THE ONEDIN LINE
Beginning life in 1970 as a one-off ’Drama Playhouse’ presentation, ’The Onedin Line’ was a typical piece of BBC period costume drama that the corporation have so often excelled in. Telling the story of James Onedin (Peter Gilmore), a 19th-century ship's master from Liverpool, whose burning ambition was to own a fleet of sailing vessels, the original production opened in 1860 as Onedin inherited the smallest part of his late fathers estate -just £25.00. With his windfall he purchased a three-mast schooner by the name of the Charlotte Rose, and set about building his business empire. However, as part of the purchase agreement Onedin agreed to marry Anne (Sheila Allen) the daughter of the ships former owner, Captain Webster (James Hayter). The series followed Onedin's career (accompanied by the his faithful Captain Baines -Howard Lang-) as he hopped from boardroom to bedroom to briny sea, along the way remarrying twice. Years after his first wife (Anne Stallybrass in the series), had died giving birth to his daughter, Charlotte (Laura Hartong), James married Letty Gaunt (Jill Gascoigne -later to star in the ITV crime drama ’The Gentle Touch’), but she died too, and by the end of the series run James was married to a Spanish widow by the name of Margarita Juarez (Roberta Iger). The series ran for nine years (taking the Onedin saga up to 1886) and also gave early TV appearances to Jane Seymour and Kate Nelligan. Location filming was shot off Charlestown and Dartmouth in Devon and the series stirring theme tune was Aram Khachaturyan's 'Spartacus'.
91 episodes of 50 minute duration. BBC. 1971-80
ORLANDO
Orlando O'Connor (Sam Kydd) originally appeared in the Moroccan based adventure series 'Crane,' as the beachcomber friend to Patrick Allen's lead character. In 1965 he was returned to England for this children's teatime series, which ran for three years. Filmed mostly around London's (as yet) undeveloped Docklands area, the stories centred round a detective agency that had been inherited by two youngsters, Steve (David Munro) and Jenny Morgan (Judy Robinson). In their first adventure they teamed up with Orlando, who was trying to find the murderer of an ex-Navy friend, whom Orlando had hoped would help him establish a boat-building enterprise. From then on the trio stayed together solving all manner of cases with the aid of a supposedly magic Arabic charm called a 'Gizzmo'.
Associated Rediffusion. 1965-1968.
OSS
Ron Randell and Robert Gallico starred as agents Frank Hawthorne and Sgt O'Brien working for the Office of Strategic Services during World War ll. Both men received their orders from Lionel Murton as 'The Chief' and the series was allegedly based on a real organisation of the same name, which was disbanded after the war and was in fact the precursor to the CIA. Co-producer William Eliscu had himself served in the agency, adding some semblance of authenticity to the stories, which usually involved rescue and sabotage missions behind enemy lines.
26 episodes of 25-minute duration. 1958.
OUTLAWS
The Outlaws ran from 1960 to 1962 during which time its perspective shifted from the Wild West as seen through the eyes of the outlaws themselves, to the views of the US Marshal's that pursued them. Series one featured Marshal Frank Caine (Barton MacLane) and his two deputies, Will Foreman (Don Collier) and Heck Martin (Jock Gaynor) and the setting was the Oklahoma Territory in the 1880's. However, when it returned in 1961 both Caine and Martin had gone whilst Foreman received a promotion and the action switched to the small town of Stillwater. The new regulars consisted of Deputy Chalk Beeson (Bruce Yarnell), a handyman drifter named Slim (Slim Pickens), and restaurant proprietress Connie Masters (Judy Lewis). Blond 6ft tall Don Collier had appeared in touring shows and repertory before landing the part of Will Foreman, whilst accomplished recording artist Yarnell already had two Broadway successes behind him, including the US Theatre World's "most promising performance" award for the romantic lead in the New York production of ’The Happiest Girl in the World’. Veteran character actor Slim Pickens, who had begun performing in Western Rodeo's at the age of twelve, had appeared in scores of Western movies as well as almost every major Hollywood TV series. Judy Lewis was the daughter of famed screen actress Loretta Young and had previously been seen in another TV series, ’77 Sunset Strip’.
