Jonah (15 Oct 1962)

 TV mini series inspired by the success of Stormy Petrel.

Premise

A historical drama series about Jonah Locke, a merchant trader in the early Australian colony". Jonah lived in Sydney between 1840 and 1850. He would encounter historical figures. 

Regular cast

• Brian James as Jonah Locke
• Hilary Bamberger as Ann Parry, Jonah's housekeeper
• Neil Fitzpatrick as Brett Hamilton, Jonah's nephew

Guest stars

• Denis Doonan as Captain Westcote
• John Faasen as Sir John Franklin
• Henry Gilbert as The Reverend Dr.
• Robert McPhee as Monahan
• Moya O'Sullivan as Pompy
• Lionel Pearcey as Ed Curr
• Donald Philps as Captain Duff
• Chris Christensen as Black Henry O'Brien
• Richard Davies as Mathew Crawford
• Claire Dunn as The Maid
• Brett Hamilton as Neil Fitzpatrick
• Brigid Lenihan as Kate Winslow

Background

In March 1962 it was announced ATN would make the series with Michael Plant to be writer and story editor, Harry Dearth to produce and David Cahill to direct. Another article here in March.

 By July the lead actors had been cast. It was shot at Artransa Park Studios. Michael Plant was the writer and script editor.

It was originally called Tycoon. The Commonwealth Bank agreed to sponsor it.

The episode cost around £3,500 each. They sold to the Australian networks for £1,500 an episode and then to Britain for £1,000 an episode.  Another source said the eps cost 3,200 pounds each.

It was meant to be 28 episodes.

Reception

One review called it "splendid".

The Sydney Sunday Herald said it "looks like a runaway winner".

The Women's Weekly called it "fast, action packed entertainment".

A Frank Roberts review:

“ Tonah” has tension. Will Hilary Bamberger’s vocal chords stand up to the punishment they get from her style of acting? “Jonah” has suspense. Will Neil Fitzpatrick congeal altogether and be converted into an even more wooden figurehead for one of Jonah Locke’s ships? “Jonah” has Brian James. Will he suddenly realise he is no longer playing Captain Bligh for the ABC? “Jonah” is the latest of the Olde Sydneye sagas. Its producers invited some of Sydney’s TV critics to a preview, fed them 98 proof hashish in the sherry, and thumscrewed cries of “brilliant, gripping, a breakthrough,” from them. Nothing else could explain it, ex- cept perhaps the fact that “Jonah” is an adult Eastern with a few amiable qualities—and that alone may be a break- through. One of “Jonah’s” virtues is a simple story line, concocted by Michael Plant and various associates. 

Mr Plant has learned that it is not sensible to attempt the world in 25 minutes. He gets the plot going, moves it along in a succession of closely related scenes, and achieves a clarity appreciated by aged adults, though it might prove a shade boring for a five-year-old child. They like com- plications. Plant is a craftsman and viewers would welcome more of those in local productions and fewer Big Message writers who don’t bother to learn how to tell their stories on television. In “Jonah”, unfortunately, the writer has been stuck with three central players who have some odd notions of their craft. Brian James delineates the character of Jonah Locke by simply continuing his Bligh portrait, mannerisms and all. I heard a quavery scream the other night as he smirked and patted his solar plexus for the umpteenth time, and there was no one there but me. Miss Bamberger also began to wear after the first 10 minutes of Episode One. Rushing about, gabbling her lines as though afraid she’ll forget them, Jonah’s ward is distressing to watch. By the end of Episode Three, called “Ring Around Rosa”, I felt that Miss Ann Parry, as played by Miss Hilary, was an anachronism. In her time such a young lady would have been regarded as a common scold, married off to the first available man who was about to settle on Cape York peninsula. When she and Neil Fitzpatrick’s wooden Brett Hamilton eventually fell into a clinch, I could only mutter, “Yez deserve one another.” It’s doubtful that this was the writer’s or producer’s intention for those characters. A

 glaring production fault in the “Jonah” series occurs in its more violent moments. Popgun pistol shots, and struggles and fist fights straight out of old mellowdrammer, are not acceptable in a modern production. The series has improved over three episodes and could become a very good one. I hope it does because, not taking itself or history too seriously, it could settle down in to a worthwhile entertainment.  

Ratings

Oswin of ATN-7 said at the Vincent Report said:

In so far as a sale to a sponsor is concerned, if we are to recoup anything approaching our costs of production, we must be able to offer to the sponsor time channels for the showing of the programme in a peak time in at least Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. Because each of the stations is vitally concerned to attract as large an audience as possible, this necessarily means that the programme must have a substantial audience appeal. We have on many occasions faced the problem of having one of our programmes move out of peak time channels in an interstate city. As an example, “ Jonah ”, unable to attract a large audience, was moved from 8.00 p.m. Tuesday to 3.30 p.m. Sunday in Melbourne.   ..

We played that pro-gramme at 8 p.m. on Monday following a very popular programme and up against an hour show on the opposition station. We did it purposely so that whatever audience we got in the first half hour, we hoped to carry forward into“ Jonah ” because the likelihood of people switching out of an hour show on the opposition station was remote.So what we cap oned at S o’clock, we would deliver to 8.30. Unfortunately, we were not able to make people watch something they did not want to watch. It was Australian history and it was well done, but they chose instead to go to the latter hah of an hour programme on the other station.   

