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Came a Hot Friday
Set in rural New Zealand in 1949, Wes Pennington and his partner Cyril Kidman are out to ride a great horse-racing scam for as long as they can. They are inveterate gamblers who have joined forces to bilk local bookies by taking advantage of delayed broadcasts of horse races. To stop being caught the duo don't stay in each town for too long, but when they arrive in Tainuia Junction, fate catches up with them. Through a series of unforeseen circumstances, Cyril and Wes get involved in uncovering a bootlegging ring, arson, murder, and other dastardly deeds. The townspeople are in a class of their own, including the Te Whakinga Kid, a Maori man who believes himself to be a Mexican bandito, who becomes a kind of protector for the put-upon, gambling duo.
1 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
2 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Ronald Hugh Morrieson
10 books13 followersJames Ronald Hugh Morrieson died at 50, a sad and disappointed man. His remark, ‘I hope I’m not another one of these poor buggers who get discovered when they’re dead’ became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Morrieson was born on 29 January 1922 and lived his entire life in the house built by his grandfather at the corner of Regent Street and South Road, Hawera. A novelist and short story writer in the New Zealand vernacular, who was little known in his home country until after his death. He earned his living as a musician and music teacher, and played in dance bands throughout south Taranaki. Morrieson lived in the Taranaki town of Hawera all his life and this town appears (under other names) in his novels. He was a heavy drinker throughout his life and this contributed to his early death.
Morrieson was born on 29 January 1922 and lived his entire life in the house built by his grandfather at the corner of Regent Street and South Road, Hawera. A novelist and short story writer in the New Zealand vernacular, who was little known in his home country until after his death. He earned his living as a musician and music teacher, and played in dance bands throughout south Taranaki. Morrieson lived in the Taranaki town of Hawera all his life and this town appears (under other names) in his novels. He was a heavy drinker throughout his life and this contributed to his early death.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 16, 2025
I love the dark underbelly of smalltown NZ life that Morrieson's works inhabit. There's a real sense of danger that usually doesn't come at the expense of authenticity. I just wish the treatment of Māori characters was better here. It's so so so close to being spot on.
October 24, 2011
This book is amazing.
It is amazingly funny, not only in a conventional sense but also in that quirky Godzone sense that only New Zealanders will follow. But there is also a healthy dollop of pathos reflecting the hardships of post-war New Zealand; chapter-4 'They Simply Fade Away' is a moving description of the father of one of three leading characters which is a haunting mirror of reality.
The book was made into a movie and a major role was identified for Billy T James as the Te Whakinga Kid; the book and the film are well synchronized and no more so in the concluding segment that is the Te Whakinga Kid's part in the tale.
I agree with Maurice Shadbolt's comment recorded on the back cover: "There never has been anyone, anywhere, like Morrieson. This is surely the funniest book ever written by a New Zealander — a ribald feast, rich with incident; its rollicking prose seems a repository of New Zealand folklore; the narrative sparks, crackles and explodes in pure riot. Finally his magic is that of the first storytellers, and our delight is that of the first listeners to their wondrous tales. Our best writer? Maybe. Certainly our most precious."
For those who have not heard of Ronald Hugh Morrieson, he "was born in Hawers, New Zealand, in 1922, and lived there all is life. He earned his living as a music teacher and musician, playing in dance bands throughout South Taranaki. He was a heavy drinker and a likeable man. Ronald Hugh Morrieson died in 1972."
I recommend reading the book and seeing the film, both will lighten any drab afternoon.
CJHD
24-Oct-11
It is amazingly funny, not only in a conventional sense but also in that quirky Godzone sense that only New Zealanders will follow. But there is also a healthy dollop of pathos reflecting the hardships of post-war New Zealand; chapter-4 'They Simply Fade Away' is a moving description of the father of one of three leading characters which is a haunting mirror of reality.
The book was made into a movie and a major role was identified for Billy T James as the Te Whakinga Kid; the book and the film are well synchronized and no more so in the concluding segment that is the Te Whakinga Kid's part in the tale.
I agree with Maurice Shadbolt's comment recorded on the back cover: "There never has been anyone, anywhere, like Morrieson. This is surely the funniest book ever written by a New Zealander — a ribald feast, rich with incident; its rollicking prose seems a repository of New Zealand folklore; the narrative sparks, crackles and explodes in pure riot. Finally his magic is that of the first storytellers, and our delight is that of the first listeners to their wondrous tales. Our best writer? Maybe. Certainly our most precious."
