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Arguably the most popular book of poetry ever produced in Australia, The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke was first published in October 1915. Its success was immediate and unprecedented for a book of Australian verse. The first edition of 2,480 copies sold out within weeks, and by the end of February 1916 the book had reached a fifth impression and was still selling well. Tongue firmly in cheek, C. J. Dennis informed his publishers Angus and Robertson that the work's 'success [was] becoming monotonous'. There was more monotony to come, however: the book sold more than 100,000 copies in the first five years after its publication, and was rarely out of print in Dennis's lifetime. Added to this, there were film, stage, and musical versions of the work, as well as recitals given by popular entertainers. In many respects, 'The Sentimental Bloke' became a phenomenon of popular culture that took on a life of its own.
Dennis later claimed that the idea for 'The Sentimental Bloke' came from a 'racy' young man from Melbourne he had met in Toolangi. According to Dennis' wife Margaret Herron, the young man had fallen in love with a farmer's daughter, but the farmer disapproved and forbade her from having anything to do with him. The Melbourne man was said to have complained to Dennis, 'what sort of bloke do they think I am? Blimey, anyone would think I was a crook! Ain't a bloke got sisters of his own?' In Dennis's imagination, this frustrated love affair eventually became a story in which a tough, streetwise young larrikin gives up his dissolute ways for domestic happiness with his sweetheart. A crucial factor in the success of Dennis's 'Sentimental Bloke' verse was that it was narrated from the point of view of 'the Bloke', employing a slang idiom appropriate to the character. In his correspondence with his publishers, Dennis noted that 'the stuff, while not having any considerable literary merit, is, I believe, extremely popular'.
Adaptations
-
form
y
The Sentimental Bloke
( dir. Raymond Longford
)
Adelaide
:
Southern Cross Feature Film Company
,
1919
Z1046199
1919
single work
film/TV
humour
(taught in 1 units)
Adapted by Raymond Longford and Lottie Lyell from C. J. Dennis's collection of poems (The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke), the story concerns Bill ('the bloke'), a Sydney larrikin who vows to abandon his life of gambling and drinking when he falls in love with Doreen (who works in a pickle factory). His reformation comes about after he has been released from gaol, having been convicted of assaulting a policeman ('stoushing a John') during a raid on a two-up game.
-
form
y
The Sentimental Bloke
( dir. F. W. Thring
)
Melbourne
:
Efftee Film Productions
,
1932
Z1046229
1932
single work
film/TV
humour
With a screenplay written by C. J. Dennis, based on his collection of verse published as The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke, this cinematic adaptation similarly tells the story of Bill, a larrikin of the Little Lonsdale Street Push, who is introduced to a young woman called Doreen. Through the course of their courtship and eventual marriage, Bill transforms from a violence-prone gang member to a contented husband and father.
Although Dennis retains the basic storyline of the poems, he also adds a sub-plot in which Bill saves Doreen's Uncle Jim from an attempted swindle.
- y The Sentimental Bloke Albert Arlen (composer), 1961 Sydney : Angus and Robertson , 1977 Z515066 1961 single work musical theatre
Notes
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The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke had a fairly lengthy genesis, with the first two poems in the series appearing in The Bulletin as early as 1909. After the failure of his first book, Backblock Ballads, Dennis turned his attention to developing the 'Sentimental Bloke' series. A further eight 'Sentimental Bloke' poems appeared in the pages of The Bulletin between February 1914 and April 1915, unfolding in a sequence suggestive of a serial fiction. By early 1915, Dennis was seeking a publisher for a book version of his work. After being rejected by the Melbourne publishers Robertson and Mullens and Lothian Publishing, he submitted the work to Angus and Robertson in Sydney. Dennis's friend Henry Lawson claimed to have been the first to show Dennis's work to George Robertson, but Dennis made an approach of his own in a letter of 23 March 1915. Though Robertson was initially affronted by the demands Dennis made about the illustrations and 'get-up' of the book, the differences between author and publisher were soon smoothed over and an agreement was reached by mid April. In its original published form, The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke featured illustrations by Hal Gye, a preface by Henry Lawson, and a glossary of slang terms. It was dedicated to 'Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Roberts', Dennis's friends and patrons of the previous few years, and according to Dennis's wife, 'never was a dedication so richly deserved'. Just two of the work's fourteen poems had not previously appeared in the pages of The Bulletin.
