Arcade (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Arcade is an Australian television soap opera
shown in 1980 that became one of the biggest flops in the history of Australian television. It aired on Network Ten
with the premiere (76-minute) episode shown on Sunday, 20 January 1980. The series then ran five nights a week, Mondays to Fridays, as a 30 minute serial. It was produced solely by Network Ten (as an in-house production) with a start-up budget of almost $1 million.
Set in a fictitious shopping centre (the "Arcade" of the title) in the northern suburbs of Sydney
, Arcade dealt with the lives and loves of the characters who worked at the various shops within the shopping centre.
The plan was to have the show on the air before the ratings season started to build an audience, however the serial quickly proved itself a ratings disaster, which actually caused the shows on rival networks it was programmed against to improve in the ratings!
A total of 50 episodes were actually shot and produced, but the series was cancelled after six weeks, so only 30 episodes ever went to air.
The disco-style, metaphoric theme song "(Walking Through an) Arcade" was composed by Mike Perjanik
and performed by Australian singer Doug Parkinson
. The opening title sequence feature aerial shots of a real building and shopping arcade, which was actually the exterior of the famous 'Strata Motor Hotel' located on Military Road, in Sydney's North-Shore suburb of Cremorne
.
The show's set was one of the biggest and most realistic ever built for an Australian television series at that time. Rupert Murdoch
and Network Ten
spent almost $1 million to pour a new concrete floor in Studio A at the Sydney Channel 10 studios; install a complete new lighting grid and lighting system; new editing software; upgraded control rooms and cameras and, of course, the construction of the massive Arcade set itself.
Not long before the show was axed, there was talk the series might be moved to a later timeslot allowing it to become a bit "raunchier" (similar to the hit series Number 96) and a large new set had been built featuring a "western-style" saloon bar, so that more of the action could take place in a venue that supplied alcohol. There were also moves (before the show was axed) to have some of the regular characters "perform" in the bar/nightclub setting, as many of the actors appearing in the show had a background as cabaret artists, singers, comedians and so on, and it was felt that these skills should be utilised and might help save the series. However, the series was cancelled before these plans could be brought to fruition.
In later episodes, a small (illegal) casino was introduced in an apartment above the Arcade - many of the characters lived in apartments above the Arcade - and at the time the series was taken off the air, a large new set had been built featuring a nightclub and bar called "The Sawmill".
.
Arcade also employed Number 96s creator David Sale
and its veteran scriptwriter Johnny Whyte as scriptwriters. Like Number 96, there was some room for light comedy as well as drama.
Rupert Murdoch
had acquired the 0-10 Network in 1979 and had Channel ATV 0 in Melbourne change its call sign from 0 to 10 in January 1980 to make the network complete. So the launch of the pilot (or "movie-length opening episode") of Arcade was seen as the "flagship" program of the brand-new Network Ten.
On the night it aired (Sunday 20 January 1980), the 0–10 Network officially became known as Network Ten to reflect ATV-0's transition to ATV-10 – although the Brisbane
station continued to broadcast as TVQ
-0 until 10 September 1988. On 27 December 1987, Adelaide
's SAS-10 gave ADS-7 the affiliation rights of Network Ten, and became known as ADS-10. (Perth's NEW-10
did not go to air until 1988.)
was cast in a regular role in this new series, playing Vic Marshall, the owner of the pinball parlour. Vic's paraplegic daughter Tina (who worked in the pinball parlour with her overprotective father) was played by South Australian newcomer Christine Harris
(who has gone on to become a well known and respected theatrical producer).
Other recognisable actors in the cast included Aileen Britton
who played Joyce Blair, the haughty woman who ran the Aristocrat Dry Cleaning store with her comical husband Walter, played by one time vaudeville comedian Syd Heylen
.
Tracy Mann
played Susie Blair, Joyce and Walter's dry and slightly sardonic daughter, who helped out at her folks dry cleaners.
Joy Miller played Kitty Adams, a former cabaret singer who was the owner of Kitty's Record Bar and Danny Adcock
as Duncan Adams, Kitty's estranged husband and former showbiz manager, who are constantly arguing.
Peggy Toppano (the mother of Peta Toppano
of Prisoner fame) played gossipy Miriam Buxton, who ran the Bookworm News Agency with her somewhat more exuberant sister Molly Sparks, played by Lorrae Desmond
. Molly's energetic but bumbling son was played with comic relish by Greg Bepper.
