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THE MAGIC BOOMERANG
Outdoor fantasy/adventure series for children produced in Australia by Pacific Films about 13-year old Tom Thumbleton (David Morgan) who discovers a boomerang among some Aboriginal relics his great-great-grandfather left in the attic of their home; a sheep farm near the fictitious town of Gunnaganoo. Tom discovers that when he throws the boomerang time stands still until it returns to him. This opens up all sorts of possibilities and the adventures come thick and fast as the lad uses the boomerang to foil the plans of any sinister baddie-of whom there appear to be many in this part of Australia! The only other person who knows of the magic boomerang is Tom's friend Wombat (Rodney Pearlman) who is more inclined to want to use its amazing properties to have mischievous fun, but Tom, being a level headed and mature sort of lad, makes sure that it is only used when needed the most. The effect of the boomerang stopping time was very basic, sometimes using the freeze-frame method and at other times simply getting the other actors to stand rigidly still. 39 half-hour episodes were produced in black and white and the series was sold overseas to countries that included Britain and Canada. Oddly, it appeared on Australian TV after it appeared in those other countries. A year after production finished Pacific Films decided to bring the series back in a new location and with a new cast. The new custodian of the boomerang was 15-year old Robert Brockman (Nugget Morris) and the series was now made in colour. However, only six episodes were ever made.
45 episodes of 30 minute duration (6 in colour). Pacific Films, Australia. 1964-66.
THE MAIN CHANCE
 John Stride starred as David Main, a social-climbing, success-hungry young lawyer whose career is definitely on the way up despite a tendency to take on underdog cases for free, in this quality legal drama, which topped the audience ratings in October 1970.
David Main was brash, calculating and yet brilliant which was just as well because on numerous occasions his impulsiveness led him into all manner of precarious situations. He was a man of the times, though and liked to keep afoot of all the latest technology in order to stay one step ahead of the opposition. And his no-nonsense attitude and great attention to detail made him much sought after by prospective clients. Kate Omara appeared in the first series as Main’s wife, Julia, but in later series she was replaced by his wealthy secretary Sarah Courtnay (actress Anna Palk) who later became Lady Radchester. The Main Chance, created by Edmund Ward, remained a firm audience favourite for 6 years.
45 episodes of 60 minute duration. Yorkshire Television 1969-1975.
MICK AND MONTMORENCY / JOBSTOPPERS
 Charlie Drake and Jack Edwardes had originally met whilst serving in the RAF but didn't consider teaming up until years later when they both failed the same Windmill Theatre audition.
Their disappointment however was soon turned to good fortune when Edwardes was appointed entertainment producer at a holiday camp and promptly booked himself and Drake as the double-act Mick and Montmorency, a clumsy duo set in the Laurel and Hardy mode, with Drake taking most of the pratfalls. During this run producer Michael Westmore spotted them and decided that their brand of comedy was ideal for the BBC children's programme 'Jigsaw.' In 1955 the newly founded Associated Rediffusion company signed them up as the first children's comedy double-act for ITV and they debuted on Independent Television on 30th September for 22 15 minute fun-filled disastrous adventures where they appeared in a variety of jobs from removal men to scientists. For some reason only the first episode went out as 'Mick and Montmorency' then from episode two the series was called 'Jobstoppers'. But after 34 episodes the title reverted back. The final stand-alone series ran from 1956 - 57 and then became part of another Children's programme, 'Jolly Good Time'. At the end of the second run (May 1958) Drake decided he'd had enough of children's TV and wanted to aim his material at adults and he and Edwardes went their separate ways.
91 episodes of 15, 10 and 20 minute duration. ITV 1955-58.
MICKEY SPILLANE'S MIKE HAMMER
 Based on the violent novels of Mickey Spillane, television producers did nothing to tone down the brutality or overt sexism of the original pulp fiction capers in the first series, produced between 1957 and 1959, which starred Darren McGavin ('Kolchak: Night Stalker') nor in the later version (1984 - 87) starring Stacy Keach. Hammer was a wisecracking anti-hero who lived tough in a tough world of murderers, kidnappers, drug dealers and extortionists. He had few friends. The best of these was a .45 caliber pistol that he nicknamed Betsy. Assistance came from his source on the street, Ozzie the Answer (Danny Goldman) and some officers from the NYPD, but by and large Hammer relied on his own streetwise experience and quick wits. One strand that ran through the later series was the appearance in every episode of a mystery woman, known as 'The Face' because she was only ever seen from the neck up, who always mysteriously disappeared before Hammer could meet her. A planned 1985 episode (titled "The Face") would have resolved the mystery had Stacey Keach not been arrested in England for cocaine possession and sentenced to six months imprisonment at Reading Jail. Eventually, another series was made, retitled 'The New Mike Hammer' and in the final episode Hammer met 'The Face', who rather lamely turned out to be an author who was following him so she could fictionalise his exploits in a series of detective novels!