For those who have not heard of Ronald Hugh Morrieson, he "was born in Hawers, New Zealand, in 1922, and lived there all is life. He earned his living as a music teacher and musician, playing in dance bands throughout South Taranaki. He was a heavy drinker and a likeable man. Ronald Hugh Morrieson died in 1972."
I recommend reading the book and seeing the film, both will lighten any drab afternoon.
CJHD
24-Oct-11
March 23, 2020
Morrieson only wrote 4 books, two were published after his death. His style of writing ( in the 60s) was perhaps unseen in NZ authors before or since.
This book wasn’t as clear or considered as his first novel The Scarecrow, which was a real page turner. Came a Hot Friday jumped around and although highly successful much later as a movie, the book seemed to have just too many characters, perhaps with similar personalities,(all hard drinking, gamblers, and womanisers) so one had to stay focused to stay in the moment of the book.
Some of the language and talk is very dated, sexist, and racist but we must remember that this novel was written as a novel and published 55 years ago when times were different.
What Morrieson does best is capture small town New Zealand like no other. I’m sure a couple of the towns mentioned sound very familiar to where Morrieson lived his whole life in Hāwera.
We(of a certain age) all know and recall small towns and pubs like the ones in his books. He captures the time and scene well and Came a Hot Friday is a fast paced rollicking read.
This book wasn’t as clear or considered as his first novel The Scarecrow, which was a real page turner. Came a Hot Friday jumped around and although highly successful much later as a movie, the book seemed to have just too many characters, perhaps with similar personalities,(all hard drinking, gamblers, and womanisers) so one had to stay focused to stay in the moment of the book.
Some of the language and talk is very dated, sexist, and racist but we must remember that this novel was written as a novel and published 55 years ago when times were different.
What Morrieson does best is capture small town New Zealand like no other. I’m sure a couple of the towns mentioned sound very familiar to where Morrieson lived his whole life in Hāwera.
We(of a certain age) all know and recall small towns and pubs like the ones in his books. He captures the time and scene well and Came a Hot Friday is a fast paced rollicking read.
January 22, 2024
A book of it's time! The language and plot of my Grandad's era - provincial New Zealand, first half of the 20th century. Boozing "boys" (men really) out on the town with a scheme to hoodwink the local bookies and make money placing bets on the horses. It was quite a fun read, the language was a portal to an earlier world, but the characters weren't that easy to distinguish as they all seemed foolhardly and drunk. Sexist in the way of the times. The maori characters and reference to te ao maori were, to me, richer than I'd expected although in places there is language that is hard to swallow. I've learned this was made into a film with Billy T playing the part of Te Whakinga Kid - an eccentric cowboy character speaking with a contrived mexican accent.
January 10, 2021
An interesting New Zealand novel from 1964, almost a crime-caper but with considerable attention to several revealing character portraits and the realities of local life, where two young gamblers with a foolproof method of conning bookmakers dependent on races not being broadcast, roll into a provincial town where a car-salesman ex-mate helps them with their sting. Of course, all goes wrong, partly due to alcohol, before an unusual Maori enamoured by the Old West helps them to gain revenge. Darkly comic but quite deep
July 3, 2020
That the book’s author - Ronald Hugh Morrieson - lived on the site that’s now the Hāwera KFC was with me as I read this. My family makes me stop there for fried chicken every time we head to and from New Plymouth to visit the in-laws. This vegetarian grumbles, stopping reluctantly.
There’s no SNAGGY vegetarians in Morrieson’s book. The men are either war veterans or criminal thugs or heavy drinkers with the gift of the gab. Women, if appear, are potential conquests. Characters talk about rape like it’s unwanted wolf whistling. On occasion Māori are talked about in patronising terms; for example, sometimes love interest Esmerelda gets called by name, at other times she’s “the Māori girl”; turned exotic in her own country. This attitudinal bigotry is of its time re Pākehā. It could be said it belongs only to the characters portrayed and not the author, but that would be a bit of a stretch. I recall glimpses of this violent world as a 70s child of equally provincial Hamilton.
In these days of ‘cancel culture’ the book’s days may be numbered, which would be a shame, as Morrieson obviously has a deep love, or at the very least, a deep fascination for and knowledge of Te Ao Māori. Its Māori who become the central characters’ allies, and Morrieson represents their manaakitanga and their supertnatural world in a way that’s less self-conscious than would likely be applied by many contemporary Pākehā writers. Besides, it’s a hell of a yarn. It draws you into its world until you can’t put the book down.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t just the Hāwera KFC that occasionally intruded on my mental map, Billy T James as Te Whakinga Kid also busted in, destroying my own casting. Otherwise, I’ve never seen the Ian Mune movie of the book from 1985, starring Billy T James. I’m now free to do so.
