AustLit

Young Ramsay follows the adventures of a Sydney-based vet who becomes disillusioned with his work on the racecourse circuit, and moves to the small, fictional town of Jindarra, where he starts work with the veterinary practice of Jack Lambert (who is semi-retired on the grounds of ill health). It was conceived as family entertainment: neither violent nor explicit, but sufficiently exciting to keep the attention of both children and adults. Ramsay is supported by Julie Lambert (Jack's daughter, nurse, and receptionist) and Ray Turner (local park ranger).

The program begins in media res, with Ramsay already established in Jindarra, and unfolds his background and past experiences slowly, over a number of episodes. According to Don Storey, in Classic Australian Television, Ramsay is 'Not a super-cool type who never puts a foot wrong, but rather a well-rounded personality with successes and failings. He is a very competent vet; sometimes he makes a fool of himself or confuses names but he always makes good under pressure or in an emergency'.

Series one was followed by a two-year hiatus, and significant changes were made to the program for series two, including the re-casting of Ramsay's receptionist (Julie Lambert having been said to have left Jindarra after her father's death) and a stronger focus on happy endings.

According to Moran, in his Guide to Australian Television Series, 'Young Ramsay had a heavy stress on good ecological practices and was actively supported by the Victorian Ministry for Wildlife and Conservation'.

A spin-off from Crawford Productions' Matlock Police, Solo One transferred motorcycle officer Gary Hogan from the fictional town of Matlock to the real town of Emerald in the Dandenong Ranges, where the program was filmed on location.

The program, an attempt to capitalise on Gary Hogan's popularity with child viewers of Matlock Police and less adult in focus than its predecessor, wasn't renewed for a second season, after Cronin moved on to Crawford's war-time drama, The Sullivans. Don Storey, in his Classic Australian Television, notes that the program 'was very successful and received much critical acclaim', but Moran, in his Guide to Australian TV Series, counters that 'Cronin, though lovable both to Crawford's and the Victorian Police, who were advisors on the series, was far too long in the tooth to be playing this kind of role'.

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'EDGAR ROBINSON: 60's.

'MRS. ROBINSON:

[...]

'SHETLAND PONY & CART:

'CHILDREN: Actuals.'

Ryan focused on the titular Michael Ryan, a private detective with a stringent code of ethics and a background as a soldier, police officer, and social worker. Ryan's work doesn't focus on divorce and domestic problems, but on serious crimes that, for some reason, the victims are unwilling to take to the police. He is supported by his secretary Julie King (who often becomes involved in fieldwork), cab driver and later assistant Tony Angelini, and police liaison Detective Sergeant Dan Cullen.

According to Don Storey in Classic Australian Television,

'The production standards of Ryan are very high -- good writing, solid acting performances, smooth direction and excellent camera and editing work combined to form a polished and professional product. And Ryan was very successful overseas -- proportional to the number of episodes made, Ryan has probably done better overseas than most other Crawford shows. Yet it was the first Crawford show not to do well locally'.

'Ryan is engaged to protect a wealthy industrialist who is living in constant fear of attacks on his life'.

Source: Synopsis held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection (RMIT).

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'BRADLEY: About 35. A man whose mind is dedicated exclusively to the acquisition of wealth through an ever-increasing ownership of diverse business enterprises. It has got to the point where he regards surplus money simply as a commodity to be re-invested in further expansion. His work is his one hobby, and he indulges himself for seven long days a week. He derives little pleasure from association with human beings, and long ago decided that he can achieve his ends without worrying about other people's feelings.

'ALAN ROBERTS: Early thirties. Bradley's secretary. Very capable, and gives the impression that he is an admiring, sycophantic employee; but in fact is deeply resentful of Bradley's attitude towards him. Drives car.

'VERNON SMITH: Early forties. A tall, powerful man who has always dreamed of holding a position of authority and prestige. Has been hindered by a lack of real ability. Believes he can achieve his ambitions if he makes a spectacular success in his job as Bradley's bodyguard. (Drives car, runs, fights.)

'GARDINER: A rugged looking youth, but not morally tough enough to put up any resistance to Smith. (One scene.)

'THOMPSON: About 28. Appears to be a sinister character, but is actually an amiable drop out. Drives.

'HARRINGTON: A middle aged business man - a rather pathetic contrast to Bradley ... lacking his ruthless drive and astuteness.

'TOM SINCLAIR: A conventional private detective. (Drives car.)

'PAMELA VAUGHAN: Attractive call girl. Bright personality.

