Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

I Can Jump Puddles (1981)

play Coarse language – low
Email a link to this page
To:
CC:
Subject:
Body:
clip
  • 1
  • 2
'Try the lot, no matter what the risk' education content clip 1, 2

Original classification rating: PG. This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

Alan (Adam Garnett) and his father (Tony Barry) discuss the problem Alan is having with the bully Macintyre, contemplating ways Alan can beat him. His mother (Julie Hamilton) is distressed at what is happening as Mr Marshall tries to explain how it is important that Alan learns to stand up for himself.

Curator’s notes

This is an interesting exchange between father and son. Mr Marshall wants his son to stand strong and learn to fight his own battles so he will be able to stand up for himself when he is older. Using physical prowess is the only way in this simple countryman’s world to do this. Determined to be a normal kid, Alan issues his challenge and the battle begins.

Tony Barry does a great job as the father, and the writing of this difficult scene is nicely understated, with long silences. The scenes with the children are very convincing.

Teacher’s notes

provided by The Le@rning FederationEducation Services Australia

This clip shows Alan (Adam Garnett) and his father (Tony Barry) discussing the tactics Alan could use to fight school bully Steven Macintyre (Darren McDonald). In the next scene Alan, who wears a leg brace and uses crutches, challenges Macintyre to a stick fight and Macintyre agrees to a contest after school the following day. Alan’s friends assure him they will support him, while Maggie (Sally Anne Bourne) threatens to deal with anyone who reports the boys for fighting. The clip concludes with a scene showing Alan’s father telling Alan’s mother (Julie Hamilton), who appears to be against the fight, that they should not stop Alan from fighting and that rather than protecting him should encourage him to lead a 'normal’ life.

Educational value points

  • Alan’s father associates standing up to the school bully with manliness when he tells his wife, who is distressed at the thought of Alan fighting, that they should ‘cut out workin’ for the kid and start workin’ for the man in him’. In the early 20th century physical courage, including fighting, was seen as a sign of masculinity and it was believed that boys should be ‘toughened up’ in order to cope with any hard knocks they might encounter in adulthood. At the same time in the clip, the relationship between father and son is characterised by tenderness, and the father’s support of Alan in his conflict with Macintyre is an expression of love and compassion.
  • The clip is an excerpt from the television miniseries I Can Jump Puddles, based on the autobiographical novel of the same name written by Alan Marshall (1902–84). At the age of 6 Marshall contracted poliomyelitis, which left him with a curvature of the spine and a withered right leg, and meant he had to wear a caliper (leg brace) and use crutches. Alan Marshall called himself Alan Towens in the novel and changed the names of friends and locations. The novel records Marshall’s experience of growing up in rural Victoria in the early 20th century and his determination to lead an active life despite his disability.
  • In the 1900s, children who had suffered from polio were sometimes ostracised because of fears that they were still contagious as well as the stigma associated with disability, and that isolation was compounded if their disabilities prevented them from fully participating in community life. While people with disabilities tended to be marginalised at the time rather than integrated into the community, Marshall found that after he was crippled by polio the community at Noorat accepted him as just another battler like themselves and consequently did not treat him any differently.
  • After recovering from polio, Marshall remained mobile by using a homemade pram-wheelchair and crutches, and learned how to swim and ride a horse. In the clip, Alan is resolved to remain active, a trait that helps to explain how and why Marshall became a passionate advocate for the disabled. His resolve not to let his disability hamper him was influenced by his father’s determination that he lead as ‘normal’ a life as possible, a desire Alan’s father expresses in the clip when he tells his wife that they should not protect Alan, insisting that ‘I want him to try the lot, no matter what the risk’.
  • A recurrent theme in Marshall’s novels and short stories is the strong sense of community and solidarity among groups of people who are usually ‘battlers’. In the clip, Alan’s friends demonstrate their fierce loyalty to Alan when they actively support him against Macintyre, despite the bully’s apparent physical advantage.

In the 20th century children who had suffered from polio were sometimes ostracised because of fears that they were still contagious as well as the stigma associated with disability. That isolation was compounded if their disabilities prevented them from fully participating in community life. While people with disabilities tended to be marginalised at the time, Marshall found that after he was crippled by polio the community at Noorat accepted him as just another battler like themselves and consequently did not treat him any differently.

