AustLit

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.

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'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.

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'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.

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'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.'