 Actor's Equity Dispute

In November 1962 the series sold to ATV in England. Actors Equity demanded more money for the actors. The production company refused.

Equity demanded that the actors go on strike in December. They had just finished ep 20, part one of a two part series. (There were meant to be 39 eps.) The government opposed the unions.  In December ATN dropped the series.

McMahon in Dec 1962 here

Mr COCKLE (WARRINGAH, NEW SOUTH WALES) - I direct my question to the Minister for Labour and National Service. I ask: Has the Minister seen a report that a registered trade union, Actors and Announcers Equity Association of Australia, despite an agreement, and an apparently full understanding with the management of television station Channel 7 in Sydney, has made demands outside the agreement and understanding which have forced the station to suspend production of an historical drama series, " Jonah " ? Does the Minister consider this to be just one more instance of an industrial union using its industrial strength to impose its will on management in unlawful circumstances, and is this action to the detriment of members of this union who have been crying out for opportunities to develop the Australian television industry by their own participation in local productions and to provide greater job opportunities for Australian actors and artists?
Mr McMAHON - I was informed this morning that station ATN7 has suspended production of the television» «film , " Jonah ", which records dramatic incidents in Australia's history. I think that the honorable gentleman has the facts correctly and that there was a private industrial agreement between Actors and Announcers Equity Association of Australia and the television company, regulating pay and the conditions of employment. Actors Equity has now demanded, in cases known as re-user privileges, a 100 per cent. increase in fees if the film is re-used in North America and a 25 per cent. increase if it is re-used in the United Kingdom. The company has pointed out that, already, in the last two years alone, its losses on Australian productions are about £320,000, that it is committed to expenditure of over £30,000 for this production. Clearly, the company cannot carry on if this sort of demand is made on it, particularly if such a demand is made outside the terms of the agreement which was only recently negotiated. I think the action of the union is to be deeply regretted. Not only have the rank and file members of the union lost their employment for the time being, but, if it does so happen that the production of " Jonah " is not continued, they will lose their employment on this production permanently. If the company's losses are too great, it becomes probable that there will be real prospects of discontinuing the Australian production by the company. I deplore the action taken and hope that sweet reason will prevail and that the union will agree to its members returning to work. 

Oswin talked about the show at the Vincent Committee here:

There is of course one other major problem that impedes overseas sales, and I refer to the attitude of Actors’ Equity. Members of your Committee would possibly know that following lid on a virif by mvself to the United Kingdom I sold 26 episodes of the programme “ Jonah ” for £750 sterling per episode to Associated Television Ltd. and that because of demands subsequently made by Actors’ Equity arising out of this sale we ceased production of the programme. “ Jonah ” was a half-hour historical drama series produced on video tape at Artransa Park Television Ptv. Ltd. at a cost of approximately £3,500 per half-hour episode. 

We were fortunate in selling the programme jointly to the Commonwealth Bank and William Arnotts for a price which welded to us approximately £1.600, a tremendously increased return compared with the amount we would receive from the sale of a half-hour film programme. Perhaps T should say that the sale of a half-hour film would he about one half that amount, about £800. Tt still, however, left to us an unrecouped amount of approximately £2.000 per episode and we hoped to reduce this loss by additional replavs in Australia and sales over- seas. As it turned out, the programme achieved low ratings in all areas and we would have been unlikely to retain sponsors or to obtain a further sale for replay. 

Upon the sale in the United Kingdom, Actors’ Equity made demands for increased retrospective payments to their members, demands that we were unprepared to accept. As a consequence production of the programme ceased. The unit built up to produce this programme has been dispersed, our relationship with Actors’ Equity and its members gravely damaged and our reputation in over- seas markets soiled. At the very best, the stand adopted by Actors’ Equity was unhelpful and prejudicial to the development of the production in this country. In our view their attitude was a breach of contract and an act of gross foolishness. ..