'MRS. GREEN: An efficient looking housekeeper. Business-like manner. (One scene.)

'GREEN: Mrs. Green's husband. A gardener. (One scene - little dialogue.) Drives car.

'WORKMAN: Extra.'

This is the script for the second half of a Homicide episode called 'From the Top'. Such 'special' episodes (which cover first the investigation and second the trial) are usually described as two-hour episodes, but Storey notes that 'Due to the length of the episode requiring it to be split over two reels of 2" video tape, it was officially listed as two separate episodes, 319 "From The Top" and 319A "Trial".' This script only includes the trial portion.

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'JUDGE: Late forties. A youngish, business-like, efficient judge of the Victorian Supreme Court. Before his appointment to the bench, he himself was a leading barrister in criminal cases. He has a reputation for 'cutting through the red tape,' and 'keeping things moving' in his court. He is the antithesis of the 'old fogey' type of judge seen in some English productions. He has a good Australian accent.

'DEFENCE COUNSEL: Barrington. Aged 35 - classed as a young barrister. He is a very purposeful contender. A quick thinker, he is a remorseless cross-examiner, with an outstanding flair for bursts of rapid fire questioning. In this case - because he knows the outlook of the presiding judge - he does not go in for any theatrical display whatever.

'As Inspector Fox will be the viewers' troubled hero in his trial, Def's role must be regarded in a sense as that of the 'villain', but this professional does not make the mistake of adopting a 'nasty' manner. He knows that such an attitude would prejudice the Jury and damage his client's case. Therefore, even when attacking Fox full out, he gives the impression that he is fighting to have the truth revealed.

'PROSECUTOR: Middle forties. A thoroughly experienced barrister employed by the Crown Law Department. In this case, he is performing the duties that he carries out more or less every working day. Although more restrained than Defence Counsel, he is capable of applying pressure when necessary. However, he would never attempt to brow-beat an accused man, as it is important for him to give an impression of absolute fairness. Like the Judge and the Defence Counsel, he is an efficient officer of the court.

'MRS. SPENCER: Has developed an 'escapist psychosis' consistent with her character in 'From the Top'.

'IRVINE: Pathologist attached to the Coroner's court. A confident expert, accustomed to giving evidence in court. Has appeared in several murder cases, and hundreds of inquests that didn't make the headlines.

'WALKER: Police photographer. Another experienced formal witness.

'SURVEYOR: Has previously appeared in a few cases, and gives his evidence with straight-forward matter-of-factness.

'SPENCER: Character established in 'From the Top'. Is now concerned for his wife.

'FORSTER: Character established in 'From the Top'.

'GEORGINA: " " " " " "

'JOAN: " " " " " "

'OTHER COURT PERSONNEL: CRIER, JUDGE'S ASSOCIATE, POLICE GUARD FOR FORSTER, TWO UNIFORM POLICEMEN, DEFENCE SOLICITOR, PROSECUTION SOLICITOR.'

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'GERALD WILKINS. A self-admiring door-to-door salesman, having steady success with his present product - and occasional success in his concurrent project of seducing not-so-young housewives. Knows he is not physically impressive, so has developed as his stock-in-trade an individual line of "audacious" humour. He is ultra confident with ladies like, Gwen [sic] Morgan, but cuts a poor figure when confronted by the police. He drives.

'GWEN MORGAN. Early 40's. The sad aspect of her life is that she's been unable to have children. Feels her husband lacks tolerance and understanding. She has wells of malice towards him. She will coquette a little with a man like Wilkins. But is much adverse to any physical contact.

'THOMAS MORGAN. Middle 40's. Rough and ready manner. Basically a decent bloke, he finds his wife's vagaries irritating. Has strong ideas about his rights and is quick to resent infringement on the part of employers - or anyone else. Could be an ardent and voluble Labor supporter, believing in Unionism and mateship. Drives panel van.

'MICHAEL GRANT. Seemingly ordinary lad, working class background. Unemotional, self possessed, quietly amiable and co-operative.

'LINDA RICHARDSON. Age 44. Good figure, dresses well, perhaps too youthfully, with an eye to sex appeal. Her true character is, that she's never tried to overcome the natural instincts of putting herself first. This brands her as an exceptionally hard woman, and it shows in her expression at her first entrance when she is told of the deaths of her daughter and grand-child. Her first (unstated) reaction is one of concern that her own plans might be disrupted.

