The series was made in 1963, but was not shown in Sydney until 1965, airing on Channel Ten on Friday nights at 7.30. It was announced in April 1965.
An episode appears to have aired on Thursday, 30 September 1965.
It was not seen in Melbourne until 1968, where it started 15 September. It sold to Canadian television and screened there in 1965.
Moya Wood talked to Susan Lever about it. She returned to Oz in 1962.
I got a job working in a big advertising agency just as a dogsbody, it was such a boring job, to do with television commercials, I don’t know it was just a very boring job. But a girl in that company was the sister of Joy Cavill who was co-producer with Lee Robinson and Lee Robinson was producing a television series for Channel 0 where Brian Wright was the person that they were dealing with. Anyway they were producing this half hour television series called Adventure Unlimited which was a very extravagant thing. It was funded by Bonds, Chesty Bonds singlet people, but they shot them in New Guinea and Northern Territory and all over the place and they were coming to the end of this. But Lee used to be away on location a lot; Joy was always away on location. But Lee used to have to come back and he used to have to do these reports for the people that were funding him. And this sister of Joy Cavill worked in this advertising agency and she used to leave work sometimes at five o’clock and go and do this three or four hour stint for Lee taking dictation and doing these reports for him. And I knew that as she used to talk about it, how she had to go and get Lee out of the Royal George pub, have to go there to get started on work and Lee would be over the road in the pub, take his time. Anyway she did that for a while and then one night she couldn’t go and she asked me would I go and I did and I finished up doing that part-time job because Rita was sick of it. So about once a week I’d go and do this stuff. Eventually when they were in post production and they were laying off crew there was a lot of work for Lee to do so he was looking for somebody permanently so that’s when I went there. I did all sorts of other bits and pieces, I did a bit of continuity on a doco they were doing and a few other things.
History
WaratahFilms was founded in January 1963.
Episode 1 - "Summer Affair" (10 Dec 1965 Syd)
Directed by Ken Hannam, written by Michael Plant and Evan Green. Filmed by Carl Kayser and Ron Taylor.
Set on Hayman Island. A drama involving a rich heiress, her husband and a pretty young singer.
Cast - Tom Oliver, Clarissa Kaye, Ron Haddrick, Gabrielle Hartley
Episode 2 - "The Witness" (5 Nov 1965 Syd)
Written by Joy Cavill, directed by Robin Lovejoy (courtesy Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust). assoc prod Joy Cavill, exec producer H McIntyre.
Set in Papua New Guinea – a nun from a Roman Catholic mission on the upper Sepik River was the witness to a murder in Sydney years before, and her testimony could result in a conviction. The story centres around plots to kill her while the police try to bring her back to testify.
Cast: Owen Weingott (Det Sgt Hamilton), Janette Craig (Sister Francesca), Robert McDarra (Father Raymond), Don Philps (Inspector), Bell Meek (Sister Ingatious), Mike Maxwell (Patrol Officer Jennings)
supervising editor - G. Turney Smith, sound -
Alan Allen, sound editor - Ken Malcolm, music - Bruce Finlay, Casting director - Gloria Payten, Production manager - George E. Hughes, Director of photography - Carl
Kayser, Camera operator - Bill Grimmond, Location recording - John
Heath, Casting director - Gloria Payten, assistant director - Frants
Folmer, chief electrician - Tex Foote, properties - Eric Wenban, Chief grip - Charlie Key, wardrobe - Barbara
Turnbull, make up - Peggy Carter, continuity - Lyn McEncroe. Produced with the valuable co operation of Bishop Aakfeldt, Wewak and Bishop Noser, Madang and under the guidance and assistance of the Fathers ofthe Roman Catholic Missions at Marienberg and Madang, New Guinan.
Episode 3 - "Adventure Unlimited" (22 Oct 1965 Syd)
Directed by Robin Lovejoy (courtesy Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust). Written by D'arcy Niland. Exec producer H.C. McIntyre. Produced by Lee Robinson.
Set on the Great Barrier reef – two divers are commissioned by a steel company to survey the sands of a section of coast for limestone in the sands – the area is full of sharks and divers go on a shark killing spree when a strange boat turns up with armed men on board. The men steal the divers' boat and proceed to hunt them. The divers ambush them on their own boat and take them prisoner. It turns out they are bringing in illegal aliens.