Oswin later elaborated

You would put on some drama, if there were an increase in Australian productions?
—If there were a forced increase in the quantity of Australian productions to be shown, certainly we could not increase our drama production past the limits 1 have already given, but in any event we would net do no witiiout a great deal more encouragement from sponsors and buyers of our programmes. Without that, we would not venture into more production of drama. Certainly, our policy is not to produce further drama because of our ability to recoup the costs even on a long-term basis that we lay at the door of Actors’ Equity.
Why do you lay that at the door of Equity?
—Generally speaking, tor this reason: In drama production—in fact in all our dealings with Actors’ Equity—they have principles which we respect. We agree to disagree with them on a number oi tilings. It seems to us—and we do not know why.-that there is some difference in the mind of Equity between variety and drama. I can only believe it is because Actors’ Equity has different types of members who are drama people or variety people. We seem to have differences mostly with the drama people for some reason. A show like “Jonah” costs £3,500 to produce, and 1 believe this must he at least the cost of any reasonable half-hour production. From our experience, to try to produce for less leads only to a shoddy production... We discussed this matter of “ Jonah ” in the Arbitration Court and we said it was necessary for us to recoup those costs at some time. Some could be recouped locally and we did get £1,600 of our £3,500 which was a very great amount. We then tried to recoup some of the rest of the cost by overseas sales and by replay of the programme at some later time. In this respect we are the bankers. We paid £3,500 for the 26 episodes-—we had intended to make at least 26 episodes—we had a return of £1,600 and therefore the resultant £2,000 had to be mortgaged to the programme but we hoped that eventually we would get it back either by replay or by overseas sale. Having made the overseas sale—incidentally I think this was the first time such a sale had been made of any Australian production overseas—a great many people said that this was the most important thing that could have been done. Actors’ Equity thought it could make more out of the production for its members. I am not suggesting that it was not right in trying to get the maximum for its members. I have had a great many amicable dealings with Equity and we usually come to an agreement on the amount that we will pay their people on a permanent basis who are not covered at this time by an award. There is no award for other than casual artists on television. Perhaps this is one of the problems. I deal direct with Equity in these matters and we have two or three agreements currently which are working quite smoothly. We made agreements on the fee and we fixed the amount. I understand after the amount had been fixed members of Equity expressed dissatisfaction with it, not to me hut to their own people so that when the sale was made overseas I believe they forced the Equity Council into the position of having to say to us “ You cannot proceed unless you pay our members more and make it retrospective to the first episode
By Senator Wright.—What was the period of retros- pectivity?
—We had then made 19 episodes and were about to make the 20th. We would have had to go back nineteen weeks. We had contracts with the three leads which expressly allowed us the right to use their services for any purpose including re-play or use overseas. We had an agreement with the other members of the cast which did not expressly claim this but of course there was pay- ment for work done. I do not want to go into the pros and cons of what I said to Mr. Alexander and what he said to me but Commissioner Cahill said he did not think that, on the face of the agreement, Equity had a leg to stand on in its argument. Its only argument was that we had recovered £2,500 and it thought that was pretty good but if (hat was its attitude, despite the fact that we still had £1,000 to go per episode, I do not believe that we shall get anywhere. It cannot be Equity’s consistent attitude. If it is, Equity has never mentioned it. It has never interfered with other programmes and we have always worked smoothly previously.
By Senator Cant.—Is it a fact that you produce thirteen 60 or 90-minute shows and 312—15-minute dramas for afternoon viewing? Have you had any trouble with Actors’ Equity with any of these?
—None.
You said that you had an agreement with Equity in respect of casual work?
—No. There is an award in respect of casual work. Is it a fact that Equity breached that award and came to an agreement with you in respect of casual work on I weekly basis?
Is the agreement that Equity made in elation to “ Jonah ” a breach of the award?
-—I do not know...

 

By Senator McClelland..I understood you to say that the matter of “ Jonah ” was referred to the Industrial Com- mission of New South Wales?
—Yes.
It was heard by Senior Commissioner Cahill?
—Yes.
Did your company or Actors’ Equity refer the dispute to the Industrial Arbitration Commission?
—Our Company.
I suppose you sought an order from the Commissioner directing the return to work of members of Actors’ Equity?
■—Yes.
Was such an order made?
—No. He said that he did not have the power to do it.
By Senator Wright.—Was a judgment delivered in written form?
—Yes. There is a transcript of the evidence which I can make available.
By Senator Cohen.-— He ordered the Company and the Union into conference?
—That was not so. The press reported that?
—Yes. But that was not the true position. We checked the transcript and found that it was not.
 

Episode Guide

• Ep 1 (15 Oct 1962 Syd , 23 Oct Melb)– "No Time for Despair" (w. Michael Plant, d David Cahill) – gold is discovered in 1839 – guest starring Hans Farkash (Count Strzelecki, Ron Haddrick (Governor Gipps), Al Thomas, Owen Weingott (Stone Polonski)
• Ep 2 (22 Oct Syd, 30 Oct Melb)– "A Tale of Two Bees" – the story of Benjamin Boyd who dreamed of building his own city on the coast of NSW– guest starring Colin Croft (Ben Boyd), Max Meldrum (Oswald Brierly), Brigid Lenihan, John Faasen (Sir John Franklin), Gwen Plumb as Lady Jane Franklin
• Ep 3 (29 Oct Syd, 6 Nov Melb)"A Ring Around a Rosa" – story of a young immigrant girl is helped by Jonah and his household as well as Caroline Chisolm. GS Muriel Steinbeck as Caroline Chisolm, Judith Artha as Rosa
• Ep 4 (5 Nov Syd, 13 Nov Melb) "The Wrong Hands" – the story of Ludwig Leichardt (Clement McCallin) - he had a successful first trip, a disastrous second and we meet him before the third. Ann and Brett support him but Jonah is more sceptical. Guest star Clement McCallin, Joe McCormick, Philip Ross
• Ep 5 (12 Nov Syd, 20 Nov Melb) "Freedom for Port Phillip" – about John Dunmore Lang and his work at Port Phillip– guest star Henry Gilbert, John Llewellyn, Lionel Pearcey, Robert McPhee
• Ep 6 (19 Nov Syd, 27 Nov Melb) "A Nest of Hornets" – about clash with Chinese migrants at Lambing Flat. Brett receives a message from an old friend, Lin Fong, head of the Chinese Community at Lambing Flat. He visits the town and discovers his friend is in prison. Captain Zouch (a real person) is in charge of the troops. It leads to a clash between Chinese and white settlers. GS: Allan Tobin (Lin Fong), Derek Barnes (Captain Zouch), Walter Pym (Wilkins), John Fegan.
  
• Ep 7 (26 Nov Syd, 4 Dec Melb)"The Hashemy" – about the ship The Hashemy which arrives in Sydney full of convicts after transportation has ended. One of the convicts is Jonah's brother. GS: Nigel Lovell, Alan Light, Keith Buckley, Kerry Francis, Ellis Irving, Geoffrey King.
  
• Ep 8 (3 Dec Syd, 11 Dec Melb) "The Marquis of Mullambimbee" – Jonah becomes involved in the clash between William Wentworth and Henry Parkes – with James Condon, Keith Buckley, Bill Lewis
• Ep 9 (18 Dec Mel) "Black Henry" – about a man who helped fix unemployment – with Brigid Lenihan, Chris Christensen, Richard Davies, Claire Dunn
• Ep 10 (17 Dec Syd,  25 Dec Melb) "The Railroader" – Jonah's business interests are threatened when Miles Morgan builds a railway in the Hunter Valley – with Wynn Roberts (Morgan), Vaughan Tracey (Jamey)
• Ep 11 (24 Dec Syd, 1 Jan Melb) "The Coal Mutiny" (w" Michael Plant, d: Ken Hannam) – in 1845 James Brown leads a charge against the 15 year coal monopoly given to the Australian Agricultural Company. GS Tom Farley (James Brown), Moray Powell (Commodore Styles), Noeline Brown (Dorothea Styles)
• Ep 12 (31 Dec Syd) "Where is Adelaide?" (d: David Cahill) – story of the planning of the city of Adelaide. GS Donald Phillips (as Captain Duff), John Barnard (as William Light), John Faasen (as Horton Depenn)
• Ep 13 (7 Jan 1963 Syd, 15 Jan Melb) "The Seekers" (d: Ken Hannam( – Jonah befriends Puritans who have arrived in Australia on their way to New Zealand. GS Tanya Haylesworth as Purity Tunstall, Alan Herbert as John Tunstall
• Ep 14 (14 Jan Syd, 22 Jan Melb) "This Piece of Earth" (d: David Cahill). In the 1840s authorities struggle to stop immigrants moving West. They issued land grants to small settlers but faced opposition from large squatters. GS Ron Haddrick, Terri Aldred.
  
• Ep 15 (29 Jan Melb) "The Damned Darlinghurst" – Jonah spends time in Darlinghurst Prison prison on a matter principle – guest starring Al Thomas (Colonel Keck), Lyndall Barbour (Fairy Mortimer)
• Ep 16 (10 Feb Melb)"A Plague on Both Your Houses" (d: Ken Hannam) – a romance between an emancipist's daughter and the son of an aristocratic gentleman. GS Geoffrey King, Julianna Allan, Alexander Archdale, John Gregg
• Ep 17 (4 Feb 1963 Syd, 17 Feb Melb) "The Treaty of South Island" – the story of the formation of New Zealand – guest starring Harry Willis as a Maori chief Te Rauparaha, James Condon (William Wentworthh), Ron Haddrick (Governor Gipps)
• Ep 18 (11 Feb Syd, 24 Feb Melb) "Ship of Fame" (d David Cahill). In the 1850s, men are crimped or shanghaied into service on the Sydney water front. The Ship of Fame is a notorious tavern run by a crimper. GS  Denis Doonan (Captain Westcote), Moya O'Sullivan (Pompy), Donald Philps (Captain Duff)
• Ep 19 (18 Feb Syd) "The Man from Myall Creek" – last episode aired. About the Myall Creek Massacre.
  

According to the NFSA, there was a 20th episode called "The Exile" (d David Cahill). This appears not to have aired.  

It was repeated in 1965 and 1969.

UK

It did screen in the UK in 1963 on ITV. Not a great timeslot - Sunday arvos. Played after The Flying Doctors.

SMH 26 March 1962

The Stage 12 Dec 1962

Canberra Times 12 Dec 1962

AWW 17 Oct 1962

SMH 7 July 1962

 

The Age 17 Jan 1963

The Age 22 Nov 1962

AWW 31 Oct 1962

SMH 15 Oct 1962

SMH 7 Oct 1962

The Age 4 Oct 1962

SMH 30 Sept 1962

SMH 24 Sep 1962

SMH 3 Sept 1962

SMH 16 July 1962

The Age 30 Nov 1962

SMH 12 Nov 1962

SMH 5 Dec 1962

Part 2

SMH 6 Dec 1962

Part 2

SMH 19 Dec 1962

SMH 17 Nov 1962

The Age 5 Dec 1962

SMH 10 Dec 1962

The Age 19 Dec 1962

The Age 10 Dec 1962

SMH 15 oct 1962

The Age 6 Dec 1962

The Age 23 Jan 1963

SMH 23 Jan 1963

SMH 22 Feb 1963

SMH 22 Feb 1963

The Age 8 March 1963

SMH 6 March 1963

Oswin quotes on ATN-7

With some humility, I want to say (hat ATN has had more experience in television drama production than any commercial organization in the country. We produced the first one-hour drama in commercial television and, since that time, up to the termination of “ Jonah ”, we were in almost continuous drama production. In that period we produced thirteen 60 or 90-minute plays, intended, as was “Jonah ”, for peak-hour viewing. We produced 312 quarter-hour dramas for afternoon viewing. They com- prised two series each of 156 quarter-hours. 

By Senator Hannan,—What sort of thing would the quarter-hour dramas be?

—The colloquial expression is “ soap opera It is serial drama. The two that have just finished their run are “ The Story of Peter Grey ” and “ Autumn Affair ”. This fifteen-minute series is principally on in the after- noon

—especially for women?

