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Title: COUNTRY LOON, the

Reference number: 3889

Date: 1957c

Director: filmed by T.H. Thoms

Sound: silent

Original format: 16mm

Colour: col

Fiction: fiction

Running time: 14.23 mins

Description: A warm-hearted comic tale, very much in the "Frank Marshall style", on the virtue of honesty. A boy playing by a river helps a wealthy estate owner and is given a silver coin as reward. Discovering he has lost the money when he tries to buy a toy boat, he returns to the river where he meets the older man again, who generously replaces it. The boy then buys his boat but finds the first coin by his spot on the river. He takes it to the wealthy man's mansion, explains, and is allowed to keep it for his honesty.

Highly commended in the 1957 Scottish Amateur Film Festival (family film category). Specially commended by Amateur Cine World

Credits: Based on a story by Sheila M. Thoms

Shotlist: Award leaders (0.26) opening credits (0.41) man wearing tweed parks his car; he walks across a marshy field, shotgun under his arm (1.16) older man meets a boy playing 'paddle steamers' in stream with paper boats; man puts down his bag and gun and takes out a pipe (1.39) the boy is sent for tobacco from the car, intercut with the older man playing with the boats (2.18) boy shows the man a collection of mementoes; a photograph, handfuls of shells; boy takes a 'photograph' of the man with a trick camera; man gives the boy a large silver coin (3.31) boy pockets the coin, hides his keepsakes and runs off (4.05) boy runs through village street and graveyard; minister catches him behind a gravestone and sends him out (5.35) boy runs along a residential street; he stops to pat a stray dog (6.04) exts. Longforgan Post Office; boy peers into window as postman arrives on a bicycle; c/u boat marked 2/6 (6.47) ms boy looks for the coin, turning out his pockets, he has lost it through a hole; ls boy walking slowly away (7.41) boy returns to his boats, looking glum; the old man returns, speaks to the boy, and gives him a lift back into the village (9.20) gvs boy is dropped off, and given another coin; boys skips along road (9.41) boy runs into the post office; c/u a hand removes the boat from the window; boy leaves the shop and shows his new boat to everyone he meets (10.44) c/u boy playing with his new boat in the stream (11.11) ms coin on the bank; c/u coin in boy's hand; boy runs away from the stream (11.36) boy walks through a large garden; ms boy patting a garden statue of Pan on the backside; boy walks up to a large white house and rings the bell (12.22) boy speaks to an housekeeper who points towards the garden (12.40) boy finds man pottering in his garden; hands back the coin, but the older man refuses to keep it; taking out his pipe the man realises he has one of the boy's keepsake shells in his pocket (14.15) The End (14.23)