There’s no SNAGGY vegetarians in Morrieson’s book. The men are either war veterans or criminal thugs or heavy drinkers with the gift of the gab. Women, if appear, are potential conquests. Characters talk about rape like it’s unwanted wolf whistling. On occasion Māori are talked about in patronising terms; for example, sometimes love interest Esmerelda gets called by name, at other times she’s “the Māori girl”; turned exotic in her own country. This attitudinal bigotry is of its time re Pākehā. It could be said it belongs only to the characters portrayed and not the author, but that would be a bit of a stretch. I recall glimpses of this violent world as a 70s child of equally provincial Hamilton.
In these days of ‘cancel culture’ the book’s days may be numbered, which would be a shame, as Morrieson obviously has a deep love, or at the very least, a deep fascination for and knowledge of Te Ao Māori. Its Māori who become the central characters’ allies, and Morrieson represents their manaakitanga and their supertnatural world in a way that’s less self-conscious than would likely be applied by many contemporary Pākehā writers. Besides, it’s a hell of a yarn. It draws you into its world until you can’t put the book down.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t just the Hāwera KFC that occasionally intruded on my mental map, Billy T James as Te Whakinga Kid also busted in, destroying my own casting. Otherwise, I’ve never seen the Ian Mune movie of the book from 1985, starring Billy T James. I’m now free to do so.
January 19, 2026
Reading this rollicking obviously Taranaki-flavoured classic tale in 2026 is no doubt a different experience than reading it a decade or two ago. There are some clever descriptions and amusing dialogue, but overall I found myself flinching at the casual racism and sexism and alcohol-soaked exploits. Perhaps it's funnier if you understand bookies and racing and gambling. I'm glad to have read it - I was curious about Morrieson's depiction of Hawera and its inhabitants that got the town so riled up - and will try and find a copy of one of his other novels to see if it was just the topic matter that left me feeling less entranced that the cover notes suggested I should.
June 2, 2018
A great example of NZ fiction. Funny and serious, colloquial and astute. A really entertaining farce!
January 22, 2020
Dated viewpoints and an inevitable plot made this book hard work to read.
January 18, 2021
If you're a New Zealander of a certain age you will know "Came A Hot Friday" as a film starring the popular comedian Billy T James as a wannabe Mexican bandit called "The Tainuia Kid". More than likely you saw this comedy a few times on TV as it seemed to be a favourite of the then two state channels to run during a family friendly time-slot. I don't remember much about the film but I do remember James' character and that the film was fun.
Until very recently I hadn't realised that film was based on a novel of the same title by Ronald Morrieson. The novel is set in a couple of fictional sleepy villages in (most likely) the North Island of New Zealand during the late 40s or early 50s. The reader isn't furnished with any exact statements on time period.
Wes and Cyril are a couple of scallywags who have just begun to make money "past posting". That is betting on horses that are already known to be winners. The bet goes on with illegal bookmakers after the race is run and is only possible because in those days just a selection of races were broadcast live. One man watches the race and telephones the other with the results so he can make the bet at his locale. Ideally, a third man is needed, to ensure plausible deniability for the bettor. So, when Wes and Cyril see a big race meet near their old home town is not set to be broadcast they speed over there in their newly acquired to Chev to rope their old school friend, Don, in on the caper. After successfully duping the local bullying bookie, the trio get themselves involved in a variety of trouble through boozing, gambling and womanizing. On top of that, the bookie suspects he has been had, and sets out to beat the money out of Don.
The book is set in a post-war New Zealand when "rugby, racing, and beer" was a dominant part of the culture. As such, alcohol and gambling are essential plot drivers and probably meant to bring comedy to the story. The characters are heavy drinking foolish gamblers who muck about in sheep sheds and belt along difficult country roads in borrowed cars. What else should they be doing?
Ironically, for all the characters carping about their boring "berg" the story is fast moving and action packed. Overall its a fairly good yarn. Came A Hot Friday is billed as a comedy but it didn't encourage any laughs out of me. I suspect the comedy is a bit dated.
What definitely is dated is some of the language and attitudes. Sure, when coming from the characters its may well be period appropriate but the narrative text also gets in on the act. Outside of an Enoch Powell speech I didn't expect to see picaninnies in print and yet Morrieson chooses this as a noun for group of Maori children complete with runny noses. Add in to known terms like "half-caste" with (new to me) ones like "tar bitch" and you get the picture. One character, Don's boss Dick Smelton, causally tells his wife she should not have come to the wool-shed casino as she is liable to be raped .....
