AP#2.5 - The Attack (17 Jul 1967)

Set during a civil war.

Premise

An Australian oil company is located in an unnamed country facing a rebellion. An outpost for the  company comes under attack. Lt Marshall leads the mercenaries defending the Australians. Yvette is a local nurse.  Dr Anamba is called to look after an injured executive, Jan. The doctor helps him but Lt Marshall shoots him.

Yvette is shot dead by Lt Marshall.

Cast

• Jeffrey Hodgson as Joe Lawson
• Telford Jackson as Sam Parker
• George Mallaby as Lt Marshall
  
• Anne Charleston as Yvette
• Brian James as Dr Anamba
  
• Peter Drake as Jan
  

Production

It was written by Kenneth Hayles and produced and directed by James Davern. Set design - Gunars Jurjans. Lighting - Leigh Hardy. Technical production - Robert Forster. It was shot in Melbourne.

According to ABC records it was filmed on 21 November 1966.

 

The Age TV Guide 13 July 1967

 

SMH TV Guide 21 Aug 1967

The Age TV Guide 17 July 1967

Review in Filmink

The Attack (first broadcast 17 July, 1967)

This was written by Kenneth Hayles and directed by James Davern, who is best known for creating A Country Practice. It’s an action-adventure tale set in a strife-riddled unnamed foreign country where workers for an Australian petrol company (Telford Jackson, Jeffrey Hodgson) have come under attack from rebel forces; the mercenary soldier in charge of defending the workers (George Mallaby) is convinced a local nurse (Anne Charleston) is friendly with the rebels.

I think the country is meant to be located in South-East Asia – there is what looks like yellow face make-up on Brian James, who plays a local doctor, and there are allusions to Anne Charleston, who plays the mixed race nurse, being of French and Asian heritage; possibly, this means the setting is Vietnam or Laos. (Australian TV dramas of the 1960s were occasionally set in Asia… Cobwebs in Concrete, which I have previously reviewed, had scenes in Bali while Shadow on the Wall concerned the North Vietnamese.)

The cast include two future icons of Australian television using wacky accents as non-Aussies… the aforementioned Anne (Neighbours) Charleston and George (Cop Shop, Homicide, The Box) Mallaby. The best performance comes from Hodgson as an Australian in love with Charleston. Best moment: Mallaby shoots Charleston in the back while she is running away, which has mad Crawfords vs Grundys vibes.

The Attack feels like a piece that really should have run for an hour to properly explore all its themes and characters, but it is lively and interesting to watch. The death toll is very high.