50 episodes of 60 minute duration. NBC. Black and white. 1960-62.
PARA HANDY - MASTER MARINER
Comedy series produced by BBC Scotland based on the skipper and crew of a 'puffer' (small cargo boat) - 'The Vital Spark' written by Neil Munro and first published in 1905 in the "Looker On" column of the Glasgow Evening News. Munro continued writing these hilarious stories for most of his working life. He published them in three book collections: The Vital Spark (1906), In Highland Harbours (1911), and Hurricane Jack of the Vital Spark (1923). The show quickly became a popular Friday night series with viewers for its easy-going humour and colourful characters which included Para Handy played by Duncan Macrae, Dan Macphall (John Grieve), Dougie (Roddy McMillan) and Sunny Jim (Angus Lennie) and their less-than legitimate dealings along the West Coast of Scotland. The series ran briefly for 6 episodes between 1959 and 1960 but the crew's adventures were revived in 1965 for an episode of 'Comedy Playhouse' where Roddy McMillan returned this time as the skipper, Para Handy. Following that three series were made (entitled 'The Vital Spark') up to 1974. There might have been another series in 1977 but a pilot episode starring Billy Connolly, although filmed-was never aired. Then in 1990 Gregor Fisher (then famous for his Rab C Nesbitt character) returned to play the old sea salt in 9 50-minute episodes of 'The Tales of Para Handy'.
6 shows of 30 minute duration. BBC. 1959-60.
PEYTON PLACE
Made as the USA's answer to ’Coronation Street’ and based on Grace Metalious' novel, ’Peyton Place’, with its tales of sexual intrigues became the first prime-time soap opera on American television. Set in a New England town, the story (which had already been filmed in 1957 for the big screen -Lana Turner starred) concentrated on the lives of its inhabitants, amongst who were Constance MacKenzie (Dorothy Malone) and her illegitimate daughter, Alison (Mia Farrow), who was romantically linked to Rodney Harrington (Ryan O'Neal), the son of a wealthy mill, owner and his wife of two occasions, Betty Anderson (Barbara Parkins). Linking the stories together was dashing young doctor Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson), whose work took him into the homes of all the characters. The series made major stars of most of the cast, not least of all O'Neal and Farrow (whose character wandered off on a foggy night, never to be seen again). Other stars during the shows run included Leslie Nielsen, Lee Grant, Wilfred Hyde-White and Lana Wood (sister of Natalie). The series was purchased by ITV in 1965 at a cost of £30,000 but unlike its inspiration, ’Coronation Street’, Peyton Place was unable to maintain both its script or production standards and eventually viewing figures became so low that it was axed. At the time, Dr. Rossi was on trial for murder, a finale that Dutch viewers found so unbearable that they flew the cast out to Holland to film an alternative, happy ending. There have been several attempts to revive the series, a 1972 daytime offering ’Return To Peyton Place’ starring different actors and a couple of TV movies starring several members of the original cast ’Murder In Peyton Place’ (1977) and ’Peyton Place: The Next Generation’ (1985).
514 episodes of 30 minute duration. ABC 1964-69.
THE PLANE MAKERS / THE POWER GAME
Set on the "factory floor" of fictitious aircraft manufacturers Scott Furlong, ’The Plane Makers’ focused on the day-to-day running of a multi-million pound company, and in particular the ambitions of ruthless company managing director John Wilder, as played with convincing gusto by Patrick Wymark. It was a performance that won Wymark many fans as well as an actor of the year award, and prompted a number of businessmen, who had seen the programme, to offer the actor places on the boards of real-life companies. In stark contrast to the character he played, Wymark described himself as having "No head for business at all, and paperwork would drive me mad. I don't think I've ever been ruthless. I'm too much of a coward." But John Wilder was the man that everyone loved to hate and when the series came to an end after two years with the collapse of the company, Wilder was whisked off to pastures new in the follow on series, ’The Power Game.’ Now knighted and placed on the board of a merchant bank, Sir John Wilder begins to crave excitement and seizes the opportunity to get back into the action as soon as it presents itself. The bank with which Wilder is connected backs a civil engineering firm of which Wilder eventually becomes managing director, much to the opposition of the firm's founder, Sir Caswell Bligh (Clifford Evans) and his son Kenneth (Peter Barkworth). Both Barbara Murray and Ann Firbank starred as Wilder's wife, Pamela (Lady Wilder) and the series was still top of the ratings in 1969 when it was brought to an abrupt end by the sudden death of its star. By that time Sir John was employed by the British Government as a member of the Foreign Office.