'SENIOR DETECTIVE JAMIESON. Straight down-the-middle detective. Efficient and uncomplicated, readily accepted by colleagues. When asked to assist the Homicide branch, he is very much on his toes. (Would naturally have in mind that he performs well. This will be noted in Mackay's report on the case.)

'PHOTOGRAPHER. A policeman attached to Forensic Science. Efficient, business like. Has a few speeches.

'BETTINE FRASER: Aged 24. (corpse) [sic] must have longish hair, sufficient to cover face.

'CAROLYN FRASER. Aged 7. (Corpse.)

'2 AMBULANCE MEN.

'4 EXTRAS. Bystanders (Actual).'

The Matlock Police series (originally simply titled Matlock) was commissioned from Crawford Productions by ATV-0, in response to the popularity of rival-network police dramas such as Homicide and Division 4. Crawford's was initially reluctant to create another police series, but ATV-0 pressured the company for some time. Eventually, Ian Jones and Terry Stapleton devised the concept of a regional (Victorian) police series to provide viewers with something different. The more relaxed atmosphere of the country-town setting also allowed the writers to delve into the private lives of the main characters, rather than focusing heavily on big-city organised crime. In this respect, the series was situated somewhere between Homicide/Division 4 and Bellbird. The series did, however, cover typical rural policing, including such issues as break and enters, domestic issues, itinerant workers, brawls, petty crime and robberies, road accidents, the occasional homicide, and cattle rustling. On other occasions, the Matlock police also assisted Melbourne police in locating criminals on the run (among other problems). The idea behind the show was to reflect the causes of crime in a small community and show the effects on both the community and the officers themselves.

The fictional town of Matlock (loosely based on Shepparton in Victoria) is situated inland on the Central Highway, approximately 160 kilometres north of Melbourne. Although the town's population is only seventeen thousand, this increases to around seventy-five thousand when the district is included. The Matlock Police Station is typical of a Victorian country town, with a Uniform Branch and a Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB). The CIB is headed by Detective Sergeant Vic Maddern, who grew up in the Matlock district and is an accomplished bushman. Second in command is Detective Allan Curtis, aged in his mid-twenties. Previously from Melbourne, Curtis has just been sent to his first country posting (against his will) when the series begins. Head of the Uniform Branch is Sergeant Bert Kennedy, an Englishman who migrated to Australia in 1950. A thorough but also easy-going man with a good sense of humour, Kennedy is married to Nell and enjoys the country life in Matlock, so much so that he has knocked back promotion to avoid moving to Melbourne. Several constables are attached to the Uniform Branch, but the most prominent is a motorcycle cop, Constable Gary Hogan, who performs a wide variety of duties. Hogan is about thirty, a friendly, easy-going person who grew up in the country and is always willing to help in whatever work is going.

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'LESLEY FISHER A unique figure among criminals .. a modern Squizzy Taylor.

'Short - 5'2" - thickset. Aged 40. Cunning and ambitious. He started as a very small-time crim., and worked his way to the position of gang-land boss. He is conceited and self-assured .. a cocky manner, but not noisy.

'A lot of his henchmen have served long sentences, but Fisher has only served a couple of short terms. He has a flair for organizing 'jobs' ... with attention to detail, and so, in the crim. world, he passes for a great 'brain'.

'His clothes are immaculate, and only a shade flash. Expensive suits ... razor sharp creases in trousers .. perfectly laundered shirt cuffs showing ... cuff links .. expensive tie pin .. a 'pre-shaped' handkerchief in breast pocket. Small, new-looking hat. Drives car.

'Genuinely loves his wife, Valerie. Completely devoted.

'VALERIE FISHER Attractive, pleasant, young woman with a good background. Has standards. Very much in love with Fisher, completely taken in by him. Would not believe anything bad about him.

'ERIC HUTCHINSON 34. Tall, strong, rugged type. A seasoned professional crim. who enjoys being on a job. Admires Fisher and is unquestioningly loyal. Despite his toughness, he has an easy-going outlook .. and a certain amount of charm. Must be able to drive fast and skilfully.

'TOM LANGLEY Aged 60. A veteran crim. with a long record of robbery and violence: Starting in the late 1920's when gangs were flourishing.

'At 60, he is still strong and active but troubled by a bad leg. On a job he is ruthless, unconcerned about his victims. At home with his grand-daughter, Julie Williams, he is just another human being.

'JULIE WILLIAMS 18-20. A nice girl, of working class background. Very fond of her grand-father, has always known of his criminal activities and just accepts it. Has a great respect for Fisher.

'GRAYSON Owner of a prosperous supermarket, has a precise mind and lives by schedules. He would attribute his success to this.

