John McCallum John McCallum i(A112591 works by)
Born: Established: 14 Mar 1918 Brisbane, Queensland, ; Died: Ceased: 4 Feb 2010 Sydney, New South Wales,
Gender: Male
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Works By

Preview all
1 form y separately published work icon Bailey's Bird John McCallum , Ross Napier , Ted Roberts , ( dir. Peter Maxwell et. al. )agent Australia : Woomera Productions Seven Network , 1979 Z1820867 1979 series - publisher film/TV adventure

Bailey's Bird followed the adventures of a pilot and his teenage son, running a one-plane airline in Southeast Asia. According to Moran, in his Guide to Australian TV Series, the series partook of some of the elements of John McCallum's earlier productions for Fauna Productions, 'except that the locale was the waterways, jungles and villages of South-East Asia rather than an Australian national park complete with kangaroos and other native fauna. Nevertheless the series again had a young boy, father and others much in the "kidult" formula of Skippy, with a series of familiar narrative situations.'

An international co-production, the program didn't match the success of Skippy: according to Moran, 'By the late 1970s, adventure narratives even of the kidult variety were no longer being made in 30-minute units, so that Bailey's Bird could only be screened in children's viewing time.'
1 y separately published work icon Life with Googie John McCallum , London : Heinemann , 1979 Z1643568 1979 single work biography
1 form y separately published work icon Boney and the Burial Tree Eric Paice , ( dir. John McCallum ) Australia : Fauna Productions , 1973 Z1459022 1973 single work film/TV When a white man is shot and 'buried' Aboriginal-style in a tree, Inspector Bonaparte and Constable McGorr are sent to investigate. However, nobody on the outback property where the body was found will admit having seen the dead man, although he was watching the homestead from his nearby camp. Boney also has to deal with a fanatical Army officer out to avenge the death of his mate. When the officer captures McGorr, Boney's skills and ingenuity are tested to the full.
1 form y separately published work icon Barrier Reef Joy Cavill , Lee Robinson , Brian Faull , John McCallum , Ted Roberts , Ross Napier , Ron McLean , Michael Wright , Peter Maxwell , ( dir. Peter Maxwell et. al. )agent 1971 Norfolk Island : Fauna Productions Network Ten , 1971-1972 Z1638546 1971 series - publisher film/TV

Set on far north Queensland's Great Barrier Reef, this adventure series revolves around a scientific search and recovery team working for General Trust Corporation (GTC), a large Australian industrial and pastoral group. Led by Captain Ted King and his first mate and diving expert Jack Meuraki (a Thursday Islander), the team of scientists and divers are also often required to carry out missions for the government. The team is highly proactive with regard to conservation and vehemently opposed to any type of exploitation of the Reef.

The centre of operations for the team is a 135-foot windjammer named the New Endeavour. The ship also houses a sophisticated piece of electronic equipment called Minus Five (Mineral Identification Nuclear Undersea Seismography Mark V), which the Endeavour team affectionately call 'Grandma,' after the line in 'Little Red Riding Hood': 'What big eyes you have!' Specifically developed for General Trust projects, Grandma serves a number of functions, including providing accurate geological analyses of the seabed and the earth below it. Though Grandma plays a vital role in the various missions and adventures that ensue, the machine's presence must be kept secret, since GTC and the Federal Government are concerned that foreign political and commercial interests might attempt to get hold of the technology (which includes, for example, the ability to locate mineral deposits or sunken wrecks with valuable cargo).

1 form y separately published work icon The Nickel Queen Ghost Town Millionairess John McCallum , Joy Cavill , Henry C. James , ( dir. John McCallum ) Sydney : Woomera Productions , 1971 Z1471839 1971 single work film/TV Based on an original story by Henry C. James and Anneka James, The Nickel Queen's narrative revolves around Meg Blake, who owns a pub in the West Australian outback. After she stakes a claim to an area where nickel is found, an American mining company buys her out on the condition that she not sell her company shares for a year, thereby giving the company's head an opportunity to make false reports and overvalue the shares. Meg lives it up with a gigolo for a while before settling down with a long-time admirer.
1 8 form y separately published work icon Skippy Lee Robinson , Dennis Hill , Ross Napier , Ted Roberts , Joy Cavill , Lee Robinson , Denys Burrows , Ed Devereaux , Moya Wood , Carol Odell , Joan Levy , Rae Glasser , Warren Glasser , James Workman , Tony Booth , J. Benn Darrow , Dennis Hill , Creswick Jenkinson , Michael Wright , Maureen Walsh , Scotty Denholm , Suzanne Baker , Peter Finnane , Peter Kay , Kay Keavney , John McCallum , Will Pryor , Ron Taylor , Margaret Trist , John Warwick , Rene Devereaux , Alex McDonald , Phyllis McLean , Ron McLean , Richard Raper , Stephen Rhodes , Martyn Sanderson , Valerie Taylor , Albie Thoms , Alan Veitch , Brian Wright , Stewart A. Fist , Bill Lambert , Harry Woollerton , ( dir. Eric Fullilove et. al. )agent 1966 Australia : Nine Network Fauna Productions , 1968-1970 Z1624851 1966 series - publisher film/TV

Set in the fictional Waratah National Park (NSW), the Skippy series focuses largely on the adventures of a young boy, Sonny Hammond, and his intelligent pet kangaroo, Skippy. Sonny is the youngest child of Head Ranger Matt Hammond. Matt was left a widower in his early forties when his wife Mary died not long after Sonny was born. Other principal characters are Sonny's older brother Mark, Flight Ranger Jerry King (the park's helicopter pilot), and Ranger Clancy Merrick, the teenage daughter of another park ranger.

X