Australian TV Plays: The Coastwatchers (24 April 1962)

The Coastwatchers (24 April 1962)

A docudrama television film about coastwatchers made in 1959 by producer Roger Mirams for Pacific Films. 60 mins.

It was a backdoor pilot for a TV series that did not eventuate. However Mirams later used the ideas for the series in Spyforce (1971–72).

It screened on the ABC on Anzac Day. Was this the first Australian TV play made "out of house" shown on the ABC?

Plot

In 1942, Australian coastwatcher Don Marshall, a local district officer, operates on a small island off New Guinea. He is entrusted with relaying information to Allied headquarters. Don works with a local assistant and he has a Chinese servant.

Don sees a Japanese cargo ship and takes down its details. He reports it to his nearest contact, Barrow, who forwards the infomation on to Allied Command. Barrow and another Australian, Bluey, say they've been under pressure from the local Japanese and may have to flee soon.

Don goes down to the beach to see what happens to the Japanese ship, while his radio battery recharges. Bluey picks up some dropped supplies, including plumb pudding. They listen to the radio as Allied air troops attack and destroy the Japanese ship. (This is done via documentary footage.)

While on the beach, and finds an islander has been killed by Japanese soldiers. Don reports to Barrow that the Japanese have arrived and he is leaving. He also says he is evacuating two plantation owners, Cotteril and Parkes. Barrow says the Japanese are closing in on him but promises to do what he can to evacuate the plantation owners. Barrow will only be listening in at certain times.

Cotteril is an arrogant planter who insists that Donbe is servant. Don is annoyed at the planters because they had a chance to leave a while ago. Parkes admits his daughter is on the island. A frustrated Don says if it wasn't for a the girl he would let them be trapped.

Don tells the locals to flee into the jungle and takes off just as the Japanese arrive at his house, throwing a grenade as he goes, killing some Japanese. The Japanese solders capture Don's Chinese servant and threaten him with death. They make the servant tell the Japanese officer where to find the Australian soldier. He gives the location of the wrong beach (Howard Beach, not White Beach).

Don arrives at a village to collect Parkes' daughter, Beth and they head to White Beach, but there is no boat. Don leaves them there to go to Hut Two to contact Barrow and find out what plans have been made for evacuation. By now the batteries of the radio are dead. Don gets through to Barrow, who cannot hear him because the signal is too weak. He tells Barrow that an evacuation can be arranged if things are safe.

Don need material to charge his battery. He decides to raid the remnants of the Japanese ship that was bombed to find bezene only to discover that the Japanese have already taken all the material. Don orders his islander pretend to help the Japanese to steal some benzene. Two of them do this. They retrieve the benzene, killing some Japanese.

Don calls Barrow and arranges a ship to pick them up. A furious Japanese officer arranges for the Chinese servant to be killed. Waiting on the beach, a panicked Cotteril says the boat is not coming and accuses Don of wanting his plantations. He steals a gun and decides to turn himself into the Japanese. Once he goes, Don decides to follow.

Cotterill tries to surrender. He almost shoots Don but is shot dead by Don's sergeant. The Japanese use Don's Chinese servant to lure out some islanders - this works and the servant is shot dead.

A battle ensues. Don is trapped with his sergeant by the Japanese. They call out asking for surrender. The sergeant surrenders then attacks the Japanese at the last minute, kills most of them before being mortally wounded. This enables Don to shoot the most senior Japanese officer. Before the officer dies, he shoots Don. This means Marshall cannot escape on the boat that comes to pick up the others. Don dies.

Cast

Ken Goodlet as Don Marshall
Philip Stainton as Cotteril
Kevin Colson as Barrow
Sadao ("Jimmy") Ohki as Japanese officer
Patricia Kerr as Beth Parkes
Peter Carver as Parkes
Tekarpul as Sergeant

Production

Roger Mirams had worked for a number of years in New Zealand. He moved to Australia to cover the 1956 Olympic Games and decided to stay. He established an Australian subsidiary of Pacific Films in Melbourne, in partnership with Chris Stewart Jim Davies. Pacific's first Australian series was The Coastwatchers.

In May 1960 Mirams reported he was looking for a Catalina boat for the series, which he planned to make in New Guinea. "In a series such as this, accuracy and authenticity are vital," said Mirams.