'A dreary man, but in the live scenes with Banner, he is seen as a decisive character who is not going to let a robbery and assault disturb the normal routine.

'JOAN CLEMENTS 25-30. A shop-lifter, who has had an affair with Fisher. Strong, attractive, with a coarse manner. Has an almost psychotic dread of going back to prison and this causes her to fight like a maniac when Banner and Peters arrest her.

'ELDERLY MAN Ex-blue collar worker, on pension or superannuation. Has become the complete spectator. Watches the brawl involving Joan Clements in much the same way as he would watch a quiet district cricket match.

'MRS. REYNOLDS Well-to-do, dignified, resents having a known criminal living in the house next door.

'CERNIK New Australian cafe proprietor. One scene only. No dialogue.

'DETECTIVES. One scene only. No dialogue.'

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'CHRIS GARDNER Youngish businessman - quite prosperous with a seemingly assured future. A pleasant personality, but nothing at all extraordinary about him. Just an average bloke of his particular type. His whole world is changed in the instant when he's involved in a fatal accident.

'KAY GARDNER The ideal wife for Chris Gardner (see above). Prior to the accident, she was a happy woman - living in complete security.

'JOHN DAVIS A solicitor with a lucrative practice - mainly concentrates on handling of real estate transactions and investments. In outlook, he is a conventional adherent of the establishment, but he is not fusty in manner. Can be unrestrained and volatile in arguments with his wife. A strong personality. Drives car.

'THERESA DAVIS Wife of John. Loves him, but is often angered by aspects of his conservatism. An activist - living in comfort, but drawn to people at the other end of the social scale. Most of the time, she is humourless - direct, saying whatever comes into her mind.

'CHARLES HAMMOND (50) A businessman - very moderate education. Has acquired a degree of "smoothness", but lapses sometimes. A competent hypocrite. Persecuted his wife until she left him. He has no conscience about this.

'RUTH HAMMOND (50) Charles Hammond's wife. A pathetic derelict. One scene.

'STELLA JOHNSON (In forties) A woman who has been brow-beaten and physically battered until she has no initiative whatever. Completely crushed.

[Note: The notes '(2 scenes)' has been struck out after this character note, and a note made in the margin that the character will appear in film scenes, and not just, as originally planned, in live scenes.]

'CLIFF JOHNSON (45 or so) A factory foreman. Strong. He is another of those characters who make a point of being pleasant to everyone but their wives. When he torments Stella, there is no gloating sadism. It is straight-out brutality.'

The script for this episode held in the Crawford Collection includes neither episode synopsis nor character notes.

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'WILLIAM HARRIS A widower who has never recovered from the death of his wife. Became neurotic after she died. Gave up work - declaring it was too much of a strain. Is probably trying to keep the past alive. Insists on retaining all the ageing furniture that he and his wife owned..even [sic] though there is not sufficient space in the smaller house he now occupies. He has become completely self-centred.. e.g. [sic] wants his daughter, Sheila, to devote her entire lift [sic] to his needs.

'He has a persecution complex - arising from his self-absorption. Hates Fred Jenkins - the man who tried to take his daughter away. When he tries to burn Jenkins' house down, he sees it as a right and proper act of punishment.

'SHEILA HARRIS Has a full sense of responsibility towards her father; but finds him too demanding, too much of a strain. When she is living with him, she has practically no life of her own. She is perpetually harrassed..worn..sees every day as a burden. [sic]

'Fred Jenkins is not really her type; but - understandably - she accepted his invitation to live with him. He was easy-going, amusing - a man without grievances... However, her father made such a fuss that she left Jenkins.. on [sic] the understanding that she would return after persuading her father to go into a home...

'FRED JENKINS Was not very serious about Sheila. To him it was just one more affair. Obtained a replacement almost as soon as she had gone.

'He is a natural con man. An Australian with not a great deal of education, but a flare for words and phrases. He is good-natured and humorous..likes [sic] the sound of his own quips, but doesn't laugh at them and rarely looks for applause.

'He is a man without malice - even when provoked. On the other hand, he has no depth of sympathy for anyone. The opening scene - where he makes fun of Harris - is an example of his indifference to people's feelings. Later he refuses to 'put Harris in' as the man who tried to burn his home; but even this reflects a somewhat irresponsible attitude; because, at this point, Harris must be classed as a danger to the public.

'RHONDA Takes over from Sheila - and is more typical of the type of woman Jenkins installs as 'temporary de facto'. She has a bright personality, sex appeal, but is not over-intelligent. Feels malice towards her predecessor - Sheila.

