AustLit

In 1931 Pat Hanna and theatrical entrepreneur and film producer F. W. Thring (q.v.) went into partnership to make the film Diggers. Although based on three popular sketches performed live by his Famous Diggers (q.v.) variety troupe during the previous decade, the film was a financial failure. This was due in large part to Thring's insistence on changing the order of the sketches as originally devised. Hanna, whose entertainment philosophy had long been 'leave them laughing,' wanted the film to be book-ended by the two comedy scenes - the first being an adaptation of Rum Doings (q.v.) and the second based on Chic and Joe in Hospital (q.v.) Thring's refusal to change the order, thus leaving the slow paced French scene (based on An Appealing presentation of Mademoiselle from Armentieres, q.v.) as the film's finale, was eventually proven to be a mistake, as it did poorly at the box-office in all but a few regional centres.

Following this disastrous association, Hanna never to work for the producer again. Although he used Efftee's facilities for the sequel Diggers in Blighty, that film (along with Waltzing Matilda) were produced by his own company, Pat Hanna Productions.