Murray Ball RIP
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RIP Murray Ball. Thanks for adding to my childhood.
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RIP.
You could not measure the amount of pleasure his writing has given millions of children in NZ and beyond. I absolutely loved the movie as a kid, no idea how many times I watched it.
A true Kiwi legend.
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He "got" NZ.
I recall the story that when they were doing the movie the Australian animators or background artists just couldn't get the NZ farm imagery: kept doing gum trees and stuff so they had to take them out to the country. Ball just seemed to do macrocarpas and fern and bush just so naturally.
I always imagined Raupo was somewhere like Wairoa.
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There was a great interview with him about a year back in the weekend Dominion post, he had a bloody interesting life before he settled down on the farm .
I remember the books being a regular xmas gift for me and my mates, those wild pigs near the Murphys house used to scare the shit out of me when I was little. -
@Samurai-Jack said in Murray Ball RIP:
@Virgil said in Murray Ball RIP:
bugger, grew up reading those.
Your not a kiwi if you didnt love Dog, Horse and Wal and co.A woman once said to me, "You're not a kiwi if you haven't watched Shortland Street." I did grow up on Footrot Flats though. Sad news.
That woman needs to shut the fuck up.
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I must have seen the movie 20 times. Farking love it.
For some weird reason it was shown on a movie channel when I was staying at a hotel in Norway. This was during the 2011 RWC and I took that as a sign that it was finally our year.
"We're still the world champions! Nanananana."
"I've been shit on by a bloody vulture."
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@booboo said in Murray Ball RIP:
I recall the story that when they were doing the movie the Australian animators or background artists just couldn't get the NZ farm imagery: kept doing gum trees and stuff so they had to take them out to the country. Ball just seemed to do macrocarpas and fern and bush just so naturally.
Its a different landscape. You have green stuff, for example. And we don't have land slips!
The humour easily transferred to this side of the ditch. My Dad - as a sheep farmer - loved Footrot Flats, even though the dusty hills and plains of our place were miles from what was illustrated in the comic strips. As a kid, I laughed most at the intro pieces in each volume, where Dog compares the Murphy Dogs to Germans in WW1 and other imagery.
Great stuff
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loving this thread, all the little bits of peoples memories....am going out tomorrow to buy TR Jnr one of his books!
Pretty sure the kids have seen the movie, but I am gonna get that this week too!!
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@jegga said in Murray Ball RIP:
Going to make the whanau watch it tonight, we saw it on the big screen a couple of times as a kid. Theatre was packed both times.
Always remember how cool the helicopter scenes sounded at the local theatre, buzzing around from all directions
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When I worked in the US one of my American work colleagues lent me his DVD copy of "The Dog's Tale" once he found out I was a Kiwi. He had briefly spent time working in NZ and had fallen in love with Footrot Flats. The comic strip/movie did have universal appeal.
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Mum and dad have every book, and i read them every time I am home. A truly great New Zealander
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I saw a cartoon on FB, and it had Dog crying, and underneath Murray Ball 1939-2017 and that made me very teary.
Loved the Footrot Flats weekenders, even went up to that shortlived theme park up in Auckland as a kid. The movie was genius with a fab soundtrack.
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@Mokey said in Murray Ball RIP:
I saw a cartoon on FB, and it had Dog crying, and underneath Murray Ball 1939-2017 and that made me very teary.
Loved the Footrot Flats weekenders, even went up to that shortlived theme park up in Auckland as a kid. The movie was genius with a fab soundtrack.
I loved that theme park - it had drivers town where you got a little license at the end and then you could drive around next time without your parent (IIRC). There was also a cool Laser Tag just outside it that had helmets as well as the front packs and the doors were automatic closing in shutting in some places.
I remember coming home from a club in London circa 2000 and the movie was being played on TV.
Edit: Here's a blog with some info about the park: https://visualhumor.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/footrot-flats-revisited/
Seems like it wasn't complete in 1986 and closed in 1991 and I can remember going for at least three visits on holidays so maybe 1987, 1988, 1989 would fit.
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@Nepia said in Murray Ball RIP:
@Mokey said in Murray Ball RIP:
I saw a cartoon on FB, and it had Dog crying, and underneath Murray Ball 1939-2017 and that made me very teary.
Loved the Footrot Flats weekenders, even went up to that shortlived theme park up in Auckland as a kid. The movie was genius with a fab soundtrack.
I loved that theme park - it had drivers town where you got a little license at the end and then you could drive around next time without your parent (IIRC). There was also a cool Laser Tag just outside it that had helmets as well as the front packs and the doors were automatic closing in shutting in some places.
I loved Footrot Flats too, met some girl there when I was 11/12 with my family, we held hands on some of the rides, man I was cool, alas, she was a big city girl, I was from hicktown, it was never meant to be!
Yeah funny you mention that as I thought of it the other day cos Rainbows End has some little kid driver town thing now which seems very similar.
http://rainbowsend.co.nz/rides/categories/fun-rides/aa-drivers-town