Plane Makers 1963-1965. Power Game 1965-1969.
POLICE WOMAN
'Police Woman' first aired on US television on 26th March, 1974, as 'The Gamble', an episode of Joseph Wambaugh's anthology series 'Police Story', starring Angie Dickinson as policewoman Lisa Beaumont. By the fall of that year Dickinson was back in the same role but with an new name; the more attractively sounding Pepper Anderson, undercover cop for the Criminal Conspiracy Unit of the LAPD. The series broke new ground in featuring a woman in the lead role as a police officer and arguably paved the way for future female cop TV successes such as 'Charlie's Angels', and 'Cagney and Lacey' in America and 'Juliet Bravo,' 'The Gentle Touch' and 'Prime Suspect' in the UK. Sergeant Bill Crowley (Earl Holliman) was Anderson's immediate superior while Pete Royster (Charles Dierkop) and Joe Styles (Ed Bernard) formed the other half of the undercover team that investigated everything from murder and rape to drugs and vice, all of which required Anderson to go undercover posing variously as a callgirl, a gangsters girlfriend, a dancer or anything else that required Angie Dickinson to be seen in mini skirts, evening gowns and nurses uniforms. Dickinson soon became the television sex symbol for the over 40's - it may have been groundbreaking in its subject matter but it was still very sexist in TV terms in what was still very much a male dominated medium! However, in its favour the show was not all high heels and fishnet stockings and Anderson's character was rounded out by her occasional visits to a younger autistic sister, Cheryl (Nichole Kallis), in the first season. One month before filming, the cast visited the Hollywood Division police station to soak up the atmosphere and found themselves caught up in the midst of a real-life gun drama that ended in the death of an armed attacker. 'Police Woman' became the inspiration behind an avalanche of applications from women to join police departments throughout the United States in the late 1970s and well into the 1980s negating (admittedly with hindsight) the views of many feminists who put pressure on the network to de-sexualize the character.
92 episodes of 60 minute duration. NBC 1974 - 1978.
PROSPECTS
Set and filmed around the Isle of Dogs in the East End of London, 'Prospects' followed the misadventures of two 'likely lads', Jimmy Pince (Gary Olsen) and Billy Pearson (Brian Bovell). This gritty comedy drama was set during the grim high unemployment days of Thatcher's Britain in the mid eighties and the two friends were continually duckin' and divin' as they struggled to survive on their 'social' (unemployment benefit) and the odd 'fast earner' from any dodgy employer willing to pay 'cash in hand.' The series didn't shy away from social issues such as unemployment and racism but always maintained its humour throughout with sharply written scripts and great chemistry between the two leads. No matter what schemes they came up with Pincy and Billy always seemed to lose out - ending up with little or no future prospects. Writer Alan Janes penned all 12 episodes and the series was made as a joint venture by Thames and Channel 4. 'Prospects' was an instant hit with the viewing public and a second series was planned in which the boys were to go and work for a mini-cab company owned by 'Del' (Mike Savage) the cafe owner and mentor of the two lads. It is unclear why it was never made although there were rumours that both Thames and C4 were at loggerheads over ownership of the series and there may have been some dispute over script ownership too, although this has never been confirmed. Ray Dorset of Mungo Jerry fame, sang the show's theme song although it has been said that Roger Daltrey of The Who was originally going to sing the it, but the producers were so impressed with Ray's demo version that he got the job.
