AustLit

An hour-long sit-com set in a men's prison, The Bluestone Boys ran to twenty-six episodes, but was not one of Crawford Productions' more successful programs. According to Moran, in his Guide to Australian Television Series, 'The boys in question were male prisoners supervised by a mixture of idiot trustees headed by a Nazi-like Chuck Faulkner. The comedy of the male group outsmarting its supervisors should have been funnier, given the experience of Crawford writers such as Ian Jones and Terry Stapleton, but The Bluestone Boys fades into insignificance when compared with programs such as Bilko, McHale's Navy and Porridge.'

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

'TRACEY MILLS 40. A tough, but very intelligent ex-massage parlour lady who has battled her way up to where she owns her own salon. In all, a very sympathetic character.

'CNCR. BRADEN SMITH: 50. A very prominent and influential councillor of Yarra Central. Under the guise of a man bent on reform he is, in fact, the owner of several brothels and parlours.

'SIMON SMITH: 22. His arrogant, very scruffy son.

'SYDNEY MARTIN: 55. A very devious man, associated with Cncr. Smith. A practising solicitor, who is very unpopular with the Police of Yarra Central because of the many clashes he has had with them in the past.

'ANGEL WOOD: 25. A pretty masseuse employed by Tracey. (A nice kid)

'FREDDIE JACKSON: 35. Tracey's boy-friend and protector. Simple, a man who relies on force as a solution to everything. His weakness shows when he betrays her in favour of the big strength.

'MICK CONNORS: 30. A heavy employed by Smith. Also a council workman.

'"FRIENDLY" FLYNN: 30. A heavy employed by Smith. He is a foreman on the Council work staff.

'DUNCAN GREEN: A mechanic, a friend of Banners. [sic]

'SIR LESLEY: 50. Never referred to by full name.

'MONICA BROOME: 16. Schoolgirl, daughter of Traceys. [sic] Innocent, very likeable.

'PHOTOGRAPHER: A "smart" news photographer.

'CUSTOMER: A frightened little New Australian who frequents Tracey's Massage Parlour.'

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

'COLONEL HARRIS: 60 years old. A man of precise, military habits and bearing. Dresses fastidiously. An ex-probation man, he has met no recognition from either this or his military service.

'JIMMY DUNN: 35-40. A rather dour type of criminal, a fitness fanatic, is an expert on Karate and Judo. Cold, calculating and ruthless, can be violent. A killer.

'SELWYN FRANCIS (DUSTY) MILLER: 35. A rough-and-ready type of crim. Has done time, the Colonel was once his parole officer. A mechanic.

'LENNIE FIELDS: 35. A crim. Fairly athletic, smart in his movements.

'DICK LEE: 25-20. A young crim. Rather sensative [sic], a rough up-bringing has prevented him from achieving better things.

'JENNY HARRIS: 25. A young, attractive girl, daughter of the Colonel. An accident has caused her to live in a wheel chair [sic]. Loves her father, even if she thinks he is eccentric.

'PAY CLERK / BODY GUARD: McArthurs Building site. [sic]

'PHILLIP SCHOFIELD: 50 - 60. The very well to do Managing Director of Amalgamated Indemnity. A friend of serveral [sic] high-up policemen, including the Inspector and Vickers.

'2 SECURITY MEN / 1 ELDERLY SECURITY MAN: Amalgamated Security.

'POLICE SEARCH AND RESCUE SQUAD Actuals.

'CAR DRIVER (SCENE B)

'PAY CAR DRIVER (SCENE QQ AND CCC)'.

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

'CHEEKY CHARLIE: 65. "Cheeky Charlie" had been a fairly well known Tiv personality at the time of "Mo", George Wallace, etc.

'When Charlie started to slide (through a combination of T.V. and the bottle) he and his assistant, Bluebell [sic] took to the road. Charlie put on the occasional show for the kids, including punch and judy [sic] and tuned pianos when he could get the work. He deludes himself that he could always stop drinking the moment he felt like it, but blames the lack of $100 or so to get new costumes and a good, reliable agent. Then, he says, he can make his big come-back.

'BLUEBELL: His assistant for the last thirty years. She has now gone completely to seed. Not educated. Single. Loyal. Accepts whatever life has to dish up.

'BERNARD AUSTIN (BIG BERNIE): 45. Old acquaintance. Itinerant (ex side show pug) Big man. His boxing days have left him with some brain damage. Slow, can be violent.

'JUDY AUSTIN: 28. His wife. Much younger. A bit tarty. Well worn, but has worn well.

'COLIN: Young, handsome, uni student. Arrogant. Completely sure of himself.

'DAVID: Colin's mate. Also from uni. Quieter, he looks up to Colin, tries to emulate his outlook.

'HEWITT: Farmer where they're working.

'EXTRAS (4): Pickers.

'1ST WOMAN: Housewife. Mid-aged. Retiring nature. No sense of humour.

'2ND WOMAN: Housewife - any age.

