On the set of On the Beach

Richard Goslin, an amateur filmmaker, was keen to observe Hollywood filmmaking up close. In January 1959 he got his opportunity at Canadian Bay Beach on Mornington Peninsula, Victoria during the filming of On the Beach (Stanley Kramer, 1959).

Here he and many other curious onlookers were not deterred by the 40°C heat. Many people on the beach, including cast members, did go for a quick dip to cool down between takes and relieve their feet from the scorching sand. 

Among the towels and beach umbrellas, Goslin found arc lights, power cables and cameras. He noted with fascination that heavy cables had to be run down from the clifftop to power the equipment below.

His footage includes multiple takes of a dramatic scene with characters Commander Dwight Lionel Towers (Gregory Peck) and Moira Davidson (Ava Gardner) fighting on the beach. 

Richard Goslin went on to win the Victorian Amateur Cine Society Award of Merit in 1961 for Music Makers, an amateur documentary about the Maton Guitar Factory located in Canterbury, Victoria that is held by the NFSA.

See a range of international film posters for On the Beach (1959).

Notes by Heather Gill