—Yes—five days a week. We did not make them at that rate but we played them at that rate. This was the great success in Australia in radio drama. This is the reason that we felt it might have been wise to start off on that sort of drama before we tried to get into the bigger material. “ Autumn Affair ” was our first drama production. 

What did the critics say about it?

—Fortunately, the critics apparently do not work in the day time. The audience was fairly complimentary. We had commissioned a third of the 312 quarter-hour dramas to which I have referred when the “ Jonah ” dispute arose and, of course, this led to the cancellation of our plans. Finally, as the Committee knows, we pro- duced 20 half-hours of “ Jonah ” and would have continued but for the action of Equity.

Hal Alexanders response in the Vincent Committee

I should like to hear what is the Association’s policy in relation to this “ Jonah ” matter, because there has been a good deal of criticism of the Association concerning it?
—The situation is that we have with commercial television employers an award. That award is not of our asking. It was sought by the television employers, and they obtained an hourly award—casual only. It was apparent to the employers that this award, which they finally obtained against our wishes, was miles beyond anything they had expected. They had never expected such a figure to be brought down. The figure at present is £2.7s. and hour. It might be reason- able to assume, although I would not go all the way with this, that a minimum rate for a television actor for eight hours a day for, say, five days a week should be £2 7s. an hour. This means that he gets around the £80 mark for a five-day week, and this is too high. So it arose that various producers approached us for a weekly award, and we agreed on a weekly rate after long discussions for “ Jonah It was a 30-hour six-day week. The minimum rate was £35. The agreement was fully set out. At the outset of the discussions, Jim Oswin said to me, “ I do not want you to put any replay arguments in this agreement I said, “ Fair enough, Jim. As far as I am concerned we will just duck the matter and we will not talk about it in the agreement ”. He said, “ Fair enough ”. So, finally, an agreement was made. When the seventeenth episode was being produced, we received information which we checked and found was correct, that ATN had sold this series to one of the English contracting companies for minor broadcasts in Britain, only to one particular area of Britain, at £1,000 an episode. Acting on instructions from my executive, we requested ATN to observe our replay requirements which were, for total sale to Britain, 25 per cent, of the original fee. We went along with the eighteenth programme and when we refused to withdraw after two lays of making the nineteenth programme the employer clocked our members out. We were quite happy to conclude he nineteenth programme, even though it meant some of rur members working to 6 a.m., but the employer locked hem out, finished them up on the second day of rehearsal tnd said he would not go on.
By the Chairman.—Is this matter still before the Arbitration  Court?
—This matter has never been before the Court because it is not the subject of an award. It is simply a veekly agreement which has never been registered as an award.
So your dispute has never been before the Arbitration mthorifies?
—We were taken before the New South Wales Industrial Commission. ATN 7 endeavoured to get the Commission to order us to withdraw the ban, but they vere non-suited, so the ban still exists. However, the situa- ion was that if we could have forced from ATN 7 not just he matter of pounds but an admission of a principle, I am juite sure that “ Jonah ” would have been completed. Jut ATN 7 said, “ We own the programme. We will do what we like with it. We will sell where we like ”. We said, If you will not come to the party and admit the principle, hat is the situation ”. Mr. Oswin has made much of costs. Despite how hard it may or may not be to sell these things verscas, ATN information to was was that each of the pisodes cost £3,500. The first was made last June. Of this .3.500, £1.500 was already being recovered from two acal sponsors, leaving the cost still to recover. £2.000. he sale to Britain, only sale partially, was worth 1,000. so now only £1,000 of the actual capital f £3,500 remains to be recouped. I suggest to ‘.is Committee that any undertaking into which 3u put £3,500 capital in June and from which you get ick £2,500 before the end of a half-year is a pretty good vestment. This programme is still for sale all over the world. It would almost certainly have sold in America.  