12 episodes of 60 minute duration. Thames (Euston Films) & C4. 1986.
THE PROTECTORS
’The Protectors’ had one of the most difficult jobs on television when first introduced in 1964, as this team of specialists were brought in to bridge the gap left by the concluding episode of that year's highly successful series of ’The Avengers’. "We sell security. Object: To prevent crime," was the motto of the three specialists operating out of a plush London office. Producer Michael Chapman said of the series, "This is in sharp contrast to ’The Avengers’, which dealt with crime in a stylish, fantasy world. Our show is about three level-headed people who try to prevent crime from happening." Certainly Heather Keys played by former ’Compact’ actress Ann Morrish was no Cathy Gale. "I suppose it is inevitable I should be compared to Cathy," said Morrish in 1964. "But off-screen and on we couldn't be more different." The series took for its inspiration the many security firms that were beginning to spring up around Britain at that time, and after placing advertisements in newspapers, asking prospective clients to call 'Wellbeck 3269' the SIS (Specialists in Security) firm headed by former insurance investigator Ian Souter (actor Andrew Faulds), and assisted by ex policeman Robert Shoesmith (Michael Atkinson) found themselves assigned to cases involving forgery, espionage and murder. African born Faulds had previously come to public notice as a prospective Labour parliamentary candidate for Stratford-on-Avon, and took up his political career once more after retiring from acting to become an MP. Ann Morrish went on to be a presenter on the pre-school children's show ’Play School’.
14 episodes of 60 minute duration. ABC-TV. 1964.
THE QUEEN STREET GANG
Well trained, highly organised and working from a secret H.Q. 'The Queen Street Gang' were undoubtedly an attempt by Thames television to create a modern day Famous Five. There were even comparisons to be drawn with the Enid Blyton created characters, including one of the children being the daughter of a top secret researcher. The series was based on a 1966 children's adventure book called 'The Case of the Silver Egg', by Desmond Skirrow and adapted for TV by Roy Russell whose previous work included the 'Sexton Blake' TV series and who later went on to write 'Fly Into Danger,' 'A Place To Hide' and numerous other adventure series. The first of the two stories made involved a silver egg that was able to hold all the electricity in the world, which was then stolen by a group of criminals with the unlikely names of Spitz, Auntie Cuthbert, Greenface and Tich, characters that would not have been out of place in the 'Batman' TV series that was hugely popular around the same time. It was up to the gang to recover it, rescue the kidnapped professor and make the world a safer place for us all. The gang (of which, coincidentally there were five) was Mini Morris (Michael Feldman), Speedy (Anthony Peplow), Sniffer (Len Jones), Big Bill (Sebastian Abineri) and Philippa (Elizabeth Crowther).
9 episodes of 30 minute duration. Thames Television 1968.
QUICK BEFORE THEY CATCH US
Children's action/adventure series that was very much a product of the swinging sixties having more in common with 'The Avengers' than 'The Famous Five'. It was actually about an unfamous three, each of them bringing with them their own unique skill to help solve the unlikely adventures they managed to get themselves into. Kate (Pamela Franklin), the youngest of our heroes, had a photographic memory and was also a talented artist, quite handy when on the trail of villians. Johnny (Teddy Green) was a technology student and quite handy at whipping up any manner of surveilance equipment, and Mark (David Griffin) was the nerdish brains of the outfit, also a gifted photographer. All the actors went on to long TV careers, Franklin moved to the USA where she often cropped up in numerous prime-time series such as "Hawaii Five-O", "Police Woman", "Fantasy Island" (four times) and "Vega$". Green most recently appeared in "Holby City" and became a regular in "Hi-De-Hi!" as Squadron Leader Clive Dempster DFC before appearing as Emmet in "Keeping Up Appearances". The series theme tune was performed by the Brian Epstein managed group Paddy, Klaus and Gibson (Klaus being none other than Klaus Voorman, designer of The Beatles 'Revolver' album cover) but the musical trio split up before the TV's trio had even started their adventures.
20 episodes of 30 minute duration. BBC. 1966.