'DOCTOR:

'TEACHER AND SCHOOL CHILDREN: Actuals if possible.'

'Goods are being hijacked from trucks all over Victoria, obviously in a highly organised network. The Matlock police are called on to catch the hijackers in their area.

'Their investigation leads them to "Buttercup" Sands, a small time criminal who operates a second-hand building materials yard and who proves to be responsible for the local operation of the hijacking ring.

'As a sub plot, there is the story of Monty, son of Sands' de facto wife, Edie, by an earlier liason [sic]. Monty is both physically spastic and suspected to be autistic. The police feel that Edie may not be a fit mother for the child. Helping Monty is complicated by the fact that a chiropractor has been treating the boy's physical condition and clashes with the medical profession over what can best be done for him. This story reaches a climax when Monty escapes from home and falls down a mine shaft, to be rescued by Sergeant Maddern and the chiropractor.'

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 includes the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'TONI CARBONI American Italian aged about 40. Qualified Chiropractor, quietly spoken, thoughtful. Has been in Matlock only a few years. Physical trainer in local football team.

'DR. SUTHERLAND Established.

'"BUTTERCUP" SANDS About 40. Small time crim, operates a second-hand building materials yard, fire wood, etc. Impulsive, rather stupid, can be aggressive, arrogant. Known to Maddern. Has done time for larceny and assault. DRIVES.

'EDIE 30±. Sands' defacto wife. Rather a slob, easy going, careless, untidy, has had to battle during the last eight years to bring up her autistic boy. Has only been with Sands for the past few months.

'MONTGOMERY (MONTY) 8 years old. Edie's boy. Austistic, also only able to walk or run with an extremely awkward gait. Does not speak other than to sing an endless "Da-da, Ma-ma" type of song into notes. It seems impossible for him to communicate. Totally withdrawn into himself. Is never fully still except when drawing.

'JACK BIRSETT Small farmer - a few cows, continually broke, has always supplemented his income with petty larceny. His farm is near Sands' yard. DRIVES.

'TRANSPORT DRIVER Any age, any type, capable of this fairly tough occupation. DRIVES.

'PASSING MOTORIST Any age - a few lines. DRIVES.

'TWO UNIFORMED POLICEMEN (both F - one L).

'A NURSE One scene - no lines.'

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):

'MICK O'CONNELL Father. As established in "It's a Great Day".

'MOTHER O'CONNELL As established, but slightly "rougher". She wears very sloppy cardigan, old dress, wrinkled stockings, socks. Her hair is prematurely white. She goes her own quiet way, and is the power in the family.

'SHEENA O'CONNELL Pert, Pretty [sic], sexy and clever. She is the second eldest daughter, has lost her Irish accent.

'KENNETH O'CONNELL Second eldest son. A cheerful extrovert. A no-hoper. Fond of the bottle. Has lost his Irish accent.

'PAT DOOLAN As established.

'KELLY As established.

'MR. BULLOCK

'TOM SPENCER The punters friend [sic]. Crooked, devious, "flash". A crim.

'SKULLY Tough, professional crim. Break and enter type. Big enough to be a stand-over man. Tough, humourless. Must be able to drive.

'TONY-THE-SPAG SPAGINOLO Happy-go-lucky Italian engaged in sly grog activities. Cheerful, out-going.

'MRS. TONY-THE-SPAG Large. Excitable. Works hard at her market stall.

'MR. RYAN S.M. A bit pompous. Weary of sitting in court strying [sic] small-time crims. Not popular with the police. Brusque in speech.

'TRUCK DRIVER Must be able to drive. Young, impressionable, not tough.

'THE DRUNK Few words, but must have good facial expression and reaction.

'CLERK OF COURT Non-speaking.

'TWO ITALIANS Non-speaking.'

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

'JANIE MITCHELL. 25-30 years. An emotional, intelligent and highly sensitive girl of more than average intelligence. An ex-University Student, now writing a novel. The break-up between her and Dave leads to a schitzophrenic mental state, a happy, romantic and highly imaginative girl and a potential phychopathic [sic] killer.

'DAVE GIBBS. 25-35 years. A failure at University, a man with good intentions, but, through character weakness, bad results. Has served a jail sentence in Western Australia, after a weak attempt at a hold-up. Has lived with Janie, is now engaged to Pam Harper.

'PAM HARPER. 25-30 years. Attractive-looking, rather empty-headed, but determined in a feminine way.

'MERLE. 40-50 years. A kind, simple soul. Lets rooms in down-at-heel boarding house, "Aloha". Used to living in semi-squalor.

'MRS COLLINS. 25-30 years. Normally a quiet woman, proud of her baby. But because of her loss, she is only just able to retain control of herself.

'DR. BIRRELL (Or actor to emulate him.)

'EXTRAS. Two women in Police Station required to weep. One man in street. No speech.'

