Funny Things Happen Down Under

Rainbow-coloured goats and a herd of children on horseback feature in this 1965 Australian movie. Expat Kiwi producer Roger Mirams called on a stable of actors from his TV work for this part-musical romp, about a group of youngsters who discover a way to change the colour of animal wool. The cast includes Grease's Olivia Newton-John (in her screen debut) and Howard Morrison (as a shearer who teaches the kids a Māori stick game). After co-founding Kiwi production company Pacific Films, Mirams had left Aotearoa in 1957 to launch a short-lived Australian arm of Pacific.

In the case of sheep, we were successful in producing a range of colours approximating that of the spectrum of light.

– One of the children

Key Cast & Crew

Vern Moore

Musical Arranger

Olivia Newton-John

As: One of the gang

Howard Morrison

As: Kingie

Roger Mirams

Producer, Camera

Joe McCormick

Director

John Sherman

Writer