Syndicated only 1957 - 1959. CBS 1984 - 87.
MISLEADING CASES
 Adapted from Oxford law graduate A.P. Herbert's collection of legal absurdities which first saw print in 'Punch' magazine in 1924 and were later released over six books, the first of which was 'Misleading Cases,' printed in 1927. There were three series of this classy comedy in which Roy Dotrice played the part of the doddering but astute eternal litigant Albert Haddock, who would enter the courtroom to debate a variety of moral issues with pleas that referred back to forgotten or outdated laws. Alan Melville adapted the stories for the first two series, which also starred Alistair Sim in a rare TV role, as the often-exasperated Stipendiary Magistrate Mr Justice Swallow, who would preside over each case with a mixture of frustration and silent admiration. Opposing QC was Sir Joshua Hoot played by Thorley Walters and the other regular member of the cast was Avice Landon as Albert's often bemused, but always patient wife. There were also a whole host of guest stars throughout the shows run and they included such TV luminaries as Warren Mitchell, John Le Mesurier, Patricia Hayes, Irene Handl, Arthur Mullard and Fred Emney. John Cleese appeared in one episode just so he could work with Alistair Sim. The third series appeared three years after the second and was written by Christopher Bond and Michael Gilbert.
19 episodes of 30 minute duration. 1967-1968. 1971.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
 "Your mission, Jim, should you accept it..." So began each adventure for the Impossible Missions Force, an elite group of secret agents under the leadership of Jim Phelps (Peter Graves, brother of ’Gunsmoke's’ James Arness). Their weekly tasks usually involved the rescue of a foreign diplomat held prisoner by a fictitious communist country, or the recovery of secret documents. Each member of the IMF had their own particular specialist talent, Rollin Hand (Martin Landau) was a master of disguise, Cinnamon Carter (Barbara Bain, real-life wife of Landau), was the female seductress, muscle was supplied by Willy Armitage (Peter Lupus), and Barney Collier (Greg Morris) was the electronics wizard. Gadgetry of the James Bond type featured heavily in the series, which won Emmys for Outstanding Dramatic Series in 1967 and 1968, and Bain picked up Best Actress Emmy's in 1967, 1968 and 1969. Leonard Nimmoy joined the cast as Paris straight from his stint as ’Star Trek's’ Spock and Lalo Shifrin's ‘Mission Impossible’ title theme was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. The series sold to no less than 70 countries worldwide and in the first in a series of 1996 an all action Hollywood blockbuster’s was released starring Tom Cruise. The movie series kept Shifrin’s distinctive theme tune.
171 missions of 50 minute duration. CBS 1966-73.
THE MOLLY WOPSIES
 Wartime drama series set in an Oxford village about the light-hearted adventures of four children who are living under the shadow of WWII -even though it doesn’t stop them from getting up to all sorts of mischief. ‘The Molly Wopsy’ first appeared on television in 1974 it being the fifth in a series of single comedic dramas that went out under the banner ‘Funny Ha Ha’. Viewers were asked to name their favourite episode and this was the one they chose, hence, 18 months later Thames commissioned a full series of adventures. The story was written by car production-line worker Ron Smith who had grown up in the 1940s in a small village where local legend spoke of a ghost, 'The Molly Wopsy,' which Ron and his friends then adopted for the name of their gang. Drawing on personal experience Ron used that storyline for the first episode before moving on to write about the gang and all they got up to. The best story was one concerning the discovery in of a German pilot who had bailed out of his plane over the village. The series was notable for the first starring role (but not the first TV appearance) of nine-year old Phil Daniels who would go on to bigger and better things, especially the cult British movies 'Scum' and 'Quadrophenia'. The theme tune to the series was an old wartime favourite, ‘Run Rabbit Run’, and was sung by Arthur Askey.
6 episodes of 30 minute duration. Thames Television 1976.
