Chips Rafferty - Life and film

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Film
  3. Onine
  4. Life & times
  5. References

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1. Introduction

One of the present writer's favourite film's is Smiley from 1956, his year of birth. Apart from Colin Petersen as the star, the most memorable personality in that film was the legendary Chips Rafferty (1909 - 1971). In looking back from 2026, it seems that Chips starred, or appeared in, the majority of Australia's most important films from the 1940s through to the early 1970s. In seeking to look back at his career, the writer sought to view his appearances. First stop was Wikipedia, to check out a listing of his work, both in Australia and internationally. This was then followed by a scouring of online streaming sources and social media such as YouTube. Below is a listing of Rafferty's films and other acting performances (TV shows and plays), with links to them where available. Also listed below are incidental items such as interviews, newsreels and documentaries relating to Chips Rafferty.

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2. Film

The following is a listing from Wikipedia of film and television roles from 1939 through to 1971, with relevant links to Wikipedia pages (under Title) and link to online availability (under Notes):

Year Title Role Notes
1939 Come Up Smiling (aka Ants in His Pants) Man in Crowd (uncredited) Short film
1940 Dad Rudd, MP Fireman (uncredited) Feature film
1940 Forty Thousand Horsemen Jim Feature film
1943 South West Pacific RAAF Mechanic Short film
1944 The Rats of Tobruk Milo Trent Feature film
1946 The Overlanders Dan McAlpine Feature film
1947 Bush Christmas Long Bill Feature film
1947 The Loves of Joanna Godden Collard Feature film
1949 Eureka Stockade (aka Massacre Hill) Peter Lalor Feature film
1950 Bitter Springs Wally King Feature film
1952 Kangaroo (aka The Australian Story) Trooper 'Len' Leonard Feature film
1953 The Desert Rats Sergeant 'Blue' Smith Feature film
1953 The Phantom Stockman (aka Return of the Plainsman) The Sundowner Feature film. Also producer and co-writer.
1953 King of the Coral Sea Ted King Feature film. Also producer and co-writer.
1956 Smiley Sergeant Flaxman Feature film
1956 Walk Into Paradise (aka Walk into Hell) Steve MacAllister Feature film. Also producer.
1958 Smiley Gets a Gun Sergeant Flaxman Feature film
1958 The Flaming Sword Long Tom Feature film
1960 The Sundowners Quinlan Feature film
1960 The Wackiest Ship in the Army Patterson Feature film
1961 Whiplash Sorrel / Patrick Flagg TV series, 2 episodes
1962 Mutiny on the Bounty Michael Byrne Feature film.
1962 Alice in Wonderland White Knight TV pantomime
1964 The Stranger The Australian Prime Minister TV miniseries, episode 12
1964 Emergency Ward 10 Mick Doyle TV series, 8 episodes
1965 The Winds of Green Monday   TV play
1965 The Wackiest Ship in the Army Boomer McKye TV series, 1 episode
1965 Adventure Unlimited Bob Cole / Mick Larkin TV series, 2 episodes
1966 They're a Weird Mob Harry Kelly Feature film
1966 The Big Valley Jock, Union Soldier TV series, 1 episode
1966 Gunsmoke Angus McTabbott TV series, 1 episode
1966 Daktari Rayburn TV series, 1 episode
1967 Double Trouble Archie Brown Feature film
1967 The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. Liverpool 'Enry TV series, 1 episode
1967 Tarzan Dutch Jensen TV series. 2 episodes
1967 The Monkees Captain S2:E12, "Hitting the High Seas"
1967 Skippy the Bush Kangaroo Pop Miller TV series, 1 episode
1967 Adventures of the Seaspray   TV series, 1 episode
1968 Kona Coast Charlie Lightfoot Feature film
1968 Rita and Wally Mr Stiller TV series, 1 episode
1969 Delta Sawtell TV series, 1 episode
1970 Skullduggery Father 'Pop' Dillingham Feature film
1970 Woobinda, Animal Doctor Grazier TV series. 2 episodes
1971 Willy Willy Old Man Short film
1971 Dead Men Running   TV miniseries
1971 Wake in Fright Jock Crawford Feature film
1971 Spyforce Leon Reilley TV series, episode: Reilley's Army (final appearance)

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3. Online availability

The following are links to items where available on social media or streaming platforms, arranged chronologically. These are usually free, and some film are only, or also, available to purchase. In the past some were also made available via video, DVD or Bluray and can still be located on sites such as eBay. The quality of the print is also indicated with stars, ranging from 1 to 5 viz. *****. All films are in colour unless otherwise indicated. In some instances only links to the original trailers are available online and therefore provided, whilst in others both film and trailer are freely available.

