That Certain Something (1941)

Interesting facts

That Certain Something is a 1941 Australian musical film directed by Clarence G. Badger and starring Megan Edwards and Thelma Grigg. The plot concerns an American film director who decides to make a musical in Australia. It was the last film directed by Badger, a noted silent era director.

Production

The film was the first from Argosy Films and was made with the assistance of a bank overdraft from the New South Wales government. It was directed by Clarence Badger, a Hollywood director who had retired to Australia. The original title was Daughters of Australia.

Badger was commissioned to make a story in Australia. He did not want to make a war story or heavy drama but something bright. He felt "Australia deserves something better than the 'hayseed' angle, which has, for the most part, predominated in film stories for Australian productions." So he decided to write his own story, based in part on his experiences in Australia of being pursued by aspiring actors.

Most of the cast came from actors in radio. Megan Edwards had only appeared in a few stage shows before being cast in the lead. She later received a three-year contract from a Hollywood manager. Howard Craven was her romantic lead.

The seven-week shoot took place at Pagewood Studios; it was first movie made there in three years. Filming started April 1940. The colonial sequence was especially researched. The camera crew included notable cameraman John Howes, who died aged 29.

The Bulletin declared in April 1940 "About 300 persons are employed, and the first venture is described as a film set in Australia without being too conscious of the fact."

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