The episode was reviewed in the Sydney Morning Herald. Kylie Tennant said "besides being dull it was slow."
Cast: Murray Rose as Snow Johansen, Richard Meikle as Frank Bailey, Alexander Cann as Captain, Peter Williams as Williams, Wal Gibbins as Wally, Ray Teale as Murphy
Production manager - George E. Hughes, Director of photography - Carl Kayser, Camera operator - Bill Grimmond, Location recording - John Heath, Casting director - Gloria Payten, assistant director - Frants Folmer, chief electrician - Tex Foote, properties - Eric Wenban, Chief grip - Charlie Key, wardrobe - Barbara Turnbull, make up - Peggy Carter, continuity - Lyn McEncroe, unit manager - Ken Avery, supervising editor - G. Turney Smith, editor - Don Saunders, sound - Alan Allen, sound editor - Ken Malcolm, music - Bruce Finlay, underwater photogaphy - Ron Taylor, technical adviser - Wally Gibbins. Waratah Film Production produced at Supreme Sounds Studio, Sydney Australia.
 |
| SMH 5 March 1963 |
Episode 4 – "The Coastwatcher" (19 Nov 1965 Syd)
Directed by Ken Hannam. Written by Walter Brooksbank from the official narrative of Arthur Reginald Evans. Assoc prod Joy Cavill. Exec produ H.C. McIntyre. Produced by Lee Robinson.
The story of coast watcher Arthur Reginald Evans (Fred Parslow), who helped safe the lives of John F. Kennedy and the PT 109 crew after their boat was sliced in two by a Japanese destroyed in the Bracket Strait.
supervising editor - G. Turney Smith, editor - Don Saunders, sound -
Alan Allen, sound editor - Ken Malcolm, music - Bruce Finlay, Production manager - George E. Hughes, Director of photography - Carl
Kayser, Camera operator - Bill Grimmond, Location recording - John
Heath, Casting director - Gloria Payten, assistant director - Frants
Folmer, chief electrician - Tex Foote, properties - Eric Wenban, Chief
grip - Charlie Key, wardrobe - Barbara Turnbull, make up - Peggy Carter,
continuity - Lyn McEncroe, unit manager - Ken Avery. Produced with the co operation of the Royal Australian Navy, the Department of the Army, the Department of Territories, and the kind permission of Mr J.F. Kennedy, President of the United States of America.
Episode 5 – "Crocodile" (29 Oct 1965 Syd, 15 Sept 1968 Melb)
Written by Lee Robinson Directed by Robin Lovejoy (courtesy of Elizabethan Theatre Trust). Assoc producer - Joy Cavill. Exec producer - H.C. McIntyre . Producer - Lee Robinson.
For weeks two crocodile hunters, Bob and XXX, are on the trail of Melangie ("the evening star"), a giant crocodile valued at £500 if it can be captured alive for a zoo. The plans go astray when three American women tourists arrive in Arnhem land to record the mating call of the crocodile. Local Aboriginals tell the women to leave as they are trespassing. The crocodile hunters refuse to help, but advise the women to "give them (the Aboriginals) things." Bob is attracted to Ethel.
Cast - Chips Rafferty (Mick Larkin), Sophie Stewart (Helen), Bonnie Walker (Ethel), Gwen Plumb (Louise), Ted Hepple (Bob Katter). Sophie Stewart does an introduction.
Production. Gwen Plumb wrote in her memoirs that the episode was shot in 1961 in East Arnhem Land, 200 km from Darwin. Plumb wrote "we were told it was a rich man's safari camp where brave sportsmen from all over the world, and particularly America, shot crocodiles, water buffaloes, kangaroos - anything that moved. So Sophie [Stewart] and I packed a couple of cocktail frocks. It was the biggest dump you could ever imagine." Plumb says conditions were unsanitary, water buffalo would wanted through the camp at will", and the camp 'was run by a looney called Alan Stewart who wore a pistol in his belt." A crocodile was brought in from the aquarium in Darwin and Plumb says it passed out in the heat. She enjoyed filming at a lagoon, and a plane that flew in beer every night. "One night it didn't and we mutinied till they send another," wrote Plumb.
