Johnny Reb | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories

form y Johnny Reb single work film/TV crime

Author:agent John Dingwall

Issue Details: First known date: 1970... 1970 Johnny Reb

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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

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

'JOHN HARRIS. 40-50. A clerk, a normal man - until an incident with the police causes him to stand up against what he believes to be an injustice which almost becomes an obsession with him. (Must be able to drive).
'MRS HARRIS. A wife, naturally concerned for her husband. Slightly younger than Harris.
'ARTHUR BULL. 30's. A newspaper man; cynical. Sees in Harris a good story. Able to drive a car.
'MAGISTRATE. A kindly man in court, until Harris tests his patience to the full.
'INSPECTOR COUGHLAN. Used to command and obedience. Has 'diplomacy' - he thinks - until he meets Harris.
'MR SANDERS. A friend of Harris, of same age.
'SWIFT. 60's. An inveterate 'toper' up for his 100th conviction for drunkeness [sic].
'POLICE MECHANIC. An expert in his job.
'PRISONER. 30's. Moronic, sub-normal intelligence.
'CLERK OF THE COURT.
'POLICEMAN 1.
'POLICEMAN 2.
'BREATHALYSER MAN.
'10 EXTRAS. REPORTERS, ONLOOKERS, NEWSCAMERAMEN.'

Notes

This entry has been compiled from archival research in the Crawford Collection (AFI Research Collection), undertaken by Dr Catriona Mills under the auspices of the 2012 AFI Research Collection (AFIRC) Research Fellowship.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Director: Ian Crawford ; Gary Conway

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work

Publisher: Crawford Productions ; Nine Network

Melbourne, Victoria,: Crawford Productions ; Nine Network , 1970 .

Extent: 46 min. 24 secs (as at 27.2.70, according to the script)p.

Note/s:

According to Storey, Crawford was credited as director and Conway as film director.

Series: form y Division 4 Howard Griffiths , Charles E. Stamp , Douglas Tainsh , Luis Bayonas , Everett de Roche , Gwenda Marsh , Ted Roberts , Roger Simpson , Sonia Borg , Colin Eggleston , Michael Harvey , Phil Freedman , John Dingwall , Jonathan Dawson , Ray Chamula , David William Boutland , Tom Mclennan , Ian Jones , Keith Hetherington , Tom Hegarty , David Stevens , Terry Stapleton , Mark Randall , John Orcsik , Don Battye , Melbourne : Crawford Productions , 1969 Z1814717 1969 series - publisher film/TV detective crime Abstract
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.
Number in series: 54

1970 .

Script cover page (Crawford Collection at the AFI Research Collection)

Div4Ep54CoverScan_FX0F.jpg

Extent: 68p.
(Manuscript) assertion

Note/s:

The script is labelled 'Episode Q7' on the cover page. A notation in the upper right-hand corner of the cover page indicates that this copy of the script was designated for (cinematographer) Vince Monton.

Apart from the slight notations on the cover page (above), there are no annotations on this copy of the script.

The final page includes a list of crew credits:
Written by John Dingwall.
Edited by Edward Ogden.
Typed by Shirley Ballard, Christine Brown, Hilary Burgess, Monica Crogan.
Checked by Monica Crogan, Hilary Burgess, Shirley Ballard, Christine Brown.
Duplicated by Jeanette Tilley.
The section below these for 'Producer's Remarks' has been left blank.

Holdings

Held at: AFI Research Collection

Local Id: SC DIV : 54

Note:
AFI Research Collection record