Disappointingly, the Mexican bandit -- the Te Whakinga Kid now --- is just not as much fun as the Tainuia Kid. Billy T James was a much more engaging lunatic than his in print counterpart.
One poignant part of the story is the thoughts and fears of Don's father, a veteran of Gallipoli who has lost a leg due to the combat. The man worries he is fading away, becoming forgotten and turning into an old grump. He worries Don won't make anything of himself and this just intensifies once the lush Wes turns up.
Came A Hot Friday is a short, fast paced read and so can prove to be good light entertainment. Who knows you may even find it funny.
Until very recently I hadn't realised that film was based on a novel of the same title by Ronald Morrieson. The novel is set in a couple of fictional sleepy villages in (most likely) the North Island of New Zealand during the late 40s or early 50s. The reader isn't furnished with any exact statements on time period.
Wes and Cyril are a couple of scallywags who have just begun to make money "past posting". That is betting on horses that are already known to be winners. The bet goes on with illegal bookmakers after the race is run and is only possible because in those days just a selection of races were broadcast live. One man watches the race and telephones the other with the results so he can make the bet at his locale. Ideally, a third man is needed, to ensure plausible deniability for the bettor. So, when Wes and Cyril see a big race meet near their old home town is not set to be broadcast they speed over there in their newly acquired to Chev to rope their old school friend, Don, in on the caper. After successfully duping the local bullying bookie, the trio get themselves involved in a variety of trouble through boozing, gambling and womanizing. On top of that, the bookie suspects he has been had, and sets out to beat the money out of Don.
The book is set in a post-war New Zealand when "rugby, racing, and beer" was a dominant part of the culture. As such, alcohol and gambling are essential plot drivers and probably meant to bring comedy to the story. The characters are heavy drinking foolish gamblers who muck about in sheep sheds and belt along difficult country roads in borrowed cars. What else should they be doing?
Ironically, for all the characters carping about their boring "berg" the story is fast moving and action packed. Overall its a fairly good yarn. Came A Hot Friday is billed as a comedy but it didn't encourage any laughs out of me. I suspect the comedy is a bit dated.
What definitely is dated is some of the language and attitudes. Sure, when coming from the characters its may well be period appropriate but the narrative text also gets in on the act. Outside of an Enoch Powell speech I didn't expect to see picaninnies in print and yet Morrieson chooses this as a noun for group of Maori children complete with runny noses. Add in to known terms like "half-caste" with (new to me) ones like "tar bitch" and you get the picture. One character, Don's boss Dick Smelton, causally tells his wife she should not have come to the wool-shed casino as she is liable to be raped .....
Disappointingly, the Mexican bandit -- the Te Whakinga Kid now --- is just not as much fun as the Tainuia Kid. Billy T James was a much more engaging lunatic than his in print counterpart.
One poignant part of the story is the thoughts and fears of Don's father, a veteran of Gallipoli who has lost a leg due to the combat. The man worries he is fading away, becoming forgotten and turning into an old grump. He worries Don won't make anything of himself and this just intensifies once the lush Wes turns up.
Came A Hot Friday is a short, fast paced read and so can prove to be good light entertainment. Who knows you may even find it funny.
February 3, 2013
This book was hilarious. No clues were given away with the non-descript plain penguin cover, and even the blurb was fairly uninformative.
Anyway, the story kicked off to a rollicking start, and kept the pace up all the way through. The ending was brilliant, in fact I laughed out loud at the cleverness of it.
What a marvellous yarn, which is just how I would describe this book, and with the added fun of kiwi vernacular it was a real winner for me.
Anyway, the story kicked off to a rollicking start, and kept the pace up all the way through. The ending was brilliant, in fact I laughed out loud at the cleverness of it.
What a marvellous yarn, which is just how I would describe this book, and with the added fun of kiwi vernacular it was a real winner for me.
February 25, 2010
Funniest Kiwi book ever?
April 24, 2010
Very good story about gamblers, booozers in 1960's NZ
January 7, 2013
A very good holiday read, but I mean that in the nicest possible way. Funny, observant and with great characters. I recommend catching the film with Billy T James sometime if you can.
April 16, 2014
Enjoyable read, action packed, but especially interesting for its not-very-pretty picture of small town New Zealand life in the fifties/early sixties.
May 1, 2022
An original New Zealand writer; an unusual quality at that time.
June 18, 2016
A vivid portrait of what small town New Zealand was like decades ago
February 5, 2017
I tried, but I was struggling so I stopped.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews