Cash Harmon Television
Encyclopedia
Cash Harmon Television was a television
production company based in Australia
, operating in the 1970s. Their most famous product was top-rated evening soap opera
Number 96
.
Cash Harmon Television was created after the dissolution of NLT Productions in 1971, by two former NLT producers, Don Cash and Bill Harmon. Both had previously worked in US television and they had been brought to Australia by NLT due to their previous experience. Cash Harmon Television used a regular team of writers on its projects including David Sale
, Johnny Whyte and Lynn Foster .
The company first made popular situation comedy
series The Group
(1971) for ATN7, written by David Sale . Then in 1972 they responded to the Ten Network's request for a Coronation Street
-type daily serial. Enlisting the services of David Sale, who created the general outline and the original characters, Cash Harmon came up with Number 96. The serial began on-air in March 1972 and was an instant hit.
Don Cash died in 1973 but the company continued under the same name with Nancy Sales Cash
as co-producer. They created a feature film version of Number 96 in late 1973. With just a single program in production, the company attempted to expand in late 1974 by launching a new daily serial, this time for the Nine Network
. The new show, The Unisexers
, was created by Number 96 scriptwriter Anne Hall and utilised several other current Number 96 writers including Johnny Whyte and Derek Strahan.
The early evening timeslot of The Unisexers meant that the writers were restricted in what content they could include, with much of the adult Number 96-style action forbidden. The Unisexers debuted in February 1975 but proved to be a ratings disaster. It was quickly cancelled and was taken off the air after only three weeks and 15 half-hour episodes had been screened.
In 1976 several attempts to spin-off
new situation comedy series from Number 96 failed, and Cash Harmon Television was dissolved in 1977 with the cancellation of Number 96.
Several former employees later collaborated on short lived serial Arcade
(1980).
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
production company based in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, operating in the 1970s. Their most famous product was top-rated evening soap opera
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,...
Number 96
Number 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...
.
Cash Harmon Television was created after the dissolution of NLT Productions in 1971, by two former NLT producers, Don Cash and Bill Harmon. Both had previously worked in US television and they had been brought to Australia by NLT due to their previous experience. Cash Harmon Television used a regular team of writers on its projects including 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....
, Johnny Whyte and Lynn Foster .
The company first made popular situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
series The Group
The Group (TV series)
The Group was a popular Australian situation comedy series produced by Cash Harmon Television for ATN7 in 1971.The situation involved five young flatmates - three men and two women - living together for financial and pragmatic reasons and regularly attempting to outwit their landlord who was...
(1971) for ATN7, written by David Sale . Then in 1972 they responded to the Ten Network's request for a Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
-type daily serial. Enlisting the services of David Sale, who created the general outline and the original characters, Cash Harmon came up with Number 96. The serial began on-air in March 1972 and was an instant hit.
Don Cash died in 1973 but the company continued under the same name with Nancy Sales Cash
Nancy Sales Cash
Nancy Sales Cash is a journalist and television producer. A native of North Carolina, her career includes journalism Nancy Sales Cash (born March 28, 1940, in North Carolina) is a journalist and television producer. A native of North Carolina, her career includes journalism Nancy Sales Cash...
as co-producer. They created a feature film version of Number 96 in late 1973. With just a single program in production, the company attempted to expand in late 1974 by launching a new daily serial, this time for the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
. The new show, The Unisexers
The Unisexers
The Unisexers is an Australian television soap opera made by Cash Harmon Television for the Nine Network in 1975.The series was produced by the same company that had made the smash hit soap opera Number 96...
, was created by Number 96 scriptwriter Anne Hall and utilised several other current Number 96 writers including Johnny Whyte and Derek Strahan.
The early evening timeslot of The Unisexers meant that the writers were restricted in what content they could include, with much of the adult Number 96-style action forbidden. The Unisexers debuted in February 1975 but proved to be a ratings disaster. It was quickly cancelled and was taken off the air after only three weeks and 15 half-hour episodes had been screened.
In 1976 several attempts to spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
new situation comedy series from Number 96 failed, and Cash Harmon Television was dissolved in 1977 with the cancellation of Number 96.
Several former employees later collaborated on short lived serial Arcade
Arcade (TV series)
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 episode shown on Sunday, 20 January 1980. The series then ran five nights a week, Mondays to Fridays, as a 30 minute...
(1980).