THE MONKEES
 In an attempt to cash in on the popularity of The Beatles movies ’A Hard Day's Night’ and ’Help!’ US producers Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson interviewed no less than 400 applicants for a fast moving madcap thirty minute series based on the day to day life of a pop group. The successful applicants were Mickey Dolenz (formerly Mickey Braddock of ’Circus Boy’ fame), Michael Nesmith (whose mother invented the correcting fluid used on typing errors), Peter Tork, and British actor Davy Jones (formerly Ena Sharples grandson in ’Coronation Street’). The series won the 1966 Emmy for Outstanding Comedy and the group became world wide chart toppers with songs such as ’Last Train To Clarkville,’ ‘Daydream Believer’ and ’I'm a Believer’ (the latter composed by the still unknown Neil Diamond). The group starred in their own movie in 1968 entitled 'Head' which was co-written by Rafelson and Jack Nicholson (who would go on to co-write the blockbuster ’Five Easy Pieces’) but it died at the box office. The groups last single to enter the British popular music charts was in 1969, but by that time they had already split up and gone their separate ways. Mickey Dolenz turned TV producer and in 1980 had a minor hit in Britain with a series called ’Metal Mickey’, a children’s comedy about a robot that bore a startling resemblance to Star Wars' R2D2. In 1997 the Monkees, who still had a massive following on both sides of the Atlantic re-formed for a time to do a series of concerts.
58 episodes of 25 minute duration. Columbia TV. NBC 1966-67.
MOODY AND PEGG
1970s series that successfully mixed comedy and drama, starring Derek Waring as antique dealer Roland Moody and Judy Cornwell as civil servant Daphne Pegg. Both move into a new property with the intention of leaving their past behind them. He is escaping from matrimonial disharmony that ended in divorce whilst she has made for London after realising that her boss has no intention of marrying her. But they soon discover that they have fallen foul of a disreputable estate agent who has sold them both the same lease. Unable to work out who is the rightful owner they reluctantly agree to share, but it is not a happy compromise. At the end of the first series Moody loses his right to live in the flat in a 'winner-takes-all' poker game. However, he returns at the start of series two.
12 episodes of 60 minute duration. Thames TV. 1974-75.
MR DIGBY, DARLING
 Mr Digby, Darling reunited Peter Jones and Sheila Hancock, two of the most popular characters from the hit sitcom The Rag Trade as well as bringing together again Jones with writers Ken Hoare and Mike Sharland, who had scripted Beggar My Neighbour.
Hancock (wife of actor John Thaw) plays Thelma Teesdale, Personal Assistant to Roland Digby, the PR manager for pesticide manufacturers Rid-O-Rat. She is totally devoted to him. From the time he arrives in the office in the morning until the time he leaves in the evening she caters for his every need; providing a cooked breakfast for him (in a stove hidden in his office filing cabinet), darning his socks and providing him with slippers so he can work in comfort. Thelma pulls out all the stops in the vain, and ultimately doomed hope, that he will respond to her advances but alas, he remains totally oblivious.
For Digby, the office becomes home-from-home and is a welcome escape from a domineering wife (the unseen Eleanor) and his three children whose names he can never remember (they are in fact Dominic, Robin and Gwendolyn). But it is only due to Thelma's heroic efforts that the incompetant Digby manages to survive in the cut-throat business world. Impressionist Janet Brown and Michael Bates (It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Last Of The Summer Wine) appeared in later episodes and the series ran for 3 seasons, switching to colour from episode 4 of series 2.
19 episodes of 30 minute duration. Yorkshire TV 1969-1971.
MR. PASTRY
One of British TV's first clowns, appearing on TV since 1946, Mr Pastry was an accident prone but surprisingly nimble old man whose trademark appearance of bowler hat, white moustache and long coat tails was still captivating and amusing young audiences in the 1960's with his own series, as well as appearances on ’Crackerjack’ and ’Sunday Night at the London Palladium’. Actor Richard Hearne was awarded the OBE and was also considered, at one time, as a replacement for William Hartnell in ’Doctor Who’.
MY FAVOURITE MARTIAN
 En route to his office, LA journalist Tim O'Hara witnesses the crash landing of a space ship. On further investigation he discovers that the UFO's pilot has survived the crash and is in fact an anthropologist from the planet Mars. O'Hara takes the stranded Martian home in order that he may carry out repairs
to his spaceship, and this gives rise to a number of comic situations as the journalist tries to hide the truth from friends and nosy neighbours, during the alien's elongated stay. O'Hara was played by Bill Bixby who would go on to star in a number of TV roles, most notably ’The Magician’ and David Banner, the mild mannered but troubled alter-ego of ’The Incredible Hulk’. Ray Walston, a star of the movie ’South Pacific’ played the Martian (referred to as O'Hara's Uncle Martin), the human looking alien with the ability of levitating objects, turning invisible and reading minds. At the time the series began there was much enthusiasm and interest in America's Apollo space program that would eventually put man on the moon, and this probably contributed to the shows success as it shot to the top ten of the Nielsens ratings. A spin-off animated series of 16 episodes was made between 1973-5 and in 1999 a movie version starred Christopher Lloyd was released to lukewarm reception (and that was being generous). Walston made a cameo appearance in the movie.
