A Thousand Skies is a 1985 Australian mini series about the life of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith.
It was based on the novel The Empty Sky by Tasman Beattie and was partly financed by Film Victoria. The budget was $4.5 million.
Film Victoria invested $120,000 in script development and $400,000 to the production.
Writer-director David Stevens was best known for directing the mini series of A Town Like Alice. When offered the film he was reluctant to make it until he read The Empty Sky and he became intrigued by the character of Keith Anderson.
Stevens said "It is about the nature of greatness and the nature of friendship. It is also a love story - an eternal triangle between three men." The series was shot at 144 different locations. The only sets built were the planes which cost $500,000.
Contents
Cast
John Walton as Charles Kingsford Smith
Andrew Clarke as Charles Ulm
Joss McWilliam as Keith Anderson
Jane Menelaus as Thelma McKenna
Geoff Parry as Bob Hitchcock
Celine O'Leary as Mary Powell-Kingsford Smith
Helen Jones as Bon Hilliard
Phyllis Burford as Kate Kingsford Smith
Richard Hutson as William Kingsford Smith
Judith Massey as Mrs. Hilliard
Paul Karo as English director
Harold Baigent as Swampy Dawkins
Nick Holland as Bert Day
Hardy Stow as Harry Lyon
David Arnett as Jim Warner
Denzil Howson as Mr. Hilliard
Alan Fletcher as John Stannage
David Frezza as Announcer in San Francisco
Reg Gorman as Joe the Fireman
Tim Robertson as Jack Lang
Alex Menglet as Antony Fokker
Mark Mitchell as Hotel Receptionist in San Francisco
Reception
The Age called it "emotionally unvinvolving" but said "the series is well worth pursuing."
Another reviewer from the same paper called it "television excellence".
The series rated in the low twenties, which was relatively disappointing.