Supervising editor - G. Turney-Smith. Sound - Alan Allen. Sound editor - Ken Malcolm. Music - Bruce Finlay. Production manager - George E. Hughes. Director of photography - Carl Kayser. Camera operator - Bill Grimmond. Location recording - John Heath. Casting director - Gloria Payten. Assistant director - Frants Folmer. Chief electrician - Tex Foote. Properties - Eric Wenban. Chief grip = Charlie Key. Wardrobe - Barbara Turnbull. Make up - Peggy Carter. Continuity - Lyn McEncroe. Unit manager - Ken Avery. Produced with the co operation of the Dept of Territories, Canberra, in West Arnhem Land, Northern Territory of Australia. A Waratah Film Production.
Episode 6 – "The Buffalo Hunters" (8 Oct 1965 Syd)
Written by Cecil Holmes. Producer and directed by Lee Robinson. Assoc prod - Joy Cavill. Exec prod - H.C. McIntyre.
Filmed on the Northern Territory in West Arnhem Land – starring Grant Taylor as Ted Abbott, one of the Territory's leading buffalo hunters.
Grant Taylor (Ted Abbot), Jacqueline Knott (Anne Abbot), Gay Hartley (Julie Tamar), Leonard Teale (Don Williams), Alan Stewart (Sam Saunders), Yorkie Tilly (Himself)
Supervising editor - G. Turney-Smith. Sound - Alan Allen. Sound
editor - Ken Malcolm. Music - Bruce Finlay. Production manager - George
E. Hughes. Director of photography - Carl Kayser. Camera operator - Bill
Grimmond. Location recording - John Heath. Casting director - Gloria
Payten. Assistant director - Frants Folmer. Chief electrician - Tex
Foote. Properties - Eric Wenban. Chief grip - Charlie Key. Wardrobe -
Barbara Turnbull. Make up - Peggy Carter. Continuity - Lyn McEncroe.
Unit manager - Ken Avery. Produced with the co operation of the Dept of
Territories, Canberra; Neville Bell, Darwin Air Teaxis. Filmed on location in West Arnhem Land, Northern Territory of
Australia. A Waratah Film Production.
Episode 7 – "The Silver Backed Brushes" (3 Dec 1965 Syd, 13 Oct 1968 Melb)
Written by Kay Keavney from an original story by Joyce Snelling. It was directed by Ken Hannam. Assoc prod Joy Cavill. Exec Prod H.C. McIntyre. Producer Lee Robinson
Set in 1942 in Madang, Papua New Guinea, about the Australian Army Women's Medical Service. It tells the true story of nurse Margaret Evans (Mary Reynolds), and her brief marriage to an Airforce pilot (Tom Oliver) which lasted only minutes, as he was killed shielding her with his body during an air raid immediately after the wedding.
Written by Joyce Spelling (former colonel in chief of the Australian Women's Auxiliary), directed by Ken Hannam.[
Filming took place in New Guinea. It was one of the first professional roles in Australia for Tom Oliver, just out from England - he called the result "awful. Terrible." (see piece in Jan 1969).
Cast - Mary Reynolds (Margaret Evans), Tom Oliver (Bill Malone), Thelma Scott (Sister Rowe), John Armstrong (Nobby), Geanie Drynan (Ruby), Judith Arthyr (Judith), Mike THomas (Cammanding Officer), Olga Blood (Sister Hutchens), Kingsley Jackson (padre)
Production manager - George E. Hughes. Director of photography - Carl
Kayser. Camera operator - Bill Grimmond. Location recording - John
Heath. Casting director - Gloria Payten. Assistant director - Frants
Folmer. Chief electrician - Tex Foote. Properties - Eric Wenban. Chief grip - Charlie Key. Wardrobe -
Barbara Turnbull. Make up - Peggy Carter. Continuity - Lyn McEncroe.
Unit manager - Ken Avery. Produced with the co operation of the Dept of
the Army, the Dept of the Territories, and the District COmmissioner and the people of Madang, New Guinea. Canberra; Neville Bell, Darwin Air Teaxis. Filmed on location in West Arnhem Land, Northern Terri A Waratah Film Production.