107 episodes of 30 minute duration. CBS 1963-66.
MY HERO
 Robert Cummings played the part of Robert S. Beanblossom, a well-meaning but not very successful real estate salesman for the Thackery Realty Company. Actor Cummings, who had served during the war as a flying instructor, had previously appeared in the Hollywood movie 'Dial M for Murder.' In this filmed series he managed to avoid the wrath of his boss, Willis Thackery (John Litel), for all his shortcomings, by virtue of his pleasing nature and the help he received from office secretary (and his girlfriend) Julie Marshall (Julie Bishop), who went out of her way to straighten out his mistakes in the belief that he would always emerge triumphant. The series was broadcast by the NBC Network between November 1952 and August 1953, and was also sold to the UK where it was aired on the new Independent channel, ATV, on its second day of transmission, making it only the third US sitcom to be seen on British TV sets following 'Amos n' Andy' and 'I Love Lucy.'
33 episodes of 30 minute duration. Black and White. 1952-1953.
MY LITTLE MARGIE
 Following on from the success of 'I Love Lucy,' ATV television in the UK purchased another US sitcom in the form of 'My Little Margie,' which centred around 21 year-old Margie Albright and her widower father, Vernon. Gale Storm, who played the lead, began her stage career by winning the Texas branch of a competition to play in 'Gateway to Hollywood.' She met the winner of the same contest from Indiana and a year later they were married. Gale then decided to concentrate on raising a family before returning to the silver screen, where she appeared alongside well-known names of the day such as Donald O'Connor and Audie Murphy. Her co-star in the TV series was former silent movie star Charles Farrel who had appeared opposite Janet Gaynor in 'Seventh Heaven.' In an unusual move, 'My Little Margie' began a radio series in December 1952, a little more than two months after the first TV series had finished, and then continued on both mediums throughout the rest of its run. Not, as one might imagine in radio versions of the TV episodes, but in completely new stories. Co-stars Storm and Farrell played the leads in both. The first episode of the TV series was transmitted on CBS in 1952 and the last one was seen on NBC in 1955.
1952 - 1955
MY THREE SONS
 Long running (1960-72) US series which enjoyed huge popularity as a family comedy with a difference, that difference being that it starred a generally all-male cast headed by Fred McMurray as widower Steve Douglas bringing up a family of three sons, 18 year-old Mike (Tim Considine), 14 year-old Robbie (Don Grady), and 7 year-old Chip (Stanley Livingston), with the aid of their grandfather, Michael Francis "Bub" O'Casey (William Frawley), and Tramp, the family dog. Steve worked as a consulting aviation engineer but seemed to spend most of his time bringing up the kids and fending off the attentions of attractive women. In 1965 "Bub" left the series to take a trip to Ireland (actor William Frawley had in fact become too ill to continue working) and was replaced by his brother Charley (William Demarest). For the 1965-66 season the show moved from ABC to CBS and by this time Tim Constadine felt as though he'd outgrown his role and was "married off" in the first episode, before moving east to take up a job teaching psychology. In 1967 the family were uprooted from their Midwest home at 837 Mill Street and moved to California where it was Robbie's turn to become betrothed, and the following year, his wife Katie (Tina Cole), gave birth to triplets thereby providing another three sons. In 1970 Steve met and fell in love with widowed schoolteacher Barbara Harper (Beverly Garland), who he eventually married, whilst youngest son Chip fell in love with and married a co-ed, Polly Thompson (Ronne Troup). Thus we'd followed the growing up of a family, and had come full circle.
369 episodes of 30-minute duration. ABC. CBS. 1960-72.
MY WIFE NEXT DOOR
 When George Bassett (John Alderton) divorced his wife, Suzy (Hannah Gordon), he decided to make a new life for himself outside of London. So George moved to an idyllic cottage in the countryside at number 1 Copse Cottages, near Stoke Poges. Suzy also decided to move to the countryside. Unfortunately she had purchased the property at number 2 Copse Cottages!