Maggie Stuart appeared as grasping vixen Iris Pendleton, (the villain of the piece) who co-owned the Health Studio with her nerdy brother-in-law Norman Garth Meade
, whom she is conniving to get rid of, with the aid of the dim-witted gym instructor Len Crosby (Bill Charlton). Coral Kelly (who later on became Coral Drouyn, a storyline editor for Prisoner) played Consuela McPhee, the newly hired 'full figured' receptionist at the Health Studio, whom was despised by the vengeful Iris;
Annie Semler got a lot of media attention at the time for playing the outrageous, somewhat provocative but very well-meaning gift shop owner Magda Yokochek. (In real life, Annie was, and still is married to Oscar-winning cinematographer Dean Semler
. Today they both reside in the United States)
The late Alan Penney occasionally appeared as Mr. Henderson, the manager of the arcade.
Lucy Taylor and Raymond Nock as Si Wan and Philip, the mother and son operators of Toby's (the sit-down restaurant), and Sinan Leong played the spoiled and pampered Mee Ling, Si Wan's daughter, and Philip's sister who balked at working at the family restaurant. In the 'shocking' storyline in the early episodes, Philip realised he was falling in love with his sister!
Patrick Ward
played conceited - and rather dimwitted - Craig Carmichael, who owned the Sports shop, but spent most of his time trying to get work as a male model. His girlfriend Di Smith, played by former ballerina Olga Tamara managed the shop on his behalf
Jeremy Kewley
played Robbie Stewart, a mysterious young man who turns out to be the younger brother of Craig Carmichael (whose real name was Stan Stewart, but he had changed it to Craig Carmichael which he thought was a sexier name for a male model).
and Tracy Mann
have gone on to have the most high-profile careers.
Jeremy Kewley
went on to star in later successful series like Janus
and Stingers
, playing lead roles in movies like Frank & Jerry and Disappearance and became popular as the audience warm-up comedian on the AFL version of The Footy Show
for almost two decades.
Tracy Mann
won awards for her roles in films like Hard Knocks and Fast Talking and starred in popular series including Prisoner
, the 1984 ABC-TV
series Sweet and Sour
, and the 1990 police drama Skirts
, as well as popular Australian mini-series such as Sword Of Honour
and Cyclone Tracy
.
Tracy and Kewley starred together in the ABC-TV
legal drama series Janus
from 1994-1995.
Also having successful careers after the series ended - and starring together again - were two of its older and more experienced regular cast members, Lorrae Desmond
and Syd Heylen
who both took leading regular roles in the long-running and very popular Seven Network drama series A Country Practice
(1981–1993).
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
shown in 1980 that became one of the biggest flops in the history of Australian television. It aired on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
with the premiere (76-minute) episode shown on Sunday, 20 January 1980. The series then ran five nights a week, Mondays to Fridays, as a 30 minute serial. It was produced solely by Network Ten (as an in-house production) with a start-up budget of almost $1 million.
Set in a fictitious shopping centre (the "Arcade" of the title) in the northern suburbs of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Arcade dealt with the lives and loves of the characters who worked at the various shops within the shopping centre.
The plan was to have the show on the air before the ratings season started to build an audience, however the serial quickly proved itself a ratings disaster, which actually caused the shows on rival networks it was programmed against to improve in the ratings!
A total of 50 episodes were actually shot and produced, but the series was cancelled after six weeks, so only 30 episodes ever went to air.
The disco-style, metaphoric theme song "(Walking Through an) Arcade" was composed by Mike Perjanik
Mike Perjanik
Mike Perjanik is a New Zealand-born musician, record producer, composer, arranger and bandleader who became well known in Australia from the late 1960s for his work on pop and rock recordings, and as a composer, arranger, bandleader and producer of music for film, television and advertising.-New...
and performed by Australian singer Doug Parkinson
Doug Parkinson
Douglas "Doug" Parkinson is an Australian singer who first came to fame with his band, Doug Parkinson In Focus, in 1969. He has had numerous hits on the Australian Top 40 charts.-Career:...