Episode 8- “Uncontrolled Territory” (15 Oct 1965 Syd)
Directed by Robin Lovejoy.
Set in the highlands of Papua New Guinea – a young Australian patrol officer who leads his party to search for the survivors of a plane crash near the Indonesian border. He becomes the first white man to contact a tribe of cannibals.
Cast -Richard Meikle, Reg Livermore, Chris Christensen
Episode 9 – “Camel Patrol” (26 Nov 1965 Syd)
Written by Brian Wright from an original story by Lee Robinson. Directed by Robin Lovejoy (Courtest Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust). Assoc producer - Joy Cavill. Exec producer - H.C. McIntyre. Producer - Lee Robinson.
Set in the Finke River district (NT) – a young officer takes over the district and undertakes a nine-week camel patrol where he realises the use of the camel and local trackers.
Cast: Ron Haddrick, Neil Fitzpatrick (Constable Max Turner), Jessica NOad (Ellen), Tubba Tubba (himself), Shorty (himself)
Supervising editor - G. Turney-Smith. Editor - Don Saunders. Sound - Alan Allen. Sound
editor - Ken Malcolm. Music - Bruce Finlay. Production manager - George
E. Hughes. Director of photography - Carl Kayser. Camera operator - Bill
Grimmond. Location recording - John Heath. Casting director - Gloria
Payten. Assistant director - Frants Folmer. Chief electrician - Tex
Foote. Properties - Eric Wenban. Chief grip - Charlie Key. Wardrobe -
Barbara Turnbull. Make up - Peggy Carter. Continuity - Lyn McEncroe.
Unit manager - Ken Avery. Produced with the co operation of the Dept of
Territories, Canberra, and Mr Clive Graham, Deputy Commissioner of Police for the Northern Territories. Filmed in the Stuart Desert, Central Australia. A Waratah Film Production.
The first TV drama I ever wrote was for Camel Patrol. It was a series produced by Lee Robinson and Chips Rafferty. They formed themselves into a film company, which eventually produced “Skippy.” Fauna. They weren’t called Fauna then, but they were just teamed up. And they did a series called “Adventure Unlimited.”... It was actually well planned. I thought a good idea. They were going to send a camera crew around Australia, and the islands, and wherever they had a script written for. And they called for scripts about various parts of Australia based on incidents there. I was commissioned to write one on Central Australia called Camel Patrol. It’s obvious what it was about. Chips Rafferty played the lead in it. We eventually saw it on Channel 10 in Melbourne when I was working for Channel 10. I haven’t mentioned that yet, but later on I worked for Channel 10. Funny part there, we’d bought the series. I’d never seen the film of my script. One day Len Major, my boss, and I were down looking through some of the films, and I found this one. I watched the film for the first time. It was the first full-length drama I’d written. It was a half hour, I think, I’d written for television I was sitting there of course grinding my teeth at the awful mess they’d made of my beautiful words. They changed things! They dared to change! The director had done things that I hadn’t written! And he cut out stuff that I had written. I’d spent hours over it. You know the story.
But suddenly I said, “They’ve ruined it! They’ve ruined my script! Absolutely ruined it!” I heard a voice from the back said, “We’ve done no such thing. I made it producible.” It was Lee Robinson, the producer. He’d snuck in the back of the room. I had to sort of pull my head in a little bit there. But it taught me a bit about television. Your scripts do get changed.
Article from The Age on series here - refers to it being ten episodes.
Episode 10 - “The Rivals” (12 Nov 1965 Syd)
Directed by Ken Hannam.
Set in Mt. Hagen in P.N.G. – a district show takes place and sees a feud between two coffee growers, Gordan Gillespie (Alexander Archdale) and Bob Cole (Chips Rafferty) with Gordons’ boss boy as prize. The competition is a draw & the Bossboy goes off to start his own plantation.
