| Clowning Around | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | George Whaly |
| Starring | Clayton Williamson Annie Byron Jean-Michel Dagory Ernie Dingo Van Johnson Rebecca Smart Noni Hazlehurst Jill Perryman Heath Ledger |
| Music by | Peter Best |
| Distributed by | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
| Release date(s) | 1992 |
| Running time | 165 minutes |
| Country | Australia France United States |
| Language | English |
Clowning Around (1992) is an Australian family film that was shot on location in Perth, Western Australia and Paris, France.
The film was produced by independent film company Barron Entertainment Films in Western Australia and educational film company WonderWorks in the United States, was directed by George Whaley. It was distributed by Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia. It featured Australian actors such as Clayton Williamson, Noni Hazelhurst, Ernie Dingo, Rebecca Smart, and Jill Perryman, and also featured veteran American film actor Van Johnson in his final movie role, and French actor Jean-Michel Dagory. This film also features perhaps the earliest film role for Heath Ledger, who would later appear in Blackrock (1997) with Smart and Candy (2006) with Hazlehurst. Ledger's role appeared in the last ten minutes, of which he played an orphan clown who closes the film by delivering the film's final lines. This series was followed up with a sequel a year later (Clowning Around 2, filmed in 1992).
Simon Gunner (Clayton Williamson), is a starstruck kid who aspires to become a circus clown. With the help of veteran funster Jack Merrick (Ernie Dingo), Simon ultimately fulfills his goal.