The Doolan family are trying to make a go in the freight-hauling business in Queensland, Australia. The problem is that it's the 1920s; the Doolans use horses, and motorized vehicles can do it faster. The proud father, Paddy, has difficulty accepting change.
British actor Michael Craig, so long under contract to the Rank Organisation, had to emigrate to Australia to get a role as big and beefy as this. He's Paddy Doolan, a teamster so resistant to change that he prefers his team of horses to anything mechanical. Stubborn and doomed he may be, but we're willing him to succeed through battles against progress and the sad skirmishes of a family at war with itself. Donald Crombie directs with a sharp eye for period detail (the 1920s) and Michael Craig does him and Paddy proud. The 20 giant Clydesdale horses are the ultimate scene-stealers, though.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Paddy Doolan | Michael Craig |
| Jenny Doolan | Robyn Nevin |
| Michael Doolan | Simon Burke |
| Will Doolan | Lou Brown |
| Granny Doolan | Tui Lorraine Bow |
| Grandpa Doolan | Andrew Maguire |
| Eric Haywood | Bryan Brown |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Donald Crombie |
