AustLit

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

'RONALD PAGE: About 40 years. Bachelor. Council Inspector. His mother died recently leaving him alone. To fend for himself. Outwardly quiet, but always polite and helpful. Inwardly he is a tormented man unable to find peace through normal pursuits. Co-operative with police and a good witness. Does not smoke or drink. Drives.

'LENNIE WALKER: About 45 years old. Married, one daughter. Impotent since a car accident three years ago. No longer works, but occasionally scavenges around for pocket money. A regular pub drinker. After a few beers he likes to look at young girls. School girls. He doesn't know why or what it means. Lennie is a working class man, bordering on illiterate and has virtually no powers to reason.

'RITA WALKER: About 43 years. Married to Lennie. Mother of Maureen. She doesn't understand what is wrong with her husband. He used to be a steady worker. She was in the same car accident as Lennie, but was unaffected. She is a cleaner, working shifts. Night and day. Recently she has been playing it up with another man. She needs sex and understanding. Rita is not a thinker - but has a natural cunning inherent among the lower classes. Pregnant when married, she expects much the same from her daughter. She is embarrassed when called upon to give evidence in court about her private life.

'MAUREEN WALKER: 15 years. Factory worker. She could be described by many people as a slut. Although outwardly hard there is still much of the little girl within her. She is unhappy that her family has crashed around her following the car accident her parents were involved in. After 6 months' pregnancy, there is a change in her character - she is quieter, more mature.

'TOM BOWEN: 21 years. Comes from a good lower class family. The boyfriend of Maureen Walker. He plays the passive role in this relationship and feels largely out of his depth when faced with the turmoil surrounding the Walker family.

'JUDITH JONES: 12 years. Budding womanhood. Outgoing and friendly.

'ANNE JONES: 8 years. (Sister of Judith). Product of a middle-class family. Tendency to shyness. Well mannered with a quiet nature. She remains bewildered by her sister's death of which she knows very little.

'MRS NELSON: About 45 years. Middle class, church-going suburban dweller. Tries to be helpful, but she doesn't understand what is expected of her. Quite genuine, if mundane, in her approach to life.

'CONSTABLE FRASER: About 30. Late-comer to the Force - about five years' service but earnest and ambitious. However, he is an officious person who enjoys the power of his uniform. Being involved in a murder case is an added bonus to his normal routine. Blunders in court.

'MR. CARTER: About 38 years. Respectable, executive-type, middle-class, family man. Emotional.

'JENNY CARTER: 10 years. A beautiful, innocent child. Slightly retarded - has the mind of a 5 year old. Loves people.

'JAMES MARTIN: About 26 years. Main line heroin addict. His speech and mannerisms are those of the "hip" generation - pop culture.

'LARRY HYLAND: About 24 years. A clean-cut youth, he is fastidious about his appearance. Nervous around police. Prone to acting without thinking. Has a record for interfering with young girls.

'GOVERNMENT PATHOLOGIST (MILLS): About 50 years. Thoroughly experienced about medicine and the law. A confident, easy going man. Accustomed to giving evidence in court.

'MARGARET HAYES (BODY): 12 years. A pretty girl.

'GIRL: 13 years. Innocent. Youthful figure. She has a young girlish sensuality about her. Few lines.

'UNIFORM POLICE INSPECTOR (GREEN): About 55 years. A stern, awe-inspiring figure. Military approach to his job, but with an understanding for children.

'UNIFORM POLICEMEN "A" AND "B": Stock types.

'UNIFORM POLICEMAN "C": About 26 years. Stock type. No lines.

'UNIFORM POLICEMAN "D": About 30 years. Stock type. No lines.

'TAXI DRIVER "A": Stock type.

'FOUR EXTRAS: Appear in line up.

'JUDGE: 60. Distinguished, experienced and highly respected Judge of the Victorian Supreme Court. Before his elevation to the bench, he was a Crown Prosecutor and he retains the patience and restraint of his former position. However, he has little time for dramatics from the Defence and will quickly counter if they overlap the mark. Note - he is an Australian, with a good, educated Australian accent, and in no way does he resemble the traditional English stereotype.

'JUDGE'S ASSOCIATE: 45-50. Tall and distinguished, stern-featured.

'CRIER:

'PROSECUTOR (MORRIS): Mid-40's. A thoroughly experienced Crown Law barrister. Acts with restraint and impartiality.

'SOLICITOR FOR THE PROSECUTION: About 40. Professional-looking type.

'DEFENCE COUNSEL (RANDALL): Late 40's. A thoroughly experienced criminal barrister with an impressive track record. His stature allows him to get away with minor dramatics but he only employs them when absolutely necessary (e.g. to unease a witness). Before the decision is made to plead insanity, he feels he has an uphill battle to get Walker off, but nevertheless fights aggressively and earnestly to do the best he can. He is much more confident and relaxed after the insanity decision.

'TAYLOR (SOLICITOR FOR THE DEFENCE): Mid-50's. Senior partner of a medium-sized city firm. A commercial lawyer specialising in insurance work, he has had relatively little experience in criminal law and is heavily reliant on Randall in this case. A sort of G.P. - specialist relationship, to use the medical analogy.

'SHORTHAND WRITER: Very efficient looking man or woman.

'PRISON OFFICER: Detached, unconcerned. Ready to have a joke out of court.

'UNIFORM POLICEMAN "E": Stock type. Appears in court scenes.

'JURORS: 11, including 3 women.

'"JURYMAN A": A not highly intelligent, round-faced man who enjoys being on the jury, and we feel that in private life he could often be irritating.

'MRS JONES: 35. Normally a strong woman, but the trial is a terrible ordeal.

'DR. FARRINGTON (PSYCHIATRIST): Late 30's. A man with impressive academic qualifications, but possibly a trifle ill equipped on the practical side. He has given evidence in criminal proceedings before, but not as frequently as the Government Pathologist.

'TAXI DRIVER "B": Stock type.'