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

'THE FAMILY:

'"WILD MICK" O'CONNELL (SUGGEST: Owen Weingott) (45-55 years) Father of the notorious O'Connell family. A "wild Irishman". An ex-boxer of the West Melbourne Stadium days. Completely extrovert, Mick, with a few drinks in him, will do anything, fight anyone. A loveable character if he is your friend. He lives by his wits, petty larceny and punting on horses. He still retains an "Irish-ness" of speech. He bears an eyebrow scar and a bent nose. Mick has a good Irish sense of humour. Long police record for petty crimes.

'"MOTHER" O'CONNELL (45-55 years) Mick's wife. Fond of the drink. Irish. Hard, but sentimental. Runs the family. Used to own a brothel where three of her daughters worked. She lives Mick's life to the full.

'ELLEN O'CONNELL The youngest daughter of the O'Connells. Ellen is pretty, viviacious, full of drive and possesses a tremendous sense of fun. She lives by her quick wits and her pretty face. A good schemer, she is too liable to do things on a grand scale just for the hell of it.

'_____________

'JOHN KELLY (45-55 years) Irish, formerly a great friend of the O'Connells, suspected of having caused the arrest of one of their sons, he now finds himself in the miserable position of being hated by the whole family, and decides to drown his sorrows on St. Patrick's day [sic]. He owns a second-hand dealer's shop and house. Receives stolen goods at times.

'PAT DOOLAN (35-45 years) An Irish friend of the O'Connells. Owns a furniture van which he drives for a firm. A wag, very fond of the drink. Full of fun. Has a police record for larceny.

'_____________

'THE "STAND-OVER" MEN:

'VINCE MORGAN (35-45 years) A thoroughly evil man. A pitiless extortionist who has skipped N.S.W. bail. He is the brains behind the extortion racket in the Yarra Central district, carefully picking victims who, for their own reasons, cannot appeal for police protection.

'TOMMY SHAW (20-25 years) A brutal man, a boxer with a bad reputation. He used to know "Wild Mick" through their boxing interest but has sunk below Mick's rough-and-ready standards of morals. A "flashy" dresser.

'_____________

'THE VICTIMS:

'MAX TAYLOR (35-45 years) Owns a small electrical shop which he uses as a cover for the receiving of stolen goods. He keeps company with the two stand-over men, but is himself a victim of their system. A weak man, he is also a bully, sly and devious.

'EMMA TAYLOR (30-35 years) Max's wife. She despises him, and is aware that his dealings are not always honest. She is frightened of Max, but doesn't know how to break with him. A woman who should evoke sympathy.

'_____________

'OTHERS:

'MORRIE WHELAN Middle aged. Owner of the pub frequented by the O'Connells. Friendly to the police, he often supplies them with useful information if they come to him and ask for it.

'SHOPKEEPER A victim of the "stand-over" men.

'TONY CIRO Italian who has a shop next door and acts as a witness to the assault of the shopkeeper.

'HOUSEWIFE A working woman. European, possibly Dutch. Not much accent. Excitable.

'EXTRAS For pub scenes, a mini-van driver, people to claim stolen goods.'

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 held in the Crawford Collection has neither character notes nor synopsis.

The script held in the Crawford Collection has neither character notes nor synopsis.

The script held in the Crawford Collection has neither synopsis nor character notes.

Australia's first spy show, made at a time when overseas television networks were investing heavily in counter-espionage programs.

The titular character was John Hunter, a secret agent with SCU3 (Special Clandestine Unit 3), a division of COSMIC (Commonwealth Offices for Security and Military Intelligence Co-ordination). Operating under the front of Independent Surveys, COSMIC was headed by Charles Blake. Hunter was assisted by female agent Eve Halliday.

The enemy organisation, CUCW (Council for Unification of the Communist World) was headed in Australia by Mr Smith, whose chief agent was the complicated idealist Kragg. Kragg ultimately defected to the West (and to COSMIC) after a period of disillusionment with CUCW.

Late in the show's run, John Hunter met an untimely death in front of a firing squad in an Iron Curtain country. He was replaced by a new agent, Gil Martin, but the show only continued for another eight episodes, as Ian Jones preferred to concentrate on his new vehicle for Gerard Kennedy, Division 4.

According to Moran, in his Guide to Australian TV Series, 'Coming as it did towards the end of the Cold War and indeed the whole breakdown of the hegemony of Australian society, Hunter was an uneasy combination of boys'-own spy adventures, owing something to the popularity of James Bond novels, and the more cynical and seedy variation of the genre associated with writers such as Len Deighton and John Le Carre'. Don Storey, however, writes on Classic Australian Television that it was 'a bold, sophisticated and ambitious venture into slick, professional local drama', the sophistication no doubt aided by the per-episode budget of $20,000 (compared to Homicide's per-episode budget of $7000).

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.

A sit-com set in a classroom, which, according to Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series, was the first drama series produced on Australian television: Crawford Productions drew writers from their radio productions.

Moran notes that 'Because the series went live to air and was not cinescoped for transmission anywhere outside Melbourne, it is unlikely that the series exists even as a memory in the minds of older generations'.