. The opening title sequence feature aerial shots of a real building and shopping arcade, which was actually the exterior of the famous 'Strata Motor Hotel' located on Military Road, in Sydney's North-Shore suburb of Cremorne
Cremorne, New South Wales
Cremorne is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Cremorne is located 6 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council....
.
The show's set was one of the biggest and most realistic ever built for an Australian television series at that time. Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
and Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
spent almost $1 million to pour a new concrete floor in Studio A at the Sydney Channel 10 studios; install a complete new lighting grid and lighting system; new editing software; upgraded control rooms and cameras and, of course, the construction of the massive Arcade set itself.
Not long before the show was axed, there was talk the series might be moved to a later timeslot allowing it to become a bit "raunchier" (similar to the hit series Number 96) and a large new set had been built featuring a "western-style" saloon bar, so that more of the action could take place in a venue that supplied alcohol. There were also moves (before the show was axed) to have some of the regular characters "perform" in the bar/nightclub setting, as many of the actors appearing in the show had a background as cabaret artists, singers, comedians and so on, and it was felt that these skills should be utilised and might help save the series. However, the series was cancelled before these plans could be brought to fruition.
The shops
The shops featured in the initial episodes were:- Kitty's Record Bar (a record and tape store)
- Aristocrat (a dry cleaning store)
- FlashBack Leisure Centre, (a pinball parlour)
- Toby's, (a sit down restaurant)
- Pendleton's Health Studio (a health and workout studio)
- The Bookworm (a book store and news agency)
- Magda's Gifts, (a gift shop)
- Surf 'n' Ski (a sports shop specializing in water sports)
In later episodes, a small (illegal) casino was introduced in an apartment above the Arcade - many of the characters lived in apartments above the Arcade - and at the time the series was taken off the air, a large new set had been built featuring a nightclub and bar called "The Sawmill".
The pilot episode
The 76 minute pilot episode was produced by Bill Harmon and Perter Bernados who had earlier produced the highly successful soap opera Number 96Number 96 (TV series)
Number 96 was a popular Australian soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block. Don Cash and Bill Harmon produced the series for Network Ten, which requested a Coronation Street-type serial, and specifically one that explored adult subjects...
.
Arcade also employed Number 96s creator David Sale
David Sale
David Sale is an Australian-based author and television screenwriter. He has contributed to many TV drama series, provided special material for Australia's leading entertainers, and has worked as producer, director, actor and journalist....
and its veteran scriptwriter Johnny Whyte as scriptwriters. Like Number 96, there was some room for light comedy as well as drama.
Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
had acquired the 0-10 Network in 1979 and had Channel ATV 0 in Melbourne change its call sign from 0 to 10 in January 1980 to make the network complete. So the launch of the pilot (or "movie-length opening episode") of Arcade was seen as the "flagship" program of the brand-new Network Ten.
On the night it aired (Sunday 20 January 1980), the 0–10 Network officially became known as Network Ten to reflect ATV-0's transition to ATV-10 – although the Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
station continued to broadcast as TVQ
TVQ
TVQ is the Brisbane television station of Network Ten in Australia.TVQ may also refer to:* TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting, a television station in Fukuoka, Japan...
-0 until 10 September 1988. On 27 December 1987, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
's SAS-10 gave ADS-7 the affiliation rights of Network Ten, and became known as ADS-10. (Perth's NEW-10
NEW-10
NEW is a television station broadcasting in Perth, Australia, and is a member of Network Ten. Out of the three commercial stations, NEW generally rates the lowest overall, but usually rates highest in its target demographic ....
did not go to air until 1988.)
Cast
Long running Number 96 actor Mike DorseyMike Dorsey
Mike Dorsey was an English theatre and television actor. He rose to fame in Australia and is best known for his long-running role of Reginald "Daddy " MacDonald in the 1970s television soap opera Number 96....
was cast in a regular role in this new series, playing Vic Marshall, the owner of the pinball parlour. Vic's paraplegic daughter Tina (who worked in the pinball parlour with her overprotective father) was played by South Australian newcomer Christine Harris
Christine Harris
Christine Harris is an Australian actress, born and raised in South Australia.After portraying a young version of popular Australian singer Julie Anthony in a television special, she moved to Sydney at the end of 1979 to star as paraplegic Tina Marshall in the short-lived Network Ten soap opera...
