AustLit

1. Beset by ill-fortune, production problems, and discord, and marred by the inadequate performances of the two male leads, Runnibede was produced along Hollywood lines by American producer Frederick Phillips in an attempt to target international audiences. The Aborigines, for example, were effectively turned into head-hunters from Hollywood's darkest-Africa mythology. In addition to dialogue titles, the film included maps of Australia and explanatory titles, which Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper (1980) note were 'scarcely necessary for the home market' (p.185).

2. Although given an expensive publicity campaign by Phillips Film Productions and distributor Australasian Films, The Romance of Runnibede failed commercially. Four months after the premiere, a receiver was appointed for the production company. Everyone's records that the film cost about £12,000 to produce but took in only around £2,000 at the box office (13 May 1928, n. pag.). One of the major investors, Steele Rudd, also reportedly lost all of his investment, while American actress Eva Novak returned home with £3,000 pounds still owing on her salary. She was reportedly given the American distribution rights as compensation, but the film nevertheless failed to make any impact in either the States or in England when released there in late 1928.

3. Further reference: Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper. Australian Film 1900-1977, A Guide to Feature Film Production (1980), pp. 184-185.