A Waltz Through the Hills

A Waltz Through The Hills is a 1988 Australian made-for-television adventure drama film based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Glaskin. It is the story of two orphaned children who run away from their home in the West Australia outback to go to Perth so they can sail to England to live with their grandparents. It was produced for the PBS series WonderWorks in the United States

A Waltz Through the Hills
Based onnovel by Gerald Glaskin
Written byJohn Goldsmith
Directed byFrank Arnold
StarringDan O'Herlihy
Ernie Dingo
Michael Carman
Mawuyul Yanthalawuy
Geoff Gibbs
Ken Colbung
Theme music composerGarry McDonald
Laurie Stone
Country of originAustralia
Original language(s)English
Production
Producer(s)Paul D. Barron
Roz Berrystone
Running time119 minutes
Budget$1.8 million[1]
Release
Original networkBarron Entertainment
CPB
Original release1988

Plot

In Wyanilling, Western Australia in 1954, 11-year-old Andy Dean and his 5-year-old sister, Sammy, live at a hotel run by Burt and Molly Thompson. The children are good friends with Tom, the caretaker at the hotel. One day word comes that their mother, who had gone to hospital for an operation, has died, leaving Andy and Sammy orphans. Molly Thompson wants to adopt them, but her husband does not. Andy overhears a conversation in which he learns if he and Sammy are sent to an orphanage, they'll be split up. Andy decides they should run away to Perth and take a ship to their grandparents in England. Carrying out his plan the two children get a ride to the next town, Williams, and walk even further towards Quindanning. The police and Tom start looking for them.

The children meet Frank Smith, an Aboriginal Australian who takes them to his mother's house. The Thompsons offer a 50-pound reward, and Sergeant Rawling takes over the search. Frank decides not to turn them in for the reward and instead to guide them to Perth. Along the way, Andy steals some groceries for food, alerting the police to home in even closer on their location. The Premier of Western Australia starts putting pressure on the police to find the kids as there has been unfavourable press coverage.

Sergeant Rawling hires Danny Wandi, the best aboriginal tracker, to find the kids. He locates them, but as he is Frank Smith's cousin he leads the police on a wild goose chase that leads them to Tom's campsite. The Thompsons double the reward and decide they want to adopt the kids. Frank and the two kids get a ride in a truck headed towards Pinjarra and the coastal city of Mandurah, all the time staying just ahead of Tom, who finally catches up with them in the jungle, likely somewhere near the Dwellingup area. While all four are together in the bush, a brush fire breaks out and Tom is killed as they flee to a river.

Towards the close, the kids and Frank have lunch with the Premier, who attempts to save political face and to entice them to stay in Australia. However, Andy and Sammy decide to move to England to stay with their grandparents.

Cast
gollark: I mean, search engines are good and getting better, but they're not... information genies yet.
gollark: You can't use search engines to look up stuff *that* vague.
gollark: You can't really just force them to add "also the world might not be real" to the uncertainties, and it would be annoying and unhelpful.
gollark: But insisting that people also say "but also the world might not be real" before discussing any scientific thing is helpful, say?
gollark: I mean, yes, but if you don't assume those you can't really... do anything?

References
  1. Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p160
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