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We had those snippets copied – in both real time and stretched – so at last we had a
tantalizing glimpse of the film to show. Would we ever see any more?
In June 1979, I was contacted by a Melbourne school principal, Ken Robb. Rummaging
through the effects of a deceased estate, he had come across a can of negative film
which had apparently been found under the floorboards of a house. When printed, it
was possible to identify the reel as comprising two scenes from the Kelly film: possibly
uncut outtakes, the scenes closely matched stills in the programme booklet. The small
roll of negative was (and is) one of the most precious physical icons of Australian
cinema – and just a few years short of its century, it is still in good shape! It was a
profound comment on Mr Robb’s publicspirited support for the Archive that he simply,
and unconditionally, donated something for which he could have easily demanded a
very high price.

Two years later, there was more! Some children brought into the office of the journal
Cinema Papers a can of film which they had found on a Melbourne rubbish tip. It turned
out to be about 500 feet of release print from the film – probably from its 1910 reissue
version. Some of it was decomposed beyond recovery, but most could be saved. Finally
we had a substantial sequence from the film, edited and with inter titles, just as the
original audiences would have seen it. Altogether, there was now about 5 minutes of
footage – not a lot, but enough to convey the flavour and style of the film and to
substantiate its historical importance.

No more has yet come to light. The chances of it doing so are slim, but not impossible –
and one never gives up hope. It was appropriate that, to mark the Centenary of Cinema
in 1995, we finally got Ned Kelly onto an Australian postage stamp. Legally, executed
criminals can’t be depicted on stamps: but a still from the 1906 film of an actor wearing
Ned’s actual armour – well, that’s different!

(4) The Sentimental Blonde … er, Bloke
Raymond Longford’s 1919 production
of The Sentimental Bloke is generally
regarded as the jewel of Australia’s
silent era. It is a simple love story set
among the working class of suburbia,
based on C J Dennis’s classic
narrative poem of the same name.
Starring Arthur Tauchert as Bill, the
“bloke”, and Lottie Lyell as his girl,
Doreen, the film was noted for its
naturalistic performances and
perceptive casting.
Arthur Tauchert,
in The Sentimental Bloke
Dennis wrote in broad Australian slang, and the narrative titles of the film directly quote
his verse. When Bill is first “intrajuiced” (introduced) to Doreen, he “dips his lid” (raises
his hat), and when dressed up to meet his prospective mother-in-law, he remarks of his
unaccustomed elegance:
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