Cast: Alexander Archdale as Gordon Gillespie, Chips Rafferty as Bob Cole, Nigel Lovell, Lowell Thomas
Production
Five episodes were shot in New Guinea – “The Rivals”, “Uncontrolled Territory”, “The Rescue”, “The Witness”, and “Silver Backed Brushes.”
 |
| SMH 25 Oct 1965 |
 |
| SMH 15 Nov 1965 |
 |
| SMH 12 Sept 1968 |
Waratah Film founded Jan 1963 - private company with John Radcliff and H.C. McIntyre who were involved in unsuccessful attempt to get a third television licence.
Feb 1963 company advertises for secretary see here. Waratah alson made The Dawn Fraser Story see here. Made Northern Territory Tourist film see 1964 here. Darwin Eistedford (In Song and Dance was film title) see here.
April 1966 ad in SMH about Waratah Film Productions reducing its capital see here. May 1966 petition to wind up company see here. To settle minutes in June 1966 see here. They made a corporate film The Bonds Story see here.
Robin Lovejoy had just come back to Oz from US to work for Trust - talks about it in interview here. The Trust didn't have anything for him to do. He was "thrown a lifeline" by being offered a contract from Waratah. "That was a very good experience, a salutory one, I knew nothing about films, nothing about television, and sais so, they said we know we hired you because of your experience with actors". But it didn't work that way. He was left under bad management conditions badly. Worked six months. Came out six months "but I can' boast I made a good film, I made some dreadful films" - he said was made worse in editing than they were in shooting. The films are still being shown on television and I blush when they are on. But he learned a lot, worked with good people, worked in a new form.
He had to share his Waratah wage with the Trust which annoyed him "that's one bitterness that's stayed in my life... they took some of my commercial value".
Carmen Duncan appeared in an ep got a week's work see here From Nov 1962 until May 1964 the only acting jobs Rafferty had were with this show see here.
National TV Congress on 10 March 1965 see here - prompted articles on Oz industry see here, here and here. (Hulme made appearance)
John Vincent Radcliffe, Chairman of Directors, Waratah Film Productions Pty. Ltd., Sydney, and Hercules Christian McIntyre
John Vincent Radcliffe, Chairman of Directors, Waratah Film Productions Pty. Ltd., Sydney, and Hercules Christian McIntyre, sworn and
examined.
By the Chairman.—Are you cognizant of the terms of reference of the Committee?— {Mr. Radcliffe) I have not read them recently. But you have been supplied with a
copy?—Yes.
You are aware that this is a public investigation?—Yes.
Is Waratah Film Productions Pty. Ltd. a public com- pany?—A private company.
Are its activities devoted, amongst other things, to the production of films for television?—Exclusively to the production of films for television.
Will you briefly relate the past history of the Company—The company was formed last January by Bonds Industries, of which I am Chairman, the Polymer Corporation Pty. Ltd. Bonds Industries are textile manufacturers and the Polymer Corporation are chemical manufacturers. (Article on Polymer from Feb 1964 here where mentions Waratah).
We became very interested in the production of television films because, as shareholders in Manufacturers Television, we applied for a licence. A feature of our application was a high percentage of Australian films. We were attacked, very strongly, I think, by all the other applicants on the ground that we could not produce these Australian films. The figures finally put before the Board showed to the satisfaction of the Board’s counsel that we could. He admitted that the financial figures we put before the Board in our analysis showed that we were capable of doing it.
(Articles on that application from Sept 1962 here and oct 1962 here - Lee Robinson was part of this.
Is your Company in production at the moment?—Yes.
Will you outline the level of production you are aiming at and what you have achieved?—We have in mind producing 39 half-hour films for television. So far, we have finished ten and we have three in production. We have called a halt at this stage because we want to send the Director of Production overseas to survey the market and see what can be done about selling these films on the basis of those we have finished and sent overseas. (This is Adventure Unlimited)
Would you care to express some views as to the cost of production of your series so far?—The budget we put before the Board was for a half-hour film. l ike all new concerns, we had a lot of difficulty. There was trouble with Actors’ Equity, and our costs rose.
I take it this is a dramatic type of production?—No.
It is what we call a series with a lot of views, a lot of local scenes in Australia and New Guinea.
Has it got a story?—'Yes.
Then they are presented in dramatic form, not dialogue? —That is so.
I do not mean tragedy?—No. The policy of the Company is to avoid anything like violence.