  • Alan Marshall was born in Noorat in the Western District of Victoria, the setting for the fictitious town of Turalla in I Can Jump Puddles. The author of 15 books, many of which depict the lives of ordinary people in rural communities, Marshall began contributing to newspapers and magazines and writing short stories in the 1930s. In 1954 a Commonwealth Literary Fund grant enabled him to write I Can Jump Puddles (1955), the first in his autobiographical trilogy, which included This Is the Grass (1962) and In Mine Own Heart (1963).
  • I Can Jump Puddles was a nine-part miniseries made for television in 1981. The miniseries format was popular in the 1980s. Many well-known stories by Australian authors were turned into screenplays for television and many of Australia’s well-known actors began their careers in miniseries. The performances of the child actors in I Can Jump Puddles are noteworthy for their excellence. Adam Garnett is particularly convincing and sensitive in his portrayal of Alan.

Alan and his father are outside, discussing tactics to fight the school bully.
Father What happens when he hits you? You might get one good chop at him, one good hit under the chin, then he’s going to flatten you like a tack.
Alan Yeah, but once I’m down, I’m set. I’ll pull him down on top of me. Then he’ll never get away.
Father How’s your back?
Alan Oh, it doesn’t hurt much. If he kicked me on it, it’d hurt. But I’ll lie on it.
Father It’s a pity there’s not some other way you could fight him. What’s he like with a Shanghai?
Alan Oh, he’s too good with a Shanghai. Once I saw him kill a (inaudible) clean across the road.
Father How about sticks?

A group of kids are standing outside the school as Alan confronts Steven.
Steven Macintyre Sticks? What do you mean, sticks? What’s the matter with fists? Scared I’ll flatten your nose in, are you?
Boy 1 What’s wrong with sticks, then?
Maggie Scared he’ll knock your bloody block off, are ya?
Boy 2 Yella, are ya?
Alan One, two, three, you can’t fight me.
Steven Macintyre Alright, then. Tomorrow night in Jackson’s paddock, after school.
Boy 2 Come on, Alan.
Maggie Right. And if a single one of youse buggers tells, I’ll knock youse bloody blocks off.
Friend of Alan We’ll back you up, Allan, don’t you worry. If he beats you, we’ll beat him up.
Friend of Alan He’s yella.
Friend of Alan You’ve got more people on your side than he’s got on his.

Alan’s father is taking to his wife while she sets the table.
Father We’ve just got to toughen the boy up. If we save him from this now, he’s going to get it in the neck later on. God, woman, we’ve got to cut out working for the kid and start working for the man in him. I want him to try the lot, no matter what the risk.

Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer 'Try the lot, no matter what the risk' from the television program I Can Jump Puddles as a high quality video download.

To play the downloadable video, you need QuickTime 7.0, VLC, or similar.

You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before downloading the clip:

Downloadable Video – FOR EDUCATIONAL CRITICISM AND REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY

This clip is available for download for the limited purpose of criticism and review in an educational context. You must obtain permission from editorial@aso.gov.au for all other purposes for use of this material.

Terms & Conditions

australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described here and elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions. ALL rights are reserved.

You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before downloading this clip:

When you access ABC materials on australianscreen you agree that:

  1. You may download this clip to assist your information, criticism and review purposes in conjunction with viewing this website only;
  2. Downloading this clip for purposes other than criticism and review is Prohibited;
  3. Downloading for purposes other than non-commercial educational uses is Prohibited;
  4. Downloading this clip in association with any commercial purpose is Prohibited;

The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

This clip is available in the following configurations:

File nameSizeQualitySuitability
icanweig2_pr.mp4 Large: 14.9MB High Optimised for full-screen display on a fast computer.
icanweig2_bb.mp4 Medium: 7.0MB Medium Can be displayed full screen. Also suitable for video iPods.

Right-click on the links above to download video files to your computer.

Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer this clip in an embeddable format for personal or non-commercial educational use in full form on your own website or your own blog.

You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before embedding the clip:

Downloadable Video – FOR EDUCATIONAL CRITICISM AND REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY

This clip is available for download for the limited purpose of criticism and review in an educational context. You must obtain permission from editorial@aso.gov.au for all other purposes for use of this material.

Terms & Conditions

australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described here and elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions. ALL rights are reserved.

You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before downloading this clip:

When you access ABC materials on australianscreen you agree that:

  1. You may download this clip to assist your information, criticism and review purposes in conjunction with viewing this website only;
  2. Downloading this clip for purposes other than criticism and review is Prohibited;
  3. Downloading for purposes other than non-commercial educational uses is Prohibited;
  4. Downloading this clip in association with any commercial purpose is Prohibited;

The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

Copy and paste the following code into your own web page to embed this clip: