), the first of a long series of popular detective stories featuring Sydney Police Inspector Scobie Malone. A number of Cleary's works have been the subject of film and television adaptations.
Nobody Runs Forever, also called The High Commissioner, is a 1968 British political neo noir spy thriller action film directed by Ralph Thomas and based on Jon Cleary's 1966 novel The High Commissioner. It stars Rod Taylor as Australian policeman Scobie Malone and Christopher Plummer as the Australian High Commissioner in Britain caught up in corrupt dealings, during delicate negotiations. Taylor's production company was involved in making the film, as was the American company Selmur Productions.
The Green Helmet is a 1961 British drama film directed by Michael Forlong starring Bill Travers, Ed Begley and Sid James. The film is centred on a British motor racing team. It is based on the 1957 novel of the same title by Australian author Jon Cleary.
The Sundowners is a 1952 novel by Australian writer Jon Cleary.
Strike Me Lucky is a 1934 Australian comedy musical film starring popular stage comic vaudevillian Roy Rene in his first and only film. It was the fourth feature film from Cinesound Productions but proved a box office disappointment. Director Ken G. Hall claimed it was the only one of his features not to go into profit within a few years of release, although the film eventually covered costs.
Dust in the Sun is a 1958 Eastmancolor Australian mystery film adapted from the 1955 novel Justin Bayard by Jon Cleary and produced by the team of Lee Robinson and Chips Rafferty. The film stars British actress Jill Adams, Ken Wayne and an Indigenous Australian actor Robert Tudawali as Emu Foot.
You Can't See 'Round Corners is a 1947 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary. It was his first published novel.
Scobie Malone is a fictional Sydney homicide detective created by Australian novelist Jon Cleary.
Make Me an Offer is a 1954 Eastmancolor British comedy film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Peter Finch, Adrienne Corri, Rosalie Crutchley and Finlay Currie. It is based on the 1952 novel of the same title by Wolf Mankowitz. It was distributed by British Lion Films.
Justin Bayard is a 1955 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary about a policeman working in the Kimberley region. It was Cleary's sixth novel.
The High Commissioner is a 1966 detective novel by Australian author Jon Cleary which introduced the detective hero Scobie Malone.
You Can't See 'Round Corners is an Australian drama and military TV series that aired on the Seven Network for 26 episodes from 28 June 1967 based on the 1947 novel by Jon Cleary, updated to be set during the Vietnam War. It was directed by David Cahill and shot around Sydney in black and white, and was adapted into a film version in 1969.
Back of Sunset is a 1959 Australian novel from Jon Cleary.
Ransom was a 1973 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary, the third to feature his detective hero Scobie Malone. Cleary also wrote The Sundowners and The High Commissioner. The novel was published by Fontana Press on November 3, 1975.
The Country of Marriage is a 1962 novel written by Jon Cleary.
Remember Jack Hoxie is a 1969 novel written by Australian author Jon Cleary. It was a deliberate departure from the author after writing a series of adventure novels, being set in the world of pop music.
Spearfield's Daughter is a 1982 novel written by Australian author Jon Cleary.
The Sentimental Bloke is a 1961 Australian musical by Albert Arlen, Nancy Brown and Lloyd Thomson based on Songs of a Sentimental Bloke by C.J. Dennis. Set in Melbourne, it is one of the most successful Australian musicals of the 20th century.