The Box (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Box was an Australia
n soap opera
than ran on Network Ten
from February 1974 until 1977.
The Box was produced by Crawford Productions
who at the time was having great success producing police procedural
television series in Australia. The Box was Crawford's first soap opera, and was launched as a reaction to the enormous success of adult soap opera Number 96
.
The Box was a drama set in fictional television station UCV-12. It featured elements that satirised
the Australian television industry. Characters in the series were said to be modelled on Australia
n television figures of the day, and many self referential elements featured. Like Number 96 the series was famous for its adult storylines, frequent nude glimpses, and sexual content.
, scandal
, and the political machinations of station personnel. The first episode showed a sexy young woman named Felicity (played by 20 year old Helen Hemingway) seduce a male TV compere. Felicity later claimed to be a 15-year-old schoolgirl, but it was eventually learned she was actually over 18. She later posed for a nude centerfold
with a male action-hero TV actor, and was seduced by a scheming female journalist. This seduction featured Australia
n TV's first ever lesbian
kiss.
The journalist in question was Vicki Stafford (Judy Nunn
) who emerged as a popular character in the series. The show also featured an openly-gay
television producer, the flamboyant Lee Whiteman (Paul Karo
), and gossipy tea lady
Mrs Hopkins (Lois Ramsey).
Along with constructing characters modelled on real-life Australian television figures of the day, The Box presented various fictional programs produced by UCV-12 that commented-on real-life Australian programs. Troubled action drama Manhunt with its accident-prone star Tony Wild (Ken James
) was much like the police series produced by Crawfords at that time. Variety program Big Night Out was an In Melbourne Tonight
style production, and later the medical drama Mercy Flight seemed connected to early Australian series The Flying Doctor (1959).
Initially The Box proved a huge hit, ranking as Australia's second most popular show in 1974. Thereafter the series toned-down the more controversial elements and more comic notes appeared.
Production of the series was in half-hour episodes for the first two years. In some regions two episodes were aired consecutively in one-hour blocks. Other regions broadcast the serial as five half hour installments each week, stripped across each weekday evening. Starting with the 1976 season, episodes were compiled in one hour installments.
playing himself, and Cornelia Frances
in the key role of Dr S M Winter, an efficiency expert brought in to improve operations at UCV-12. Robin Ramsay
played Winter's assistant Bruce. Marilyn Vernon as starlet Ingrid O'Toole, and Leonie Bradley, credited as "Nature Girl", provided nude glimpses. Keith Lee played Price, and Robert Forza
appeared as Channel 12's clapper loader
. The film was shot on 35 mm on new sets at Crawford Productions' Abbotsford studios. It was released in August 1975.
In Melbourne episodes screened as two, one-hour episodes each week throughout 1976.
Production on the series ended 1 April 1977 due to declining ratings and the closing episodes screened through 1977 in a late-night timeslot.
, Barrie Barkla, Helen Hemingway, Judy Nunn
, Paul Karo
, Ken James
, Monica Maughan
, Kay McFeeter, Graeme Blundell
, Briony Behets
, Fred Betts, Ken Snodgrass, Lois Ramsay
.
Later cast additions included Lynda Keane
, Vanessa Leigh, Delvene Delaney
, Luigi Villani, Tracy Mann
, Jill Forster
, John Stanton, Geraldine Turner, Davina Whitehouse
, Syd Heylen
, Tony Barry
, Cheryl Rixon
, Tristan Rogers
, Noni Hazelhurst
, Barbara Llewellyn, Anne Louise Lambert, Maurie Fields
, Don Barker
, Penny Downie
, Christine Broadway
, Ross Skiffington
, Gary Day
, Tom Richards
.
and Jonathan Dawson
.
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...
n 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,...
than ran 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...
from February 1974 until 1977.
The Box was produced by Crawford Productions
Crawford Productions
Crawford Productions is an Australian television production company founded by Hector Crawford; the present incarnation of the company, Crawfords Australia, is now a subsidiary of the WIN television corporation.-History:...
who at the time was having great success producing police procedural
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
television series in Australia. The Box was Crawford's first soap opera, and was launched as a reaction to the enormous success of adult soap opera 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...
.
The Box was a drama set in fictional television station UCV-12. It featured elements that satirised
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
the Australian television industry. Characters in the series were said to be modelled on 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...
n television figures of the day, and many self referential elements featured. Like Number 96 the series was famous for its adult storylines, frequent nude glimpses, and sexual content.
Storylines
The initial episodes emphasised sexSex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
, scandal
Scandal
A scandal is a widely publicized allegation or set of allegations that damages the reputation of an institution, individual or creed...
, and the political machinations of station personnel. The first episode showed a sexy young woman named Felicity (played by 20 year old Helen Hemingway) seduce a male TV compere. Felicity later claimed to be a 15-year-old schoolgirl, but it was eventually learned she was actually over 18. She later posed for a nude centerfold
Centerfold
The centerfold of a magazine refers to a gatefolded spread, usually a portrait such as a pin-up or a nude, inserted in the middle of the publication, or to the model featured in the portrait...
with a male action-hero TV actor, and was seduced by a scheming female journalist. This seduction featured 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...
n TV's first ever lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
kiss.