Dennis' romantic and distinctly Australian verse proved extremely popular during the Great War. Angus and Robertson sought to cater to homesick servicemen by producing this and subsequent Dennis works in a series of 'Pocket Editions for the Trenches'. The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke also sold well in New Zealand, and Dennis became known as the 'laureate of the ANZAC' as well as the 'laureate of the larrikin'. Its popularity outlasted the war however. Angus and Robertson continued to produce reprints of the work until 1940, and from the late 1950s the book was regularly revived, thanks in large part to the popularity of various stage adaptations of the work.
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Lawrence Campbell, a Sydney-based teacher of elocution and public-speaking, bought the performance rights from C. J. Dennis in 1916. He presented recitations and impersonations of various characters on the variety stage in both Australia and New Zealand up until the mid-1920s.
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A two-act ballet titled The Sentimental Bloke was produced in 1952, with choreography by Laurel Martyn and music by John Tallis (produced by the Victorian Ballet Guild). The ballet remained in the Victorian Ballet Guild's repertoire for many years and was filmed by ABC Television.
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Theatrical adaptations include:
- 1922: The Sentimental Bloke, produced by Bert Bailey.
- 1961: The Sentimental Bloke (musical). Libretto by Nancy Brown and Lloyd Thomson; music by Abert Arlen.
- 1986: The Sentimental Bloke: A Fair Dinkum Australian Musical. Libretto/lyrics by Graeme Blundell; music by George Dreyfus.
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Further Reference:
- McLaren, Ian F. 'Dennis, Clarence Michael James (1876 - 1938),' Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8, Melbourne University Press, 1981, pp. 286-287. Also online (sighted 26/11/2010).
- McLaren, Ian F. C. J. Dennis, a Comprehensive Bibliography Based on the Collection of the Compiler. Adelaide: Libraries Board of South Australia, 1979.
- McLaren, Ian F. C. J. Dennis: His Life and Work. Melbourne: Hall's Book Store, 1961.
- Middlemiss, Perry. 'C. J. Dennis." Perry Middlemiss. Online (sighted 26/11/2010).
- 'Sentimental Bloke, The.' National Film and Sound Archive. Online (sighted 26/11/2010).
- 'Sentimental Bloke, The.' Wikipedia. Online (sighted 26/11/2010)
.
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The notes connected with this record have been sourced from on-going historical research into Australian music-film, theatre, and television being conducted by Dr Clay Djubal.
Contents
- A Spring Song Spring Song of a Blokei"The world 'as got me snouted jist a treat;", single work poetry humour (p. 13-16)
- The Introi"'Er name's Doreen...Well, spare me bloomin' days!", single work poetry humour (p. 19-23)
- The Stoush O' Dayi"Ar, these is 'appy days! An 'ow they've flown-", single work poetry humour (p. 27-30)
- Doreeni""I wish't yeh meant it, Bill." O'ow me 'eart went out to 'er that ev'nin' on the beach.", single work poetry (p. 33-35)
- The Play The Sentimental Bloke : The Playi""Wot's in a name?" she sez....And then she sighs,", single work poetry humour (p. 39-43)
- The Stror 'at Coot The Sentimental Bloke : The Stror 'at Cooti"Ar, wimmin! Wot a blinded fool I've been!", single work poetry (p. 47-52)
- The Siren The Sentimental Bloke and the Sireni"She sung a song; an' I sat silent there", single work poetry (p. 55-59)
- Mari""Er pore dear Par," she sez, "'e kept a store;"", single work poetry humour (p. 63-68)
- Pilot Cove The Sentimental Bloke and the Pilot Covei""Young friend," 'e ses .... Young Friend! Well, spare me days!", single work poetry (p. 71-74)
- Hitched The Hitching of the Sentimental Blokei""An'- wilt- yeh- take- this- woman- fer- to- be-", single work poetry humour (p. 77-82)
- The Lapse of the Sentimental Bloke Beef Teai"She never magged; she never said no word ;", single work poetry humour (p. 85-89)
- Uncle Jimi""I got no time for Wasters, lad" sez 'e", single work poetry humour (p. 93-98)
- The Kid The Sentimental Bloke Becomes a Fatheri"My son!....Them words, jist like a blessed song,", single work poetry humour (p. 101-107)
- The Mooch o' Lifei"This ev'nin' I was sittin' wiv Doreen,", single work poetry humour (p. 111-114)
- Introduction, single work essay
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Songs of the Open
single work
review
— Review of The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 1915 selected work poetry -
The Larrikin Girl : Challenging Archetypes in Australian Cinema
2022
