Billy Sloane's school principal describes him as sloppy, shoddy, unpunctual, and uncooperative, but also infuriatingly truthful. Things aren't going to well for Billy, though. It's exam time at school and his mother is dying in hospital. His father has taken in a lady 'friend' to look after him and the police are looking for his brother Jack in connection with a string of armed robberies. The only bright light in Billy's life is a sick pigeon he has found and is caring for. At least it's something he can write passionately about in his English exam. But then he's pulled out of class to be grilled about his brother by a detective. Billy's honesty is about to be put to the test.
This published script is an early version of 'Fowl for Dinner,' the first episode of the Seven Little Australians mini-series. It was written in 1970, some three years before the series was first broadcast by the ABC. While much of both the storyline and dialogue from Witcombe's original script remains in the later episode, there are also a number of alterations. These include cuts, additions, and re-ordering of scenes or parts of scenes.
Episodes one and four from the first season of Bellbird are published in Close Up: Scripts from Australian Television's Second Decade. Editors Don Reid and Frank Bladwell provide a summary of the episodes:
Episode 1: Melbourne teacher Michael Foley sells his house and leaves the city in his Rolls Royce to live in the country township of Bellbird. Lori Chandler, a librarian, has agreed to take him in as a boarder at her property, Bellbird Station. The local P and C committee members find this immoral, however, and demand she renege on her decision. Meanwhile, Glenda Chan, a young Chinese woman, is being pressured to sell her house by local real-estate agent Charles Kozane, who uses Jack Baker, an old friend of the Chans', as his cover. Baker currently tends the garden for Glenda. She is informed that not only is the garden on council land but her family has also been squatting on land originally bought by Lori Chandler's grandfather. Kozane knows that Lori won't sell the land while Glenda still lives in the house, and is attempting to convince her to take Jack's 'generous' offer.
Includes script of episode 4.
Episodes one and four from the first season of Bellbird are published in Close Up: Scripts from Australian Television's Second Decade. Editors Don Reid and Frank Bladwell provide a summary of the episodes:
Episode 4: Michael Foley's presence as the new teacher, his living arrangements, and his car become topics of interest within the town. While Mrs Lang finds the whole situation a lot of fuss about nothing, she is nevertheless determined that her daughter will have nothing further to do with Tony Buckland. Charles Kozane invites Foley to his office to apologise for his behaviour, but then asks him to help convince Lori that she shouldn't get involved with the 'Chinese' problem. Kozane is disappointed when Foley not only insists he has no plans to get involved in anything or with anybody in this 'god-forsaken burg,' but also openly criticises his 1920s' Chicago-style methods. The episode ends with Glenda informing Lori about Kozane's attempts to get her out of the house. Lori exclaims with savage bitterness, 'Charlie Kozane! Of all the Grade A stinkers! Charlie Kozane!'
Includes script of episode 1.
Includes two photographic stills from the original ABC broadcast.
In Focus : Scripts from Commercial Television's Second Decade
Don Reid
(editor),
Frank Bladwell
(editor),
South Melbourne
:
Macmillan Australia
English Teachers Association of New South Wales
,
1972
Z1380866
1972
anthology
screenplay
A selection of Australian television scripts from the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some of these had been fully developed at the time of publication (including directions and camera directions), while others were still waiting to be produced and hence contain dialogue and directions that were undergoing development.