It would almost certainly be offered to West Germany, Belgium, France, Italy and Japan. I ask Mr. Oswin to imagine that instead of getting £1,000 in Britain they had got only £900. The total cost per episode to our members would have been £100, on the figure of approximately £420 paid to actors of the original episode. If we got 25 per cent., they would be paying our members practically £100. Then they had the rights not only to sell it in Britain but also to play it in Britain when and where they liked. We asked ATN, TCN and anybody else to follow the formula that the A.B.C. had accepted and carried out. In our union publication we give details of an Australian pro- gramme called “ The Terrible Ten Some of you may know it. It was a cheaply produced programme.
Is this the answer to Senator Cohen’s question?
—We are still on “ Jonah I have said that it would be for sale and, in my opinion, would be sold elsewhere. “ The Terrible Ten ” is now raking in so much money that it is not true. It has been sold in Britain, Japan, Canada, the Philippines. Hong Kong, Sweden, Norway, and Germany. The pro- ducers say it will not be long before this programme brings in a gross return equalling, if not exceeding “ Animal Parade ”, another Australian programme that sold fabulously overseas and about which most people have never heard.
More koalas?
—No, all sorts of things, talking animals, a very old stunt and very corny. They made one here and sold 21 episodes overseas. There is no difficulty about selling in overseas countries. The sound track is dubbed by foreign actors. This disposes of the talk about how well you have to speak on television. If you listen care- fully to the words on a dubbed broadcast and watch the lips carefully, there is no relation between the two. I do not see the connection between this and the ques- tion vSenator Cohen asked?
—This has to do with the point that “ Jonah ” would have recouped three-quarters of its cost in six months and it was still for sale on the world market. We were concerned with actors who had been paid £35 for a week’s work, who would possibly be play- ing in every country in the w’orld. This is the situation with which we will be confronted for some time. We cannot decide the issue. Are you suggesting that “ The Terrible Ten ” has been most remunerative to Aus- tralian actors?
—There are not anv straight actors in it. There are a few little bovs, amateurs. They did not even have paid professionals. It was made bv a professional producer, but the bovs of under fourteen were amateurs.
Was there something in the arrangement for payment that does not exist in the “ Jonah ” deal?
—No. “ The Terrible Ten ” was not made under our Jurisdiction. We knew nothing about it until it bad been made.
Bv Senator McClelland,—Do vou suggest that it is indicative of the notentialitv of the market?
—Yes. of the potentiality for “ Jonah ”, which 1 believe is our best series to-dav. We have done quite a few series.
Bv Senator Hannan.—What is vour auffioritv for the proposal that “The Terrible Ten” has been sold well abroad?
T have made some inouiries from peonF associated with the production, and fhev are Quite surprised to see that statement in “ Showbiz ”?
—We can cite Mr. Tmpfhorne of Fremantle International. We are auotine from “ Broad- casting and Television ”, a statement bv him.
Do vou know what “The Terrible Ten” would have cost to produce9 -I imagine not more than £2.000 an episode. There were oracticallv no actors’ salaries.
Was it screened on commercial or A.B.C. television?
T could not sav. Tt was screened here. T think it was screened on ATN.
You criticized the desirability of Australian programmes being produced on film and not on tape. You arc familiar with some of the new systems operating like Telecam and multiple cameras. Do you think they would enable us to produce video tapes and films at the same time, at com- petitive rates with overseas productions? The video tape does not give such a satisfactory performance; when copies have to be taken from it, none of the tapes gives as good a performance as film. Whether new processes are now being evolved, I do not know, but the situation in Aus- tralia with video tape is that the number of copies you take from tape is to some degree limited. W’e have had evidence that the most a producer can hope to recover from an Australian production here is 10 per cent, to 20 per cent, of the cost to him?—That is not borne out with “ Jonah ”, because they recovered half from local sponsors, £1.500 out of £3.500. That was for Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide only.
Do you think it is possible, from your knowledge of the industry, in which you have been involved for many years, for an Australian producer to produce a film and show a profit on local release only?
—Possibly not, no. The production would have to be too cheap. The cheaper it gets, the less chance there is of any profit. By the Chairman.
—Do you agree with Mr. Hutton on the subject of talent?
—To a degree, anyway.
By Senator Hannan.—You agree that they would have to sell abroad to make a profit?
—Yes.
If they do not make a profit, they do not go on produc- ing. which means no work for members of our union?
— Yes.
Do you see any distinction between replays on pro- grammes re-run in Australia and those screened abroad?
 —Yes. Re-run in Australia is of a secondary nature. When it is sold abroad, it is having its first play. It is much more valuable. It may go to an area where there are from 15,000.000 to 40,000,000 viewing sets available, if it plays the network. Would you accept the proposition that a re-run in Aus- tralia does an Australian actor out of a job?
—Yes. It means that a show on which he might have worked live is not going on. A re-run, or a release, in the United States or England would not have the same harmful effect on the local actor?
—Not on the local actor, but the American or British actor says it has a harmful effect on him.
I am concerned primarily with Australians at the moment?
—This does concern Australians. If we do not offer some co-operation to the American actor, we will not get him to offer us any co-operation with regard to his material coming in here. What co-operation has the American actor given us in the past? Do we have a quota of Australian material that can be released there?
—No, but we do not get from America- -! am not saying that this is good—the type of show made under the jurisdiction of A.F.T.R.A., the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists, which covers all live television performances. Very often shows are taken by tape or kinescope off the line while they are playing live, and because A.F.T.R.A. charges a replay fee, although their shows are almost invariably of the highest standard in the United States, we never sec them.
The A.B.C. pass fees on replays?
—-For outside sales and local re-runs.
Do you not think it would be a reasonable proposition to go to the Arbitration Court to have re-plavs put in as part of the award for the industry for Australian products?
 —We did have one application before Commissioner Findlay. We lodged a counter-claim: we had to. He threw it out and said that he could not make an award of that sort written in that manner.
That was in regard to a particular proposal, was it not?
—No.
That was not a rule of the industry for which you applied?
—Yes. It was in the original argument before the court in relation to the existing award covering some 350 employers, all the cited parties. Has that application been rejected?—Yes.
Has any further action been taken?
—I am waiting for somebody much smarter to come along and write it differently. I find that I cannot write anything which will be of any use to us which the Commission or a Commissioner would accept. I think he will throw anything out. I am in some difficulty, and perhaps other members of the Committee might by in the same difficulty, that whilst the case that can be made for re-runs in Australia seems to be a strong one, it would be a pity to prevent or hamper in any way the growth of Australian sales abroad by attaching a condition at this stage which increases the difficulties of making a sale?—I think I should say this. I did say earlier that if ATN had been prepared to come to the party and agreed in principle “ Jonah ” would have been going on to-day, but ATN was not prepared to do that. I think I should also indicate to you that last Wednesday I was given authority by a general meeting to negotiate with a certain party—which I will not name—for a film on the principle that he will not pay for the first re- run in Australia.
 