The journalist in question was Vicki Stafford (Judy Nunn
Judy Nunn
Judy Nunn is an Australian actress and author.-Acting career:Her breakout role was as the scheming bisexual reporter Vicky Stafford in the risque soap opera The Box. Her character became a popular cult figure in the series. Nunn continued in the role for the show's entire 1974–1977 run...
) who emerged as a popular character in the series. The show also featured an openly-gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
television producer, the flamboyant Lee Whiteman (Paul Karo
Paul Karo
Paul Karo is an Australian actor, best known for his role as Lee Whiteman in the 1970s television soap opera The Box.Other TV credits include: Homicide, Division 4, Matlock Police, Prisoner, The Sullivans, Special Squad, Phoenix and SeaChange.-External links:...
), and gossipy tea lady
Tea lady
A tea lady is a woman in an office or working environment, whose sole job is to provide beverages and light snacks during the allocated tea break. Tea ladies are a mainly British custom. They entered the mainstream in the UK during the second world war, when tea ladies were used in an experiment...
Mrs Hopkins (Lois Ramsey).
Along with constructing characters modelled on real-life Australian television figures of the day, The Box presented various fictional programs produced by UCV-12 that commented-on real-life Australian programs. Troubled action drama Manhunt with its accident-prone star Tony Wild (Ken James
Ken James (Australian actor)
Ken James, born 16 November 1948 in Sydney, Australia is an actor known for regular roles in several popular television series. He was probably best known to Australian audiences as Sonny's older brother Mark in the 1960s children's TV show, Skippy.He later played television actor Tony Wild in The...
) was much like the police series produced by Crawfords at that time. Variety program Big Night Out was an In Melbourne Tonight
In Melbourne Tonight
In Melbourne Tonight, also known as "IMT", was a highly popular nightly variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970....
style production, and later the medical drama Mercy Flight seemed connected to early Australian series The Flying Doctor (1959).
Behind the scenes
Production commenced at the studios of ATV-0 (now ATV-10) in October 1973. The first episode screened on ATV-0 on 11 February 1974 at 9.00pm. The program was initially shot in black and white, before switching to colour production in late 1974.Initially The Box proved a huge hit, ranking as Australia's second most popular show in 1974. Thereafter the series toned-down the more controversial elements and more comic notes appeared.
Production of the series was in half-hour episodes for the first two years. In some regions two episodes were aired consecutively in one-hour blocks. Other regions broadcast the serial as five half hour installments each week, stripped across each weekday evening. Starting with the 1976 season, episodes were compiled in one hour installments.
Feature film
A feature film of the same name was produced in colour in January 1975 featuring much the same cast as the series at that time. The film also featured Graham KennedyGraham Kennedy
Graham Cyril Kennedy, AO was an Australian radio, television and film performer, often called Gra Gra and The King of Australian television.-Childhood:...
playing himself, and Cornelia Frances
Cornelia Frances
Cornelia Frances is a British-born actress based in Australia since the early 1970s. Frances is best known for her recurring role as judge Morag Bellingham on Home and Away.-Early life and personal life:...
in the key role of Dr S M Winter, an efficiency expert brought in to improve operations at UCV-12. Robin Ramsay
Robin Ramsay (actor)
Robin Ramsay is an Australian actor of television, film and stage.Ramsay is the grandson of Kiwi shoe polishfounder William Ramsay and father of Robina Ramsay, an internationally ranked dressage rider, and Dr Tamasin Ramsay....
played Winter's assistant Bruce. Marilyn Vernon as starlet Ingrid O'Toole, and Leonie Bradley, credited as "Nature Girl", provided nude glimpses. Keith Lee played Price, and Robert Forza
Robert Forza
Robert Forza is an Australian actor. He has had guest roles in Homicide and Prisoner . He currently has a recurring role as Rocco Cammeniti in Neighbours....
appeared as Channel 12's clapper loader
Clapper loader
A clapper loader, or second assistant camera is part of a film crew, whose main functions are that of loading the raw film stock into camera magazines, operating the clapperboard at the beginning of each take, marking the actors as necessary, and maintaining all records and paperwork for the...
. The film was shot on 35 mm on new sets at Crawford Productions' Abbotsford studios. It was released in August 1975.
The series continues
The series continued after the film, and soon the film's sets were moved to the television studios to be used in the series. In the show's storyline an office fire in October 1975 explained the change in appearance.In Melbourne episodes screened as two, one-hour episodes each week throughout 1976.
Production on the series ended 1 April 1977 due to declining ratings and the closing episodes screened through 1977 in a late-night timeslot.
