person or book cover
Script cover page (Crawford Collection at the AFI Research Collection)
form y separately published work icon The Burribri Bunyip single work   film/TV   crime  
Issue Details: First known date: 1974... 1974 The Burribri Bunyip
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

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

'INGRID SHCNEIDER [sic]: Ingrid is a "loner". In her early 20's She [sic] has come to terms with her self-imposed isolation. In the presence of those she does not know well she withdraws completely-except in the case of Andy. With him, because of his reticence, she has an immediate affinity.

'MR SCHNIEDER: Ingrid's father. He also has condemned himself to a life of loneliness but unlike his daughter he is not uneasy in the presence of others. He is a determined man and would never shirk a responsibility or dodge a fight. His accent is only very slight and his exactness in speech is probably the most obvious clue to his German background.

'ROY MARTIN: About 40, a bit of a born loser. He has never made it as a farmer or anything else for that matter. His slovenliness is mirrored in the state of his farm, his equipment, even in his philosophy of life and outlook.

'MURRAY SLATER: A farmer, about Martin's age, who has managed to make a go of things. He likes to take things easy and enjoys nothing more than a day (or night) out with the boys.

'Car driving required.

'COL TURNER: A little older than Martin and Slater. He likes to crack a joke. He has a generous mid section that laughs with him at his own and others' quips.

'VERN HORTON: A farmer like his mates. He is the quiet one of the group. He sees the world through slightly more serious eyes than his friends. he [sic] is the oldest of the hunters.

'ANDY: Old, wiry and tough. He has a beard. His only real mate is his dog. It is not that the world has rejected him, he got in first and rejected it. He is not usually given to talking but does open up a bit to a kindred soul like Ingrid.

'NELL KENNEDY: Established character.

'RENE MARTIN: She has lived with her husband, Roy, long enough to have grown into his slovenly ways. She dressed untidily (as much through economic necessity as through choice.) and probably has a bit of a weight problem.

'EDGAR: The town drunk. An established character.

'DELIVERY MAN: Like all country mail and delivery men, always late and always on the run.

'Car driving required.

'FARMER'S WIFE Probably old and excitable - she is only seen in silhouette.

'DOG'.



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: see The Writer in Australian Television History.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

      1974 .
      person or book cover
      Script cover page (Crawford Collection at the AFI Research Collection)
      Extent: 47p.
      (Manuscript) assertion
      Note/s:
      • The file holds two copies of the script, both copied on a combination of pink and white paper, and labelled 'Episode M12N (04456)' on the cover page. Neither cover page gives any indication of to whom these copies of the scripts were designated.
      • Neither copy of the script shows any signs of annotation.
      • The file also contains ancillary material relating to this episode (access to some of which is restricted), including:
        1. Cast list.
        2. Rehearsal schedule (three-and-a-half pages, annotated in red ink).
        3. Casting call sheets.
        4. Shooting schedules.

      Holdings

      Held at: AFI Research Collection
      Local Id: SC MAT : 181
    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Crawford Productions ; Network Ten , 1975 .
      Extent: 47 min. 41 secs (according to the script)p.
      Series: form y separately published work icon Matlock Police Terry Stapleton , Ian Jones , Everett de Roche , Ian Jones , Terry Stapleton , Keith Hetherington , Patrick Edgeworth , Tom Hegarty , Douglas Tainsh , Graeme Koetsveld , Peter A. Kinloch , Sonia Borg , Don Battye , Robert Caswell , George T. Miller , Gwenda Marsh , Cliff Green , Vince Moran , Luis Bayonas , David William Boutland , Phil Freedman , Keith Thompson , Denise Morgan , C.F. Barnes , Robert Bruce , Alan Cram , Vern Perry , Martin Robbins , John Dingwall , George Mallaby , Jim Stapleton , Simon Wincer , Melbourne Australia : Crawford Productions Network Ten , 1971-1976 Z1638563 1971 series - publisher film/TV detective crime

      The Matlock Police series (originally simply titled Matlock) was commissioned from Crawford Productions by ATV-0, in response to the popularity of rival-network police dramas such as Homicide and Division 4. Crawford's was initially reluctant to create another police series, but ATV-0 pressured the company for some time. Eventually, Ian Jones and Terry Stapleton devised the concept of a regional (Victorian) police series to provide viewers with something different. The more relaxed atmosphere of the country-town setting also allowed the writers to delve into the private lives of the main characters, rather than focusing heavily on big-city organised crime. In this respect, the series was situated somewhere between Homicide/Division 4 and Bellbird. The series did, however, cover typical rural policing, including such issues as break and enters, domestic issues, itinerant workers, brawls, petty crime and robberies, road accidents, the occasional homicide, and cattle rustling. On other occasions, the Matlock police also assisted Melbourne police in locating criminals on the run (among other problems). The idea behind the show was to reflect the causes of crime in a small community and show the effects on both the community and the officers themselves.

      The fictional town of Matlock (loosely based on Shepparton in Victoria) is situated inland on the Central Highway, approximately 160 kilometres north of Melbourne. Although the town's population is only seventeen thousand, this increases to around seventy-five thousand when the district is included. The Matlock Police Station is typical of a Victorian country town, with a Uniform Branch and a Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB). The CIB is headed by Detective Sergeant Vic Maddern, who grew up in the Matlock district and is an accomplished bushman. Second in command is Detective Allan Curtis, aged in his mid-twenties. Previously from Melbourne, Curtis has just been sent to his first country posting (against his will) when the series begins. Head of the Uniform Branch is Sergeant Bert Kennedy, an Englishman who migrated to Australia in 1950. A thorough but also easy-going man with a good sense of humour, Kennedy is married to Nell and enjoys the country life in Matlock, so much so that he has knocked back promotion to avoid moving to Melbourne. Several constables are attached to the Uniform Branch, but the most prominent is a motorcycle cop, Constable Gary Hogan, who performs a wide variety of duties. Hogan is about thirty, a friendly, easy-going person who grew up in the country and is always willing to help in whatever work is going.

      Number in series: 181
Last amended 30 May 2013 15:38:36
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