ROBBERY UNDER ARMS (1985) – The irreplaceable Sam Neill has passed away. Other sites will be focusing on Neill’s more well-known projects like the Jurassic Park movies, Reilly – Ace of Spies, The Hunt for Red October, Omen III: The Final Conflict and so many others. In keeping with Balladeer’s Blog’s theme I’m taking a look at Sam’s neglected Bushranger movie Robbery Under Arms.
Before I dive into a review of that Australian production, let me point out two of my previous examinations of lesser-known Sam Neill films like the horror tale Possession (1981) and the Cold War espionage movie Enigma (1982).
On to Robbery Under Arms, the film is based on the Australian novel of the same name, which was published in serialized form in 1882 before being collected in novel form later in the decade. Robbery Under Arms is a monumental work of fiction Down Under and has been adapted several times since 1907 – a year after Australia’s silent movie The Story of the Kelly Gang.
For readers who are not aware of this, Australia’s Gold Rushes beginning in the 1850s spawned a tableau like America’s Wild West in terms of outlaws and desert landscapes. Real life Bushrangers (Aussie outlaws of the deserts and bush regions) included Mad Dog Morgan, Ben Hall and of course Ned Kelly and his gang. Any fan of American Westerns would likely enjoy Bushranger flicks.
In Robbery Under Arms, Sam Neill stars as a fictional outlaw leader known by the alias Captain Starlight, the type of flashy name used by real-life Bushrangers like Midnight, Moondyne Joe, Captain Moonlite and others. Continue reading
STORIES OF THE CENTURY aka TALES OF THE WEST (1954-1955) starred future Jock Ewing Jim Davis as Railroad Detective Matt Clark. Part anthology series and part historical fiction, this series presented Clark crossing paths with assorted real-life outlaws of the Old West. During Season One (26 half-hour episodes) his female sidekick was Frankie Adams (Mary Castle). Season Two ran just 13 half-hour episodes and co-starred Kristine Miller as Matt’s sidekick Margaret “Jonesy” Jones. 
THE EPISODES: 
PART TWO: Ozidi’s maternal grandmother Oreame performs the ritual to transform him from a mere mortal into a spiritual warrior who is as strong as ten men, has eyes that blaze like lightning and can see through the lies of deceitful men and ears that can hear the whispers of the Niger River gods. The ritual includes bathing Ozidi in palm oil and river water. 
ALIEN: EARTH (2025) is now filming its second season. New cast members include comedienne-singer Tracey Ullman, former Bronn actor Jerome Flynn, Sam Spruell of Fargo and Peter Dinklage, the humorless fool who considers himself the official spokesperson of all people under a certain height. 
While serving in the Tsar’s Imperial White Hussars (cavalry) and after seeing action in the Khivan Campaign, the future Russian Bill had a violent falling out with a superior officer. The exact nature of the conflict is not known and years later the Countess Telfrin would refer to it only as “a political affair.” 
Tatenbaum certainly looked and otherwise fit the part of the Old West Gambler better than the rougher outlaw he later became. He was described as a dandified dresser and sported expensive pistols. In addition he was well-spoken, well-educated and fluent in at least four languages, all of which would have accounted for his popularity with the ladies. His supposedly handsome face, curly blonde hair and moustache would have helped. 
HULK! Vol 1 #11 (Oct 1978) 
Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at another YouTube movie review channel. This one is called Hard Cut Reviews. I haven’t been this enthusiastic about a YT channel since Red Letter Media when I covered them way back in the early years of 2010 and 2011. 
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