1939

* Come Up Smiling (1939), B/W, Short, Cinesound, YouTube, duration: 6.15 minutes. ***

1940

* Dad Rudd MP (1940), B/W, YouTube, The Administrator, duration: 77.05 minutes. ****

* Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940), B/W, YouTube, Foxhole Features, duration: 91.19 minutes. *****

    - Trailer (1940), B/W, YouTube, duration: 3.36 minutes.

    - Filming of Forty Thousand Horsemen in Orange 1939, B/W., YouTube, duration: 14.14 minutes.

1943

* South West Pacific, B/W., YouTube, duration: 33.21 minutes. Director: Ken G. Hall. Semi-fictional account of Australians fighting in the war. Australian War Memorial copy with time signatures and watermark logos.

1944

* The Fighting Rats of Tobruk (1944), B/W, YouTube, Donald P. Borchers, duration: 95.56. minutes. Director: Charles Chauvel. ****

    - Trailer, #1, B/W, duration: 1.34 minutes. Theatrical, focussed on the fighting.

    - Trailer, #2, B/W, duration: 2.46 minutes. Focused on the variety of action and the stars.

1946

* The Overlanders (1946), B/W, Одноклассники, YouTube, duration: 91.48 minutes. Russian site.

    - Trailer (1946), trailer, B/W, YouTube, duration: 2.20 minutes.

1947

* Bush Christmas (1947), B/W, YouTube, Robert Hunt, duration: 76/57 minutes. ****

1948

* Jean Simmons in Sydney (1948), newsreel, B/W, British Pathe, YouTube, duration: 1.08 minutes. Footage of her pulling on Chips Rafferty's beard.

1949

* Food gifts to the elderly in the UK, newsreel footage, B/W, Reuters, 26 January 1949, YouTube, duration: 0.34 minutes.

* Eureka Stockade (1949), modern trailer, 2009, Umbrella Entertainment, YouTube, duration: 4.33 minutes.

    - Rebel Song (Shane Howard),B/W, YouTube, duration: 3.58 minutes. Includes footage from the 1949 film. Performers - Louise and Mark Raue. *****

1950

* Bitter Springs (1950), trailer, B/W, YouTube, HD Retro Trailers, duration: 2.28 minutes.

1952

* Kangaroo: The Australian Story (1952), YouTube, Saab 26, duration: 85.00 minutes.

1953

* The Desert Rats (1953), trailer, YouTube, duration: 2.38 minutes.

    - Documentary (2008). Refers to the controversy surrounding the film.

1956

* Walk into Paradise (1956), YouTube, Some Things Interesting, duration: 88.26 minutes. *****

    - Trailer, YouTube, duration: 2.04 minutes.

* Smiley (1956), YouTube, Classic Movie Queen, duration: 99.08 minutes. *****

1958

* Smiley Gets a Gun (1958), YouTube, Some Things Interesting, duration: 86.04 minutes. *****

1960

* The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960), YouTube (buy or rent), duration: 99.43 minutes.

* The Sundowners (1960), behind the scene footage, YouTube, duration: 3.34 minutes. Spanish subtitles.

1962

* Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), trailer, YouTube, duration: 4.26 minutes.

1966

* They're a Weird Mob (1966), YouTube, Wayback Movies, duration: 106.31 minutes. *****

* Australian Trade Display in LA, 14 November 1966, British Movietone, YouTube, duration: 1.51 minutes.

1967

* Double Trouble (1967), YouTube (buy or rent), 91.34 minutes. Staring Elvis Presley.

* The Monkees (1967), YouTube, Enchanted Essays, duration: 5.06 minutes. Appears as The Captain.

1970

* Skullduggery (1970), YouTube, Wells AA Company, duration: 105.32 minutes.

1971

* Wake in Fright (1971), YouTube, duration: 108.49 minutes. [Spanish subtitles] *****

    - Restoration story (ABC 2009), YouTube, duration: 7.02 minutes.

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4. Life & times

* Chips Rafferty interview with Rod McNeil, Personal Choice, ABC Radio, 1970, YouTube, duration: 48.06 minutes.

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5. References

Chips Rafferty interview with Rod McNeil, Personal Choice, ABC Radio, 1970, YouTube, duration: 48.06 minutes.

Wikipedia, Chips Rafferty, Wikipedia, accessed 22 July 2026.

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Last updated: 22 July 2026

Michael Organ, Australia

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