'JACK BEAUMONT A laconic type. Doesn't talk much. A natural foil for Jenkins. There is an easy affinity between them.

'GREG STOVER & BERT WALES Two tough young laborer types. They are bad youths; but good mates. Team well together. Wales is the brighter of the two and tends to be the leader.

'YOUTH An average young man. Normally quite unaggressive; but is exasperated when Harris accuses him of behaving like a lout.'

Division 4, which Don Storey notes in Classic Australian Television was 'the only drama series on Australian television to rival the popularity of Homicide', was created as a vehicle for Gerard Kennedy, who had risen to popularity playing the complicated enemy agent Kragg in spy-show Hunter, after Tony Ward's departure left Hunter's future in doubt.

According to Moran, in his Guide to Australian Television Series:

The series differed from Homicide in being more oriented to the situation and milieu of a suburban police station staffed by a mixture of plainclothes detectives and uniformed policemen. This kind of situation allowed Division 4 to concentrate on a range of crimes, from major ones such as murder to minor ones such as larceny.

Though set in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Yarra Central, 'Sets were constructed that were replicas of the actual St Kilda police station charge counter and CIB room, with an attention to detail that extended to having the same picture hanging on the wall', according to Storey.

Division 4 ended in 1976. Storey adds:

Division 4's axing was a dark day for Australian television, as within months the other two Crawford cop shows on rival networks, Matlock Police and Homicide, were also axed. It was widely believed, and still is, that the cancellation of the three programs was an attempt by the three commercial networks--acting in collusion--to wipe out Crawford Productions, and consequently cripple the local production industry.

The script for this episode held in the Crawford Collection includes neither episode synopsis nor character notes.

The script for this episode held in the Crawford Collection includes neither episode synopsis nor character notes.

Running for twelve years and a total of 510 episodes, Homicide was a seminal Australian police-procedural program, set in the homicide squad of the Victoria Police. According to Don Storey in his Classic Australian Television, it represented a turning point for Australian television, prompting the development of local productions over the purchase of relatively inexpensive American dramas. Indeed, Storey quotes Hector Crawford as saying that his production company intended three outcomes from Homicide: demonstrating that it was possible to make a high-quality local drama series, counteracting criticism of local performers, and showing that Australian audiences would watch Australian-made dramas.

As Moran notes in his Guide to Australian TV Series, the program adopted a narrative structure focusing on crime, detection, and capture, rather than on character studies of the lead detectives. The early episodes were produced by a small crew (Storey notes that the crew was frequently limited to four people: cameraman, grip, director, and assistant director), requiring some degree of ingenuity to achieve a polished result (including, in some cases, the actors performing their own stunts). However, the program received extensive support from the Victoria Police (who recognised, in its positive portrayal of police officers, a valuable public-relations exercise) and, as its popularity grew, from the public.

The program's cast changed extensively over its twelve years on the air, though it remained focused on a small group of male detectives, with the inclusion of irregular characters such as Policewoman Helen Hopgood (played by Derani Scarr), written on an as-required basis to reflect the involvement of women in the police force. In Moran's words, 'The other star of Homicide was the location film work. These ordinary, everyday familiar urban locations were what gave the series a gritty realism and familiarised audiences with the shock of recognition at seeing themselves and their milieus on air'.

Consider Your Verdict was a television adaptation of Crawford Productions' radio programme of the same name, which (according to Storey at Classic Australian Television) ran from 18 August 1958 to 1960, for a total of 312 episodes. Soon after the radio program ceased, Crawfords began developing Consider Your Verdict as a television program.

As they had with the radio version, Crawfords made a number of production decisions aimed at increasing the apparent authenticity of the program. According to Storey, these included consulting legal professionals (including the Crown Law Department, Victoria Police, and Melbourne University's Department of Law), limiting the actors playing witnesses to a brief overview of the script and requiring them to ad-lib their lines (resulting in an authentically hesitant delivery style), and occasionally casting actual legal professionals in roles (notably homicide detective Gordon Timmins and Eugene Gorman QC). The intention was to suggest that audiences were watching a broadcast of an actual trial; in keeping with this illusion, as Moran notes in his Guide to Australian TV Series, the program carried no production credits.

The majority of the cases were criminal cases (primarily murder), though the program did present some civil cases. Inexpensive to produce, the program occasionally suffered from the suggestion that it adhered rather too closely to legal process, rendering episodes slower and less dramatic than they might otherwise have been.