Paramount (Australia)
American filmgoers were familiar with the presence of Paul Hogan, the star of “Crocodile Dundee” and its sequel, from his TV commercials (“We will put another shrimp on the Barbie for you”). Boosting American tourism to Australia, Hogan was not an unknown quantity.
Hogan was no doubt a contributing factor, though it could not be assumed that many of the Crocodile Dundee film-viewers went to see him. As far as story and production values are concerned, “Crocodile Dundee” could easily have been an American film.
As scripted by Hogan and others, this culture-collision tale contrasts New York reporter (played by Linda Kozlowski) and a legendary adventurer (Paul Hogan) in the Aussie Outback. He returns with the fragile femme to Manhattan, where his wild nature and technical skills prove helpful in the jungle of the Big City.
Formulaic and predictable, this action-adventure movie had some humor and a touch of charm, though lacked any discernible national identity or singular Australian characteristics.
Even so, the comedy, functionally directed by Peter Faiman, was a huge hit and made Hogan a popular star for a while. The sequel is not as good as the first film,
Oscar Nominations: 1
Screenplay (Original): Paul Hogan, Ken Shadie, and John Cornell; story by Paul Hogan
Oscar Awards: None
Oscar Context:
The winner of the Original Screenplay Oscar was Woody Allen for “Hannah and Her Sisters,” which also was nominated for Best Picture and other awards.
About Paul Hogan
Hogan was a former construction worker, who first became famous in Australia in TV talk shows.
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