Thus was the premise for Brian Clemens' and Richard Waring's award winning sitcom about a divorced couple who despised the fact that they were living next to each other, in spite of the overriding fact (that soon became clear to the audience)...that they were still in love with each other. For thirteen episodes George tried to win Suzy back, but in the end the situation remained unresolved, for in spite of the fact that the series received the Society of Film and Television Award for the year's best sitcom, writer Waring felt as though he'd explored the couples relationship as far as he could and the series never returned for a second outing. Two unsuccessful attempts were made to adapt the series for US television. The first starred James Farentino and Julie Somers in 1975 and the second starred Granville Van Dusen and Lee Purcell. The latter was written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.
13 episodes of 30-minute duration. BBC. 1972.
MYSTERY HALL
 Six-part, early evening drama series from Southern Television about a boy and his dog, a dead man walking and buried treasure. Jeremy Brent (Mark Colleano) is spending his summer holiday at a remote fifteenth century Dorset hotel when he witnesses a guest shoot the hotel’s owner. He tells all and sundry what he has seen only for the hotel owner to turn up later perfectly well and unharmed. With his credibility shot down, Jeremy has no one to turn to when he later stumbles across a story of lost treasure from a sunken Spanish galleon that may be hidden in a secret passage somewhere beneath the hotel. His only allies appear to be his faithful canine companion, Solo, and an odd-job man by the name of Zebediah Gast (Philip Newman). But is Gast all he claims to be? Or should Jeremy put his trust in pretty hotel receptionist Jane (Paddy Glynn) or one of the other hotel guests? All in all quite a dilemma for the youngster.
6 episodes of 30 minute duration. Southern Television 1967.
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF CHARLIE CHAN
 Earl Derr Bigger's character, Charlie Chan, was allegedly based on true-life detective Chang Apana, and had, for many years appeared in numerous cinema versions. In this series J. Carrol Naish starred as the Chinese proverb-quoting detective, father to many children, although aided here by 'Number-One Son', Barry Chan (James Hong). Charlie had now moved to London and was helped further by two British detectives, Inspector Marlowe (Hugh Williams) and Inspector Duff (Rupert Davies, who would later star in the title role in another famous fictional detective series, ’Maigret’.
39 episodes made between 1957-58.
NO HIDING PLACE
 Detective Superindentent Lockhart of Scotland Yard had begun his television career in 1957 in the series ’Murder Bag’ before being promoted in 1959 to another ATV series ’Crime Sheet’. Later that year actor Raymond Francis was given his own series which would outlive it's rivals by several years. ’No Hiding Place’ followed the exploits of Detective Chief Supt Lockhart as he worked his way through over 280 cases, many of which were transmitted live. By his side was Detective Sgt Baxter (Eric Lander), whose character proved so successful that he too was given his own series ’Echo Four Two’, before returning to his chief's side when that series failed to take off. When Baxter moved on yet again, replacements Russell (Johnny Briggs -later to star in ’Coronation Street’ as Cockney wide-boy Mike Baldwin), and Perryman (Michael McStay) were introduced, with Det Sgt Gregg (Sean Caffrey) added at a later date. Due to its authenticity the show was immensely popular with the public and police alike, to such an extent that when it was taken off in 1965 public pressure forced the producers to extend DCI Lockhart's career by another two years.
236 episodes of 60 minute duration. ITV 1959-67.
NO - THAT'S ME OVER HERE!
 First starring vehicle for Ronnie Corbett who plays a little man (of course) with big ambitions. Each day he boards a train from suburbia into the city smartly dressed in three-piece suit, bowler hat, carrying briefcase and brolly and a copy of The Times tucked neatly under his arm. He's accompanied by his stuffy next door neighbour Henry (Henry McGee) who also happens to work for the same company. At work, to Ronnie's constant frustration, Henry always manages to play the office politics game to perfection leaving Ronnie to come out second best. Ronnie's long suffering wife, Laura, is played by Rosemary Leach. The first series was written by Barry Cryer, Graham Chapman and Eric Idle who had supplied material for the two Ronnies on David Frost's various shows. Following series two (written by Cryer and Chapman) Rediffusion lost its franchise and the show was dropped. LWT picked it up again two years later. Corbett and Leach also teamed up for two further series, 'Now Look Here' and 'The Prince of Denmark.'
25 shows of 30 minute duration. ITV 1967-68. 1970.
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