Molly (1983 film)

Molly is a 1983 Australian family film about a singing dog which marked the acting debut of Claudia Karvan.

Molly
Film poster
Directed by	Ned Lander
Written by	Ned Lander Hilary Linstead Phillip Roope Mark Thomas
Produced by	Hilary Linstead
Starring	Claudia Karvan Garry McDonald Reg Lye
Cinematography	Vincent Monton
Edited by	Stewart Young
Distributed by	Umbrella Entertainment
Release date	April 27, 1983 (1983-04-27)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English
Budget	A$1 million[1]
Box office	A$188,000 (Australia)[2]

Plot

When weary Old Dan collapses at Sydney Central Railway Station, he entrusts his beloved dog Molly to young Maxie. Maxie takes up the challenge, developing a soft spot for her special new companion - a dog with the rare ability to sing in tune.

Cast

• Claudia Karvan as Maxie Ireland
• Les Dayman as Bill Ireland
• Reg Lye as Old Dan
• Garry McDonald as Jones
• Robin Laurie as Stella
• Molly as herself
• Jake Blundell as Rudi
• Tanya Lester as Gina
• Mic Conway as Neville
• Jim Conway as Roy
• Slim de Grey as Tommy
• Mercia Deane-Johns as Talent Agent
• Lucky Grills as Dogcatcher
• Noelene Brown

Production

Molly was a real life singing dog owned by Phillip Roope who would appear on the Mike Walsh television show. The movie was originally budgeted at $500,000 but that grew as the filmmakers became more ambitious. Filming was difficult, with much rewriting on set.^[1]