These films you are producing have got a dramatic quality about them?—Yes.
You have produced eleven?—Ten have been shot and are in various stages of completion or complete and three are in production.
Can you enlighten the Committee as to whether your budget as to costs has been satisfactorily adhered to?— Our budget has been exceeded. I think the Director of Production feels that some of the later episodes will come down.
Are they being produced wholly in Australia with Australian casts?—Yes, and in New Guinea. We sent the team up to New Guinea.
Can you enlighten the Committee upon your prospects of selling overseas?—So far, we have not sold. I have had reports from the Director of Production, who is in England, and has been visiting Rome and Berlin. He reports that we should be able to sell but, as always, the
buyers over there are very slow. They will not rush in and buy. The longer they take, of course, the more likely the price is to come down, so we expect them to take their
time. On the other hand, we feel we are strong enough financially to sit down and wait till we get a proper price.
Do you expect to sell in Europe as well as Great Britain?—-Yes. Unless we can make a sale in Great Britain to an organization that will cover Europe, we propose to sell separately. For that reason, the Director of Production is visiting these other centres. We may even
send him to Moscow because there is a very critical shortage of television films in Russia.
Would you dub foreign language in to the English sound-track?—The buyer would arrange that.
I take it the production lends itself to the dubbing in of another language?—Yes.
What have you to say about the American market?— We are in negotiation with Mr. Lowell Thomas who is a very well known American producer. He has seen some of the films, and according to the report which I have had within the last few days, he is very enthusiastic and very keen to come in and he the commentator on the series made for the United States market.
Have you submitted your programmes to any Australian television authorities?—No. We have had very persistent enquiries hut it is not our intention to offer them in Australia until we have a sale overseas. We feel we will do much better that way. Again, these films that we are making are more attractive for the overseas market than they will be in Australia because the scenes and incidents will be a little more familiar to Australian audiences where-as they will be something entirely new. we hope, to the overseas market. Of course, the .greater part of the revenue will come from overseas. That is illustrated in the case of one of these films that we have made up in New Guinea and partly in Sydney. Tt is called. “The Witness”. It is about a religious sister who is the main actress. Tt is rather dramatic. The report from Mr.L owell Thomas is that that particular film is out of line with the others. He felt that it would spoil the series. Tn my opinion, it would appeal very strongly to Australian audiences. Probably they would like this particular film much better than some of the others. You are on the horns of a dilemma in a wav.
As a person of some experience in this field, what do you think are the qualities that are necessary before an Australian producer could expect to sell his product overseas on either the European or American market?—I think Mr. McIntyre, who is with me and is a director, could answer that. He has some very special experience in the film business.
Mr. McIntyre, what is your interest in this Company?— (Mr. McIntyre) In the first place, I was associated with Mr. Radcliffe in the application for a television licence. Although we were not successful, we felt that we would like to produce Australian pictures for a twofold purpose —first, to show that what we said in our application could be fulfilled, and secondly we wanted Australian-made films to advertise Australian goods.
That is a very worthy sentiment. What do Australian films need to make them internationally saleable? Are there any problems to be faced?—The main problem, and it applies the world over in this business, is the primary requirement of a story. Every inducement in the world should be given Australian authors to encourage them to cater for this local television market. I believe that instead of them selling their stories overseas, and a lot of good men are doing this at present and doing very well, we who are producing Australian pictures must realize that we have to compete with overseas people if we are going to keep our authors and their stories for Australian-made films. We have just got to compete with the money they are paving, because without a good story you cannot get anywhere on the screen, as far as entertainment is concerned
.
What about the other artistic requirements?—T think the first essential is to have a capable man as producer, a man who has had not only Australian experience but world wide experience. I was asked to recommend such a man and I recommended Lee Robinson because of his experience in Hollywood, New York and the Continent.
I take it that Mr. Lee Robinson is your producer?—That is correct.
Are you confident that your product will sell overseas?—I think that the films that I have seen complete—I mean to say, you can do the film in a few days, but what happens behind the scenes is the perfecting of every phase of the production. You have possibly eight different channels to work on. There is the cutting. It takes at least four to five weeks to handle the film after it is finished on the location. There is a lot of tedious, hard work and experience needed to put that film in a shape that will be acceptable not only to Australian audiences but to audiences anywhere in the world.