Mirams shot two half hour pilots for the series which was meant to go for 26 episodes. The scripts were written by John Sherman (1911-66). His imdb is here. He wrote a lot for Mirams - Magic Boomerang, Funny Things Happen Down Under, Adventures of Seaspray. He was Aussie but worked in UK in the 1950s. Wrote a thing called Hearts of Oak see here. Also a 1959 stage musical The Canary Cage (see here), the Burke and Wills film Return Journey.

Shooting took place on location in New Guinea over a three week period in June 1960. There are photos from the production in TV Times from June 1960 (see below). The unit left from Rabaul in late May 1960.

According to TV Times, GTV-9 paid half the cost of the series. Army, Navy and Air Force co operated by supplying guns and equipment. The war museum provided Japanese uniforms.

Jimmy Okhi was an American born Japanese. Other Japanese were played by various Chinese students from Hong Kong and Malaya. New Guinea locals played police boys, carriers and house boys.

It was made with the co operation of Naval Intelligence and the Royal Papuan Constabulary. Interiors would be shot in Melbourne. Newsreel footage was sued.

The pilot was entitled "Operation Plum Pudding".

Crew Director - Roger Mirams

My thoughts - a very good production. Full of action. Well intercut documentary. Exciting. This was a pilot? Ken Goodlet dies.

Screening

The episodes were screened before members of both Houses of Parliament in Canberra in December 1960 as an example of the sort of work Australian producers could do in television.

Mirams showed the episodes to Australian service chiefs in Canberra in March 1961.

Mirams sought finance to make 26 episodes but was not successful.

ABC Involvement

Charles Moses discussed the series in his Vincent evidence:

There are a number of worthwhile series-film propositions which have been put to us, well deserving of encouragement, but quite beyond our present resources. For example there was—

There are a number of worthwhile series-film propositions which have been put to us, well deserving of encouragement, but quite beyond our present resources. For example there was—
“’The Coast Watchers” (submitted by Roger Mirams). A well conceived and written half-hour series on the dramatic subject of Australian scouf-cum-guerilla activities in the South-West Pacific area at the time of the threatened Japanese invasion during World War U. Two pilots were made, and, on the judgment of those of us who saw them, they are definitely worth showing on A.B.C. television, apart from their value as an antidote to American material of more doubtful authenticity. Yet the minimum figure which Mr. Mirams felt he could accept per episode was well beyond the maximum figure we have paid for TV film material, and within our budget there was little possibility of reaching a financial compromise on this series.

He later said on p 94-95

A programme we would like to have done was “ The Coast Watchers ”, but that involved sending a film unit to New Guinea and various islands. It would have become a very expensive kind of thing, and for that reason we were unable to back it.

Roger Mirams said in the same hearing:

We made a one-hour drama named “ Coast Watcher ”which was an effort to break into the adult field. It was very well received in Australia and in America and England, but in England for a one-hour show they would not pay more than £400.

For the full U.K. rights?—Yes.

Were they not having you on a bit?—Probably they were. The position is that they can buy extremely cheaply because there is a lot of material available. When they buy films with a big star they have to pay more, but they can purchase an average film from between £800 to £1000. The pot of gold that film producers in this country think is just beyond the horizon does not exist. There is so much production in the film industry that you have to sell very cheaply to get in, even in countries where the population is much bigger than ours. Television stations here can purchase films from America for £1,000 that would cost
up to £8,000 to produce here. When considering the overseas market you have to exclude America, and you cannot obtain sufficient to cover production costs.

Reception

It screened on the ABC on Anzac Day in Melbourne and the night before Anzac Day in Sydney.

Was this the first Australian TV play made "out of house" shown on the ABC?

Famous coastwatcher Reg Evans, who helped save the life of John F. Kennedy, was shown a preview and said the show was "authentic in detail and an excellent portrayl of how things were for coast watching service.^"

The Age said "photography is striking and the story, leading to an action-filled climax, has a wide appeal."

A reviewer from the same paper said it "was a brave try which carried considerable impact, held attention to the last and obviously was lovingly and proudly produced... an example of what Australian commercial enterprise can do... the action was sustained in a cat and mouse story that was good mass appeal stuff."

TV Times liked it.

Frank Thring in TV Week thought it had some good acting and excitement but thought it tok took long to get going.