form y separately published work icon King Hit single work   film/TV   crime  
Issue Details: First known date: 1975... 1975 King Hit
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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):

'MALCOLM NEWSON: Middle twenties. Tall. A young man with a dream. An English migrant who dislikes the person he was in London. Who sees himself as a strong outdoors man. Dresses in western style. Collects cowboy paperbacks. Affects a slow walk, a slow talk.

'ROLLAND: Middle sixties. Sheep station owner. Determined to be youthful and energetic. Drives himself and drinks like a younger man. Fears old age.

'BILLIE STREET: Twenty. Rolland's grand-daughter. Extremely "country-minded", but longs to live in the city. She feels no great affection or closeness for Rolland. Very healthy and attractive. A natural feminine guile, but insecure and anxious. A lonely person.

'NEIL TURNER: Twenties. A big bull of a man. Neil can eat more, lift more, work harder and longer than other men. A driving compensation for his overpowering, deep seated cowardice. In very thick with -

'TED SANDERS: Early thirties. A hard bitten, hard drinking man. Broken nose. Big knuckles. Tough wirey muscular arms. A definite sense of threat and dominance from him. He seems to have little time for anyone except Neil. And that includes himself.

'DAN PRESTON: Late twenties. Fair haired, fit country type who takes a simple view of most things. Easy going and doesn't care for trouble.

'KEN EWINS: Thirty. A tough man who has worked since he was twelve. Confident in his movements. A country shrewdness. Selfish. Always considers number one.

'STATION PORTER: Gnomish. Forty. Bored.'

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

    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Crawford Productions ; Network Ten , 1975 .
      Extent: 48 min. 40 secs (according to the cover page: an annotation next to this in blue felt pen reads '52.03')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: 206
      1975 .
      person or book cover
      Script cover page (Crawford Collection at the AFI Research Collection)
      Extent: 61p.
      (Manuscript) assertion
      Note/s:
      • The script is copied on a combination of pink and white paper, and labelled 'Episode 04490' on the cover page. In the top right-hand corner of the cover page in black felt pen is the notation 'Director'.
      • The script's cover page indicates that the episode was filmed between 14/4/75 and 18/4/75 (film) and 22/4/75 and 24/4/75 (live).

        The cover page also includes a list of the following crew members:

        Director: Marek Kaniewski.

        First assistant director: Tom Burstall.

        Cameraman: Barry Wilson.

        Sound recordist: Philip Sterling.

        Continuity: Julie Miller.

        Make-up: Sally Gordon.

        Unit manager: Max Addison.

        Production assistant: Helen Molnar.

        Floor manager: Graeme Wright.

      • The script is is annotated throughout in blue ink, black felt pen, lead pencil, and red felt pen. Alterations include the deletion and reinstatement of scenes (see, for example, page 45), camera instructions and other directorial notes, music cues, and the blocking of scenes (in sketches on the blank back of pages). There are some minor alterations to the dialogue (see, for example, page 8), but these are in the minority of alterations.
      • Script is held in a manila folder labelled first (in blue felt pen) 'Directors script / Ep. 04490 / "King Hit" / U.T.R. 23.4.175' and under this (in red felt pen and blue ink) 'BUZZ TRACKS / THE APPROPRIATE BUZZ TRACKS TO BE PUT OVER ALL LIVE SCENES'.

      Holdings

      Held at: AFI Research Collection
      Local Id: SC MAT : 206
Last amended 30 May 2013 15:42:19
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