(who has gone on to become a well known and respected theatrical producer).
Other recognisable actors in the cast included Aileen Britton
Aileen Britton
Aileen Britton was an Australian actress.Britton made her acting debut in Tall Timbers in 1937. She then worked on stage until the reemergence of Australian cinema in the mid-1970s.-Film appearances:...
who played Joyce Blair, the haughty woman who ran the Aristocrat Dry Cleaning store with her comical husband Walter, played by one time vaudeville comedian Syd Heylen
Syd Heylen
Syd Heylen was an Australian actor, comedian, and variety performer who often performed in a traditional vaudeville type style....
.
Tracy Mann
Tracy Mann
Tracy Mann is an Australian actress. Her film credits include Hard Knocks, The Scarecrow, and Fast Talking.Mann got her first big break playing Tina Harris in the 1970s television soap opera The Box. She is possibly best remembered to audiences for playing a character who ended up behind bars, deaf...
played Susie Blair, Joyce and Walter's dry and slightly sardonic daughter, who helped out at her folks dry cleaners.
Joy Miller played Kitty Adams, a former cabaret singer who was the owner of Kitty's Record Bar and Danny Adcock
Danny Adcock
Danny Adcock is an Australian actor, best known for his work in television and theatre.His television acting roles include Matlock Police as the killer of Michael Pate's character, Division 4, Homicide, Patrol Boat, Sons and Daughters as Joe Parker, Prisoner as male warder Geoff Carlson, A Country...
as Duncan Adams, Kitty's estranged husband and former showbiz manager, who are constantly arguing.
Peggy Toppano (the mother of Peta Toppano
Peta Toppano
Peta Toppano is an actress who found success in Australian television. She is best known for her roles in popular television series such as The Young Doctors, Prisoner, and Home & Away, as well as Return to Eden in which she played a "superbitch".-Early life:Toppano was born in Finsbury Park,...
of Prisoner fame) played gossipy Miriam Buxton, who ran the Bookworm News Agency with her somewhat more exuberant sister Molly Sparks, played by Lorrae Desmond
Lorrae Desmond
Lorrae Desmond, MBE is a Australian singer, entertainer, and character actress, with a career spanning over 50 years...
. Molly's energetic but bumbling son was played with comic relish by Greg Bepper.
Maggie Stuart appeared as grasping vixen Iris Pendleton, (the villain of the piece) who co-owned the Health Studio with her nerdy brother-in-law Norman Garth Meade
Garth Meade
Garth Meade was a comedian and actor active in Australia from 1970. He had studied classical guitar at the Guildhall, London....
, whom she is conniving to get rid of, with the aid of the dim-witted gym instructor Len Crosby (Bill Charlton). Coral Kelly (who later on became Coral Drouyn, a storyline editor for Prisoner) played Consuela McPhee, the newly hired 'full figured' receptionist at the Health Studio, whom was despised by the vengeful Iris;
Annie Semler got a lot of media attention at the time for playing the outrageous, somewhat provocative but very well-meaning gift shop owner Magda Yokochek. (In real life, Annie was, and still is married to Oscar-winning cinematographer Dean Semler
Dean Semler
Dean Semler, A.C.S., A.S.C. is an Australian cinematographer. Over his career, he has worked as a cinematographer, camera operator, director, second unit director, and assistant director.-Early years:...
. Today they both reside in the United States)
The late Alan Penney occasionally appeared as Mr. Henderson, the manager of the arcade.
Lucy Taylor and Raymond Nock as Si Wan and Philip, the mother and son operators of Toby's (the sit-down restaurant), and Sinan Leong played the spoiled and pampered Mee Ling, Si Wan's daughter, and Philip's sister who balked at working at the family restaurant. In the 'shocking' storyline in the early episodes, Philip realised he was falling in love with his sister!
Patrick Ward
Patrick Ward
Patrick Ward is an Australian actor noted for several performances on Australian television.-Career:Ward played a guest television role in police procedural Matlock Police in 1973...
played conceited - and rather dimwitted - Craig Carmichael, who owned the Sports shop, but spent most of his time trying to get work as a male model. His girlfriend Di Smith, played by former ballerina Olga Tamara managed the shop on his behalf
Jeremy Kewley
Jeremy Kewley
Jeremy Leo Kewley is an Australian actor, based in Melbourne, who made his professional acting debut at the age of 14 in the feature film The Devil's Playground .-Early life:...
played Robbie Stewart, a mysterious young man who turns out to be the younger brother of Craig Carmichael (whose real name was Stan Stewart, but he had changed it to Craig Carmichael which he thought was a sexier name for a male model).