Mr. Radcliffe. could T ask you a question about the expected sale nricc of your film? Would you care to tell the Committee what you expect to get per episode, having regard to the cost of production you have mentioned, as a sale price that will return you a profit? If you do not care lo give us the information publicly, we will accept it privately?—(Mr. Radcliffe) These, of course, are only estimates. Whether they will be realized is quite another matter. We had an estimate for Great Britain and the whole of Europe. If we could sell for that and could then sell in the United States, we would do very well.
Per episode?—Per episode. From the European source you would not get the whole of costs back. Tn addition, we have a very substantial overhead, which has to come along as well as the cost of the episode. If we can sell in Europe, and we are trying to do so at the moment, and sell in the United States as well, we would he very fortunate. But there is a very large difference between what so far has been suggested as the amount we will get and what the estimate was. There will he a lot of hard bargain ins and it will take quite a long while to settle a contract in the United Kingdom.
Conk! you tell us the price of comparable products sold in the United Kingdom?—No. T cannot tell you that. We do not have that information. Mr. Robinson may have acquired some information on that point while he was over there. Of course, you have to remember that in
MR. .1. V, RADCLIFFE and MR. H. C. McINTYRE
the United Kingdom there is practically only one commercial network. They are all in different places in the United Kingdom and they can all use the same programme. So there is one programme. Then there is one for the 3.B.C. There will he a second network for the B.B.C. from April and, according to reports that I have had. they are very anxious to get programmes for next April for the second channel. There will be also a competing commercial network, but there is no sign at present as to when that will start. If it did start then there would be a greater pressure for programmes.
What would you expect to sell them for in Australia eventually per episode?—I have had some very ridiculous prices mentioned in Australia. Of course, I do not know finally. With all the new stations that are being set up throughout the country, I have not had any estimate made of what you might get if they are successful.
Would you expect to get £7,000 per episode for the Australian rights?—Nothing like that. I should think they would pay about 1,500 dollars for five capital cities for an American film for half an hour. What an Australian film would get, unless it is comparable with the American film in drawing power, would be I suppose no more, at the most.
From Bonds Annual Report 1965 see here
WARATAH FILM PRODUCTIONS PTY LIMITED
Such diverse attention is required for this project that your Directors consider it too distracting from the main goals of the Company within its present field. Production.of films therefore closed in March 1965. The film series continues to be offered for sale on the overseas market. Although limited sales have been made locally and overseas, it is still too early to know whether the investment will be a success or not. As stated last year, adequate provision has been made to cover this risk. The Commonwealth Government’s verdict on its investigation to assist the film industry was not given during the year.
Series not mentioned in Lee Robinson's obit - here (see below) or in career interview here (which mentioned High Adventure which he did in the late 1950s)
An idea that leapt borders
October 8, 2003 — 10.00am
Lee Robinson OAM, Film industry pioneer, 1923-2003
The adventures of an uncannily perceptive and dexterous kangaroo and a boy called Sonny were the basis of a phenomenally successful Australian television series that is the most famous legacy of filmmaker Lee Robinson, who has died aged 80.
Thirty-six years after its beginnings, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo is still pricking up his ears to the sound of Sonny’s gumleaf whistle and bounding across television screens all over the world to rescue those in distress or bring the baddies to account.
Skippy, which Robinson produced with the late Dennis Hill, owed much of its success to the talented and inventive cast and crew who worked on the 91 episodes between 1967-69. But the way Robinson drove it forward from its inception to the point where it was bought for US television at a record price for an Australian program epitomised the creative, multi-talented and hardworking life of the film and TV pioneer.
The film industry that Robinson entered in 1946 after serving in New Guinea and in the military history unit was like the sparse and arid outback of his first film, Namatjira the Painter (1947), made for the film division of the then department of information.
Advertisement
In the place of today’s comparatively bountiful conditions, there was virtually a celluloid drought. The so-called golden years of the Ken Hall Cinesound features and those of Charles Chauvel had all-but dried up and a once-thriving industry was in a slump that lasted for 20 years.
