form y separately published work icon Chain Reaction single work   film/TV   crime  
Issue Details: First known date: 1972... 1972 Chain Reaction
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

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

'FRED BAKER: Late 30's. Gullible. Is his own worst enemy. Would believe that he is the victim of "bad luck" not realising that he makes his own, most of the time. A man who needs the security of a family and a regular job.

'JEAN BAKER: Thirties. Quite attractive. Has lost any respect for her husband some time ago. She looks up to Jack O'Brien as a real man. Drives a car.

'JACK O'BRIEN: Late 30's. Genuinely in love with Jean Baker, and fond of her children. This affair is no casual thing - and he hopes to marry her. Drives a car.

'ALEC BELL: Mid-thirties. Noveau Riche. Smooth confident man who might occasionally show his humble origins. Too well-dressed, sleeve cuffs showing perhaps overdoes it with a handkerchief in top pocket. He smiles easily. Would be successful in any business that required synthetic charm, and bundles of enthusiasm. To him success means more personal possessions. He loves his car, which is an expensive imported one (plot point) tends to be pleasant only to people he needs.

'JOE EVANS: About the same age as Fred Baker. They would have known each other since school days. Joe is the salt of the earth, always willing to give a mate a hand. Confirmed bachelor, with a cynical view of women. If he ever needed a woman - he'd pay for her.

'GEORGE EVANS: Late thirties. A naturally cautious man who is finally taken in by Bell's salesmanship. An ordinary everyday person who would never make a salesman, though the idea of having his own business appeals to him.

'SHIRLEY EVANS: Mid-thirties. Simple soul who is readily taken in by Bell's charm. The thoughts of the riches to come, blind her to the realities of Bell's scheme.

'(ANN BAKER: 7 years.

'(MARIE BAKER: 9-10 years. (Only a few lines. Fred and Jean's two children).

'POLICE CONSTABLE (UNIFORMED): Few lines.

'TWO EXTRA POLICE CONSTABLES (UNIFORMED):

'TWO YOUTHS: Teenagers (one scene).

'MOTORIST: One scene. No lines.

'FOUR EXTRAS: Bell's meeting.

'2 AMBULANCE MEN: Actuals. One scene.'

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

Note: According to Storey, Jacob was credited as director and Pulbrook as film director.
    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Crawford Productions ; Network Ten , 1972 .
      Extent: 44 min. 5 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: 82
      1972 .
      person or book cover
      Script cover page (Crawford Collection at the AFI Research Collection)
      Extent: 66p.
      (Manuscript) assertion
      Note/s:
      • The Crawford Collection holds two copies of the script, both copied on pink paper and labelled 'Episode 5E' on the cover page. Neither copy of the script gives any indication of to whom these copy of the script were designated.
      • There are no signs of further annotation on either copy of the script.
      • The file contains the following ancillary material, access to some of which is restricted:
        1. Cast list.
        2. Casting call sheets.

      Holdings

      Held at: AFI Research Collection
      Local Id: SC MAT : 82
Last amended 30 May 2013 15:24:13
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