Forgotten Australian TV Series: Jonah
by Stephen Vagg
November 1, 2021
Stephen Vagg’s series on forgotten Australian television plays has evolved into one on TV series. This instalment looks at Jonah, a 1962 effort from ATN-7 in Sydney which prompted a ferocious industrial relations dispute.

I have a theory that the ABC is more influenced by commercial stations than it likes to pretend. That was certainly the case through the 1950s and 1960s when the national broadcaster, despite easily being the biggest producers of television drama in Australia at the time, always seemed to lift their game after developments in the commercial field.

For instance, it started making more locally-written shows after the commercials did them on Shell Presents (1959-60) and Emergency (1959); they went into comedy in a big way only after the success of Mavis Bramston in 1964; they dropped mini-series in the mid-‘60s but went back to them later that decade after the commercial hits You Can’t See Round Corners (1967) and The Battlers (1968).

The commercial stations tend to be less shy about admitting when they are influenced by the ABC. That’s mostly because Aunty doesn’t rate as highly with audiences – it never has. But when the national broadcaster does score a hit, the commercials are never too proud to copy.

And Stormy Petrel, made in 1960, was a solid hit. This tale of the Rum Rebellion was a critical and popular success – a genuine “water cooler show” that really broke through into the national consciousness. The following year saw the ABC release a sequel, The Outcasts and ATN-7 enjoy ratings success with its meat pie Western series, Whiplash! – financed by Britain but shot in Australia, and drawing heavily (albeit shakily) on aspects of Australian history including much Aboriginal folklore. Sensing there was a market for historical tales of colonial era Australia, ATN-7 in Sydney commissioned Jonah (originally called Tycoon, apparently) for broadcast in 1962.

Jonah was a regular series rather than a mini-serial, i.e. episodes would have self-contained storylines instead of a serial component. It resolved around the adventures of Jonah Locke, a fictitious merchant in Sydney during the 1830s through to the 1850s, who regularly came into contact with various real-life figures (that’s why the timeline was so flexible). The titular role was played by Brian James, who had so impressed as Captain Bligh in Stormy Petrel, with the other regulars being Hilary Bamberger, as Jonah’s housekeeper Ann, and Neil Fitzpatrick, as his nephew Brett.

Jonah was shot at Artransa Park Studios in Frenc’s Forest, Sydney which had been the production base for Whiplash! – there was plenty of bushland nearby which was useful for exteriors. ATN-7 later claimed the budget was £3,500 an episode, of which two Australian sponsors, the Commonwealth Bank and Arnotts Biscuits, ponied up £1,600 between them (twice what a sponsor would normally pay, apparently). This left a shortfall of almost £2,000 an episode which had to be made up via repeats and overseas sales – though the figures have to be taken with a grain of salt because they came from ATN-7 and it was/is in the interest of producers to cry poor and/or hype production budgets (I’m not saying they lied, I’m just saying that it is always good to check their references).

The series was meant to go for at least 26 episodes (that’s what ATN-7 said – some accounts stated it was meant to be 39, which was the standard amount at the time to sell a show into syndication; Whiplash! aimed for that but only made it to 34). David Cahill and Ken Hannam, two of the best TV directors in Australia at the time, if not the best, were the main men behind the camera. The producer was Harry Dearth, a top radio producer. The head writer and story editor was Michael Plant, a young but hugely experienced Sydney scribe who had been working in the biz since he was a teen, including stints in Hollywood, London, and Broadway; he later became the first producer of The Mavis Bramston Show. (Random trivia: Dearth would die of cancer in 1964 and Plant of an accidental drug overdose in 1965.)

Thanks to the National Film and Sound Archive, I was able to see two episodes of Jonah, both written by Plant – “No Time for Despair” (directed by Cahill) and “The Coal Mutiny” (directed by Hannam). The first concerns a possible discovery of gold in the colony, with appearances from Count Strzelecki (Hans Farkash) and Governor Gipps (Ron Haddrick). The second involves busting the coal monopoly in Australia, which apparently was a thing, via James Brown (Tom Farley), who apparently was a real person; Noeline Brown (in possibly her first TV role) plays a flirt who gets between Ann and Brett.

I admit I had no idea what to expect out of Jonah going in – except maybe a lot of two-shots and people being pompous in period costume. Well, there is a bit of that, and it’s as creaky as you’d expect a 1962 Australian TV drama to be but based on these two episodes Jonah was quite a good show. The plots were well structured and contained decent twists and turns – Michael Plant knew his stuff. It helps immeasurably that the part of Jonah Locke actually has light and shade – he’s no goody-two-shoes Santa Claus figure, but a sharp operator with one eye always on the main chance and I loved how his nephew and housekeeper were always suspecting him of doing something dodgy. Brian James is excellent in the part and the support cast is lively.

The scripts are a bit “history-lesson-y”: Plant clearly gave the encyclopedias a work-out and at the end of each episode a historian person appears and gives a quick summary of the factual background to the events dramatised. That makes the show feel more like the ABC than something for the commercials.

