person or book cover
Script cover page (from the Crawford Collection at the AFI Research Collection)
form y separately published work icon Two to One Against single work   film/TV   crime  
Issue Details: First known date: 1973... 1973 Two to One Against
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 held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'PETE EDWARDS: Early thirties. Attractive to women. Well educated. Enjoys the money his work brings him. Whilst constantly bantering with Terry, they still, basically get on well. [sic] Likes the birds and the booze.

'TERRY EDWARDS: Early thirties. Similar to Pete in many ways. They have known each other all their lives and can almost read each other's mind. His weakness is gambling. Whilst they have a close relationship there is nothing camp about these two. Both very hetero. They trade wisecracks without a smile. Must drive.

'STANLEY REYNOLDS: Fifties. Apparently well to do businessman. Married late in life after spending his formative years making money, not too ethically. Latterly he has squandered thousands on gambling. He is a cold, calculating man and quite well preserved for his age. Must drive.

'MADELEINE REYNOLDS: Late twenties. Marrying Stanley gave her the financial stability, her [sic] background had fitted her for. A gentle, attractive pleasing personality, she loves her husband dearly. She has no knowledge of his business methods and gambling losses.

'BOBBY GREEN: Gold plated bitch.

'VINCENT GREEN: Her pompous, rich husband.

'RECEPTIONIST: Early twenties. Attractive.

'DRUNK: Fifties. Rough appearance. Lines.

'CROUPIER: 30 - 40. Smooth, slick. Only calls bets. Lines.

'MAN AND WOMAN: (A passionate illicit relationship. Early 30's) Lines.

'ATTRACTIVE GIRL: Early twenties.

'3 GAMBLING EXTRAS: Well to do people. 40 - 50's.

'2 HOTEL EXTRAS: Any age. No lines.

'BARMAN: No lines.

'DOG: Must bark and growl to order.'

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

      1973 .
      person or book cover
      Script cover page (from the Crawford Collection at the AFI Research Collection)
      Extent: 64p.
      (Manuscript) assertion
      Note/s:
      • The Crawford Collection contains two copies of the script, both copied on pink paper and labelled 'Episode 10A' on the cover page. Both are labelled 'Co-ord' in black ink in the upper right-hand corner of their cover pages.
      • Neither copy of the script shows any signs of annotation after the cover page.
      • The file does not contain any ancillary material.

      Holdings

      Held at: AFI Research Collection
      Local Id: SC MAT : 144
    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Crawford Productions ; Network Ten , 1974 .
      Extent: 48min, 46 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: 144
Last amended 30 May 2013 15:31:40
X