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , October no. 103 2022;'Australian cinema has travelled a varied trajectory since its initial development in the late 19th century. The cinema reflected the developing social and cultural tropes of its time, as the concept of a distinct Australian identity began to form. But it is clear that a colonial history of Australian film focuses very clearly and emphatically along lines of class and gender. Rose Lucas notes that there is a “cluster of dominant, recognisable images in our cinema” which consists of the bushman, the ocker, the ‘mate’, and the ‘battler’, a series of male coded tropes which are stubbornly pervasive within this national cinema. These archetypes have trained a concentrated gaze upon masculinity in Australian cinema, but there has been little space in this cultural landscape for the development of archetypical women in Australia’s cultural history with very few valued traits that are specifically coded female. This resolutely masculine perspective seems to have shaped the nation and the national cinema, and Lucas’s observation highlights the key archetypes as embodied as masculine. But these archetypes, long the sole domain of masculine representation, also have historically encompassed female experiences. In this paper we identify the need to broaden such a framework, and by taking the most Australian and most masculine of forms – the larrikin – we argue that the larrikin girl has been hiding in plain sight across Australian film history.' (Introduction)
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A West End Celebrity Proselytises the Bonds of Empire : Seymour Hicks and Bruce Bairnsfather's 'Old Bill' in 1920s Australia
2019
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australasian Drama Studies , May no. 74 2019; (p. 64-97) 'In 1924 the prominent and influential British West End actor-writer-producer Seymour Hicks and his wife Ellaline Terriss toured in Australia in their hits The Man in Dress Clothes and Broadway Jones. More significantly, Hicks undertook the dual roles of actor and imperial advocate for class reconciliation in the context of Australia's post-war industrial unrest. As such, he is neither the first nor last British actor to combine theatrical popularity with cultural diplomacy. His most significant Australian production is the comedy-drama 'Old Bill, MP' (premiered London 1922), based on the graphic artist Bruce Bairnsfather's popular wartime figure of the stoic infantry-man. I compare 'Old Bill, MP' with the stage and screen hits featuring similar Australian military figures of working-class resilience and leadership: C.J. Dennis's Ginger Mick and Ken Hall's 1940 film of Steele Rudd's Dad Rudd, MP.'(Publication abstract)
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Love Affair with a Sentimental Bloke
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sunday Mail , 1 May 2016; (p. 74) -
Dreaming Verse : C.J. Dennis and the Anzac Tradition
2014
single work
essay
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 74 no. 3 2014; (p. 158-180)
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'The Times' on The Sentimental Bloke
1937
single work
review
— Appears in: All About Books , 12 February vol. 9 no. 2 1937; (p. 31)
— Review of The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 1915 selected work poetry Reprint of a review attributed to the Times on the release of the Selwyn and Blount imprint. -
Other New Books
1936
single work
review
— Appears in: Times Literary Supplement , 28 November no. 1817 1936; (p. 997)
— Review of The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 1915 selected work poetry -
Untitled
1915
single work
review
— Appears in: The Queenslander , 6 November 1915; (p. 4)
— Review of The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 1915 selected work poetry -
Books of the Week
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sunday Mail , 16 September 2012; (p. 37)
— Review of The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 1915 selected work poetry -
Literary Gossip
1915
single work
review
— Appears in: The Leader , 13 November 1915; (p. 26)
— Review of The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 1915 selected work poetry -
Memories of 'The Bloke' and His Creator
1948
single work
column
— Appears in: Margin , no. 13 1984; (p. 8-10) -
'Your Vote Is Wanted' : C.J. Dennis at the Call
2007
single work
criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , vol. 7 no. 2007; (p. 97) 'C.J. Dennis's biographers have consistently understated or ignored his political verse, but none as pointedly as Geoffrey Hutton, whose C.J. Dennis, The Sentimental Bloke was published on behalf of the Victorian Liberal Government in 1976. This paper surveys Dennis's most intense period of political output during his employment on the Call, a Labor Party ha'penny daily. It outlines the background to his decision to travel to Sydney to work on this newspaper during the Federal election campaign of 1914. It surveys his contributions to the Call during the campaign, and it sets out his personal disintegration during this period.' (Author's abstract) -
'Ar, if a bloke wus only understood!' C.J. Dennis and The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke
2005
single work
biography
— Appears in: Living History: Essays on History as Biography 2005; (p. 113-126) -
The Australian Larrikin: C. J. Dennis's [Un]sentimental Bloke
2007
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Antipodes , December vol. 21 no. 2 2007; (p. 177-183) The author examines the nature of the Australian Larrikin, with its apparent inherent violence, against the background of the race riots which occurred in Cronulla, NSW in December 2005. -
An Oddity from the Start : Convicts and National Character
2008
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Monthly , July no. 36 2008; (p. 36-42)