However, judging from the rundown of other episodes, I think Jonah was more gutsy than ABC drama back then, which tended to shy away from controversy if possible. One episode of the show, “A Nest of Hornets”, was about the Lambing Flat riots, with another, “The Man from Myall Creek” being about the Myall Creek massacre. I mean, that is amazing, that a primetime Australian drama tackled those issues in our country’s history.

Reception to Jonah was critically strong, but audience numbers were not terrific – it rated an average of 19 in Melbourne on HSV-7, six points higher than Stormy Petrel, but that was less than what they hoped (in Sydney Jonah remained a primetime show but in Melbourne it was shifted to Sunday afternoons towards the end of its run). Maybe it was too gutsy, too history-lesson-y. It was also very male focused. Maybe if it had been more of a family drama with, say, Jonah running his business with his wife and two kids, it would have had more cross-over appeal. Regardless, the show would be repeated in Sydney in 1965 and 1969.

In November 1962, Jonah sold to Lew Grade’s ATV in England for a reported £750 an episode. This was a massive breakthrough for television drama in Australia, the first time that had happened (I think) for a local series; ATV had invested in some Australian-shot shows like Whiplash! and The Flying Doctors (the 1959 one with Richard Denning) but Jonah was made by an Australian company.

However, the sale prompted Actors Equity to demand more money for the cast members (I think it was an additional 25%); ATN-7 refused so Equity told its members to go on strike. The issue was raised in Parliament, but the conservative government did not support the union, with Minister for Labor William MacMahon claiming ATN-7 had lost £300,000 on the show. Actors Equity refused to back down and ATN-7 wound up cancelling Jonah despite having made only twenty episodes.

In early 1963, the Federal Government held the Select Committee on the Encouragement of Australian Productions for Television, which became known as the Vincent Committee and the situation of Jonah was frequently brought up, most commonly by production companies as a stick with which to beat unions but also to examine the difficulties of making television drama profitably in Australia. (Most of the information in this piece is from evidence given to that committee.)

The Jonah dispute stopped ATN-7 from making any drama for a while, which was a big deal since it, along with GTV-9 Melbourne, were the main producer outside the ABC. There was no new Australian drama on the commercials in 1963, except for a few isolated plays, the last series of Consider Your Verdict, and two “quasi-drama” series on ATN-7, Time Out and Tribunal, that consisted of ten-minute episodes of Alistair Duncan interviewing people from history. Time Out focused on figures from Australia’s past (Mary Bryant, etc) and I wonder if this repurposed material from Jonah. Anyway, things changed the following year with the success of Homicide, but Australian TV drama only really got on a firm footing on the commercial stations after a quota was introduced in 1967… which came out of the Vincent Report.

So, in its way Jonah was hugely influential. The first Australian drama series to be sold to the UK. (And it did screen there, by the way, in 1963.) The first Australian drama series stopped by industrial action. A show which proved that commercial stations can make really good, smart drama that was better than the ABC’s output… but that they need encouragement like, well, quotas, if they were to stay.

For the record, below I’ve listed the episodes of Jonah that aired, the original Sydney air date, and the historical figures who appear. They showed 19 episodes… The NFSA has records of twenty episodes being made… I think the twentieth (“The Exile”) was the first part of a two-parter so maybe that is why they did not show it. I have endeavoured to keep the errors to a minimum and beg forgiveness in case any sneak in. If you’re interested in checking them out, about nine episodes are available to the general public via a NFSA access centre:

Ep 1 (15 Oct 1962) – “No Time for Despair” – Count Strzelecki, Governor Gipps

Ep 2 (22 Oct) – “A Tale of Two Bees” – Benjamin Boyd, Sir John Franklin and Lady Jane Franklin

Ep 3 (29 Oct) – “A Ring Around a Rosa” – Caroline Chisolm

Ep 4 (5 Nov) – “The Wrong Hands” – Ludwig Leichhardt

Ep 5 (12 Nov) – “Freedom for Port Phillip” – John Dunmore Lang

Ep 6 (19 Nov) – “A Nest of Hornets” – Chinese migrants at Lambing Flat, Captain Zouch

Ep 7 (26 Nov) – “The Hashemy” – the ship The Hashemy

Ep 8 (3 Dec) – “The Marquis of Mullambimbee” – William Wentworth, Henry Parkes

Ep 9 (10 Dec) – “Black Henry” – Black Henry O’Brien

Ep 10 (17 Dec) – “The Railroader” – Miles Morgan

Ep 11 (24 Dec) – “The Coal Mutiny” – James Brown

Ep 12 (31 Dec) – “Where is Adelaide?” – William Light

Ep 13 (7 Jan 1963) – “The Seekers” – Puritans on their way to New Zealand.

Ep 14 (14 Jan) – “This Piece of Earth” – squatters.

Ep 15 (21 Jan) – “The Damned of Darlinghurst” – Colonel Keck

Ep 16 (28 Jan) – “A Plague on Both Your Houses” – emancipists.

Ep 17 (4 Feb) – “The Treaty of South Island” – Maori chief Te Rauparaha, William Wentworth, Governor Gipps

Ep 18 (11 Feb) – “Ship of Fame” – crimping in Sydney.

Ep 19 (18 Feb) – “The Man from Myall Creek” – last episode. About the Myall Creek massacre.

Ep 20 – “The Exile” (never aired) – not sure what this one is about but it’s at the NFSA.
The author would like to thank Simon Drake of the National Film and Sound Archive for his assistance with this article. All opinions are my own.

 

Fairfax Jonah file