person or book cover
Screen cap from opening credits
form y separately published work icon I, Mick O'Byrne single work   film/TV   crime  
Issue Details: First known date: 1969... 1969 I, Mick O'Byrne
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.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

The script (which follows the escape and subsequent re-capture of two Pentridge prisoners) bears a strong resemblance to the events surrounding the escape from Pentridge Prison of Ronald Ryan and Peter Walker and the subsequent execution of Ryan.

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

'MICHAEL XAVIER O'BYRNE Early 40's, preferably not tall, medium build, must be active. Mick O'Byrne, gaol escapee, is an egotist, becoming in his own mind, invincible. Able to drive.

'JOHN REYNOLDS Early 20's, preferably taller than O'Byrne, good-looking, well built. Reynolds is the other escapee. He's young and bewildered by the killing of the warder, bewildered by the intensity of the hunt, but most of all, bewildered by O'Byrne's manner. He comes to believe O'Byrne's self-publicity, looks up to him almost as a father. Able to drive.

'MAY CROSSWAY 25 to 30. Not beautiful, but cunning, knowing. She resigns herself to the presence of the escapees.

'BETTY KEMP About 25, more attractive than May. But dumb.

'CONST. REYNOLDS About 20, but looking younger than this. Const. Reynolds is the escapee's brother. He's painfully young, patently nervous.

'FRANK WRIGHT About 30, preferably stocky. He's a working man, good natured, dogmatic. Able to drive.

'BLACKIE About 50, disreputable-looking, cunning as a fox.

'HERBIE About 40, a small-time crim, un-prepossessing. Pretty dumb.

'THREE WARDERS

'HANGMAN Aged 40-50. Strong, calm face.

'BANK MANAGER Fussy - somewhat timid.

'CLIENT (MALE) About 35.

'BANK TELLER

'CUSTOMER (MALE) About 22.

'OLD WOMAN Refined old layd [sic] - "well-off".

'TWO YOUNG WOMEN

'(ESCAPE)

'TWO MEN AND A WOMAN, ALL MIDDLE-AGED

'NEWSCASTER

'HOUSEHOLDER Man, aged about 40.'

Exhibitions

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

      1969 .
      person or book cover
      Script cover page (Crawford Collection at the AFI Research Collection)
      Extent: 69p.
      (Manuscript) assertion
      Note/s:
      • The script is labelled 'Episode GQ', with '211' added in ink.
      • The copy of the script in the Crawford Collection is the director's copy, with 'David Lee' written in the top right-hand corner of the cover page.
      • The final page includes a list of crew credits:

        Written by John Dingwall.
        Edited by Jim Stapleton.
        Typed by Hilary Burgess, Margaret Younger, Shirley Ballard, Christine Rook.
        Checked by Hilary Burgess, Margaret Younger, Shirley Ballard, Christine Rook.
        Duplicated by Pino Amenta.

        The space below this for 'Producer's Remarks' has been left blank.

      • The script shows no signs of annotations (other than on the cover page).

      Holdings

      Held at: AFI Research Collection
      Local Id: SC HOM : 211
Last amended 10 May 2021 15:36:02
Subjects:
  • Pentridge Prison, Coburg, Brunswick - Coburg area, Melbourne - North, Melbourne, Victoria,
Newspapers:
    Powered by Trove
    X