Life after Arcade
Of all the actors in the series Jeremy KewleyJeremy Kewley
Jeremy Leo Kewley is an Australian actor, based in Melbourne, who made his professional acting debut at the age of 14 in the feature film The Devil's Playground .-Early life:...
and Tracy Mann
Tracy Mann
Tracy Mann is an Australian actress. Her film credits include Hard Knocks, The Scarecrow, and Fast Talking.Mann got her first big break playing Tina Harris in the 1970s television soap opera The Box. She is possibly best remembered to audiences for playing a character who ended up behind bars, deaf...
have gone on to have the most high-profile careers.
Jeremy Kewley
Jeremy Kewley
Jeremy Leo Kewley is an Australian actor, based in Melbourne, who made his professional acting debut at the age of 14 in the feature film The Devil's Playground .-Early life:...
went on to star in later successful series like Janus
Janus (TV series)
Janus is an Australian drama television series screened on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1994 and 1995. Two series were produced, with a total of 26 episodes....
and Stingers
Stingers
Stingers was an Australian police drama television series. It ran for eight seasons on the Nine Network before it was canceled in late 2004 due to declining ratings and the late timeslot Channel Nine gave the program...
, playing lead roles in movies like Frank & Jerry and Disappearance and became popular as the audience warm-up comedian on the AFL version of The Footy Show
The AFL Footy Show
The Footy Show is a Logie Award winning Australian sports television program, shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates.This show, which is dedicated to the AFL and Australian rules football, made its debut on 24 March 1994 at the same time as the other version which relates to the NRL and rugby...
for almost two decades.
Tracy Mann
Tracy Mann
Tracy Mann is an Australian actress. Her film credits include Hard Knocks, The Scarecrow, and Fast Talking.Mann got her first big break playing Tina Harris in the 1970s television soap opera The Box. She is possibly best remembered to audiences for playing a character who ended up behind bars, deaf...
won awards for her roles in films like Hard Knocks and Fast Talking and starred in popular series including Prisoner
Prisoner (TV series)
Prisoner is an Australian television soap opera which was set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and ran on Network Ten for 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986.The series was inspired by the 1970s...
, the 1984 ABC-TV
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
series Sweet and Sour
Sweet and Sour (TV series)
Sweet and Sour is an Australian television series which screened on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1984. It was created by Tim Gooding and Johanna Pigott and was produced internally for the ABC by Jan Chapman...
, and the 1990 police drama Skirts
Skirts (TV series)
Skirts was an Australian television police drama broadcast on the Seven Network in 1990. Skirts was produced by Roger Le Mesurier and Roger Simpson. It was directed by Brendan Maher, Richard Sarell and Ian Gilmour....
, as well as popular Australian mini-series such as Sword Of Honour
Sword of Honour (Australian TV)
Sword of Honour was an Australian miniseries which was made in 1986 and aired on Channel Seven. Four 100-minute episodes were made. The series starred Andrew Clarke, Tracey Mann and Alan Fletcher. The series was about two young men who are trying to get over the horrors of the Vietnam War...
and Cyclone Tracy
Cyclone Tracy
Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974...
.
Tracy and Kewley starred together in the ABC-TV
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
legal drama series Janus
Janus (TV series)
Janus is an Australian drama television series screened on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1994 and 1995. Two series were produced, with a total of 26 episodes....
from 1994-1995.
Also having successful careers after the series ended - and starring together again - were two of its older and more experienced regular cast members, Lorrae Desmond
Lorrae Desmond
Lorrae Desmond, MBE is a Australian singer, entertainer, and character actress, with a career spanning over 50 years...
and Syd Heylen
Syd Heylen
Syd Heylen was an Australian actor, comedian, and variety performer who often performed in a traditional vaudeville type style....
who both took leading regular roles in the long-running and very popular Seven Network drama series A Country Practice
A Country Practice
A Country Practice is an Australian television drama series. One of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, it ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping,...
(1981–1993).