It was illegal to raise more than £10,000 for film production because, as a hangover from wartime regulations, filmmaking was ruled a non-essential industry. Between 1946 and 1964 only about 38 feature films were produced and many were made by US and British companies. By comparison, in 2001-2002, the Australian Film Commission records that 39 films were made.
Gutsy pioneers were required to revive the industry. Circumstances brought together Robinson and Chips Rafferty, who became the most prolific producers of the ‘50s. Between them they helped to keep the flame of Australian production, first lit by Raymond Longford, alight through those lean years and towards the renaissance of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.
Robinson was an accomplished short-story writer - he had been published in The Daily Mirror and The Sunday Mail in Brisbane and had co-written a screenplay that was to become The Siege at Pinchgut (1959).
He had written series radio for Rafferty, the most popular star of the time. They got on well and formed Platypus Productions. In 1953, their first feature film, The Phantom Stockman, which Robinson also wrote and directed, was made for £10,000. It doubled its investment.
Five more films were produced by Robinson and Rafferty’s new company, Southern International, with Robinson also writing and directing. These included the very successful Walk into Paradise (1956) made with the French company Discfilm, arguably the first international co-production and Australia’s first Cannes Film Festival participant.
Film Weekly commented that Rafferty and Robinson seemed “to have all the answers to persistent trade doubts about the practicality of continuous local production”. International co-productions remain an important part of the Australian film industry half a century later.
Robinson and Rafferty were not alone at this time. Chauvel, Hall and Cecil Holmes made five films between them. But it wasn’t easy. Robinson and Rafferty often ploughed their fees and profits back into their company and its films and through them to the crews and actors.
Speaking of those times, Robinson said: “There was a very strong feeling that features were something the Americans did and we didn’t - that Australians couldn’t make feature pictures and shouldn’t.”
Encouraged by the success of Walk into Paradise, Robinson and Rafferty bought and modernised the old Cinesound Studio in Ebley Street, Bondi Junction, and made three more films with higher budgets aimed at the international market. There’s no guaranteeing success with audiences and the films performed poorly, leading to the liquidation of Southern International.
Robinson thought that the arrival of television contributed to their box-office difficulties. He said: “We came in at the wrong time, Chips and I. We were at our peak when television started in this country.”
It didn’t take Robinson long to become successful in the new medium. He directed three episodes in the Lowell Thomas series High Adventure and produced the documentary The Dawn Fraser Story in 1964.
Then, in 1967, he formed Fauna Productions with actor/producer John McCallum, who he had met on They’re a Weird Mob (1966), and lawyer Bob Austin, to make the first of his long-running TV drama series, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. As well as the 91 episodes, a feature film, Skippy and the Intruders, was made in 1969. This was followed by the series Barrier Reef (1971), Boney (1972), Shannon’s Mob, (1972), This is Your Life and Bailey’s Bird (1977).
Robinson returned to feature film production again in 1982 with Attack Force Z, which starred Mel Gibson, Sam Neill and Chris Hayward, and The Highest Honour, in 1984. He was awarded a Medal in the Order of Australia in 1984 and was honoured by his film industry peers in 1992 with the Australian Film Institute’s Raymond Longford Award.
At the time of his death, Robinson was working on what would have been his 13th feature, based on a book by Peter Shann Ford, The Keeper of Dreams, about the finding of a sacred Aboriginal tjuringa stone. He never lost his interest and regard for Aborigines that first began with Namatjira the Painter in 1947.
Robinson was born in Petersham in 1923. He left school at 12, joined The Telegraph as a copy boy at 15 and put his age up to enlist for war service. In 1940 he married Gwenyth, after a five-day romance. It was a wonderfully happy union that lasted until her untimely death in 1968. Their five children - Christine, Marcus, Penn, Melissa and Tobe - grandchildren and great grandchildren survive them.
Crews worked hard on Robinson’s films but none harder than Robinson. He had a 24-hour body clock and a passionate conviction about everything he did. He was employing Australian crews to make Australian films for Australian and international audiences against the odds. They were good times.
Tim Read
 |
| SMH 9 Feb 1969 |
No comments:
Post a Comment