We acknowledge Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and give respect to their Elders, past and present.

Read our Statement of Reflection

Your Cart

Your cart is empty right now...

Discover what's on
Your Stuff
Lists
No lists found
Create list
List name
0 Saved items
Updated: a few seconds ago
Getting Started
Get started with Your Stuff

A free Your Stuff account allows you to save, list and share your favourite collection items and articles. This account will give you access to Your Stuff, NFSA Player and Pro. You will need to create an additional account for Canberra event tickets.

Confirm
Skip to main content
National Film and Sound Archive of AustraliaNational Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
National Film and Sound Archive

Family Antics (1945)

1945

Family Antics (1945)

1945

  • NFSA IDF94B5NMD
  • TypeFilm
  • MediumMoving Image
  • FormDocumentary
  • Year1945

A father, his son, and three fox terriers do acrobatics and balancing acts for the camera.

Wanting to relax with an afternoon beer, a man is hounded by his energetic son Trevor to play in the backyard. Trevor’s three fox terriers – Larry, Trigger and Terry – also join in the fun. The five of them embark on an entertaining series of acrobatics, balancing acts and tricks.

Father and son put on a good show, but Larry, Trigger and Terry are the stars of the performance!

The clip is accompanied by a male voice-over.

A father, his son, and three fox terriers do acrobatics and balancing acts for the camera.

Wanting to relax with an afternoon beer, a man is hounded by his energetic son Trevor to play in the backyard. Trevor’s three fox terriers – Larry, Trigger and Terry – also join in the fun. The five of them embark on an entertaining series of acrobatics, balancing acts and tricks.

Father and son put on a good show, but Larry, Trigger and Terry are the stars of the performance!

The clip is accompanied by a male voice-over.

  • Curator
    Poppy De Souza
  • This is a very strange but entertaining short documentary showcasing acrobatic and balancing acts amongst what appears to be a family of performers. Family Antics presents rather like a novelty item in a newsreel, with a male narrator providing humorous and spontaneous commentary as Trevor and his father perform their human and dog act in the backyard.

    It is not clear where this film screened or even if it did screen publicly, but if it did, it would most likely have been prior to a feature program. It is possible that the performers featured in Family Antics were part of a family circus troupe or sideshow act. The tricks they do with their performing animals are indeed entertaining and the action is filmed from a variety of angles which adds to the immediacy of the performance.

    The film was produced by J Campbell Dobbie, a South Australian man who, along with his wife, formed Peerless Films. Dobbie also made documentaries in New Guinea and in the north of Australia. This film, however, stands quite apart from this other work.

Industry professional? Go Pro

Need to license this item? A/V professionals and researchers can shortlist licensing enquiries via our NFSA Pro catalogue search and membership.

Get started with PRO

Collections to explore

  • Dogs

  • 1940s

  • Platypus

  • Start your own collection

    A free Your Stuff account allows you to save, organise and share your favourite videos, audio and stories.

More in Stories+

Personalized your experience

Save, create and share

With NFSA Your Stuff