A newspaper clipping referring to Karlson.Credit: Fairfax Media
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“He’s an enigma, and he’s a paradox. He’s a larrikin. You just don’t meet people like that every day,” said Heath Davis, a filmmaker who is producing a documentary about Karlson, due to be released next year.
“Every time we shoot a new portion of the documentary, we discover more compelling cinematic gold,” Davis said.
The real Jack Karlson had a complicated past. He spent much of his early life living in boys’ homes and fell into a career of petty crime during the 1950s. He frequently spent time in jail, where he managed to stage multiple escapes.
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During one of his stints behind bars he shared a cell with future playwright Jim McNeil, whom Karlson encouraged to start writing. McNeil is who Davis and his team were originally researching, before stumbling onto Karlson’s story.
“He’s the most interesting man that I have ever met… [I thought] this is the real guy. We have to tell his story. We have to tell this story while we can,” Davis said. “He’s a criminal and a con man… part of the charm is figuring out whether he is or isn’t legit.”
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Karlson took up painting and continued looking for acting work once out of prison. He spent his last years living in rural Queensland, and died in hospital surrounded by family.
“We spoke about dying, and how he wanted to be remembered. He wanted to be vertical in the ground and immortalised,” Davis said.
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