Cast
The original cast was: George Mallaby, Peter Regan, Fred 'Cul' Cullen, Belinda GiblinBelinda Giblin
Belinda Giblin is an Australian actress.She played Kay Webster in the risqué, satirical 1970s soap opera The Box, and the scheming Alison Carr in the 1980s melodrama Sons and Daughters...
, Barrie Barkla, Helen Hemingway, Judy Nunn
Judy Nunn
Judy Nunn is an Australian actress and author.-Acting career:Her breakout role was as the scheming bisexual reporter Vicky Stafford in the risque soap opera The Box. Her character became a popular cult figure in the series. Nunn continued in the role for the show's entire 1974–1977 run...
, Paul Karo
Paul Karo
Paul Karo is an Australian actor, best known for his role as Lee Whiteman in the 1970s television soap opera The Box.Other TV credits include: Homicide, Division 4, Matlock Police, Prisoner, The Sullivans, Special Squad, Phoenix and SeaChange.-External links:...
, Ken James
Ken James (Australian actor)
Ken James, born 16 November 1948 in Sydney, Australia is an actor known for regular roles in several popular television series. He was probably best known to Australian audiences as Sonny's older brother Mark in the 1960s children's TV show, Skippy.He later played television actor Tony Wild in The...
, Monica Maughan
Monica Maughan
Monica Maughan was an Australian actor with notable and well-known roles in film, theatre, radio and television.-Early life and education:...
, Kay McFeeter, Graeme Blundell
Graeme Blundell
Graeme Blundell is an Australian actor, director, producer, writer and biographer.Blundell was born in Melbourne; he grew up in Clifton Hill, a suburb of Melbourne...
, Briony Behets
Briony Behets
Briony Behets is a British-born actress who found fame acting in Australian soap operas of the 1970s.-Early life:...
, Fred Betts, Ken Snodgrass, Lois Ramsay
Lois Ramsay
Lois Ramsey is an Australian actress, best known for her performances as eccentric old ladies on television.She was a major cast member of the 1970s soap opera The Box as tea lady Mrs. Hopkins...
.
Later cast additions included Lynda Keane
Lynda Keane
Lynda Keane is a British-born Australian acting coach, producer, film and television actress. She guest starred on numerous television series during the 1960s and 70s, most notably Bellbird, Homicide, Number 96, The Box, and Prisoner.She is the founder Lynda Keane Talent School with her husband...
, Vanessa Leigh, Delvene Delaney
Delvene Delaney
Delvene Delaney is an Australian actress and television presenter.The beauty pageant winner found fame on Australian television in the 1970s, initially as a weather presenter on Brisbane television...
, Luigi Villani, 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...
, Jill Forster
Jill Forster
-Career:Fortster has been in numerous Australian television dramas including Motel, Number 96, The Box, The Restless Years, Starting Out, Prisoner, A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, The Power, The Passion and SeaChange...
, John Stanton, Geraldine Turner, Davina Whitehouse
Davina Whitehouse
Davina Whitehouse, OBE was a stage, film and television actress acclaimed in both her native UK as well as Australasia.She was a star of the London stage in the 1930s before emigrating to New Zealand in 1952,...
, Syd Heylen
Syd Heylen
Syd Heylen was an Australian actor, comedian, and variety performer who often performed in a traditional vaudeville type style....
, Tony Barry
Tony Barry
Tony Barry is an Australian actor who has performed in 55 feature films and 45 television series, across a four-decade career.-Filmography:He is known for his roles in the 2008 film Australia, Return to Snowy River, Never Say Die, the 1988 film Surfer and The Coca-Cola Kid.After acting in...
, Cheryl Rixon
Cheryl Rixon
Cheryl Rixon is an Australian actress and model. She was chosen as a Penthouse Pet of the Month in 1977 and later as Pet of the Year in 1979....
, Tristan Rogers
Tristan Rogers
Tristan Rogers is an Australian–American actor. He is best known for playing Robert Scorpio on the ABC soap opera General Hospital...
, Noni Hazelhurst
Noni Hazelhurst
Leonie Elva "Noni" Hazlehurst is an Australian actress. She won the Best Support Actress in a Single Series in the Logie Awards of 1985. After attending St Leonard's College in Brighton East, Victoria, Hazlehurst completed a Bachelor of Arts in 1973 at Flinders University in Adelaide...
, Barbara Llewellyn, Anne Louise Lambert, Maurie Fields
Maurie Fields
Maurie Fields was an Australian actor, vaudeville performer and stand-up comedian. He became a well-known face on television thanks to his dramatic roles in Bellbird, The Box, Prisoner and The Flying Doctors...
, Don Barker
Don Barker (actor)
Don Barker is an Australian actor, best known for his roles as Det. Sgt. Harry White in the police procedural series Homicide , and as Bill Jackson in early episodes of the women's prison drama Prisoner.Other TV credits include: Division 4, Matlock Police, Certain Women,...
, Penny Downie
Penny Downie
Penny Downie is an Australian actress, noted for her appearances on British television.She began her career in Australia, initially in Brisbane at Twelfth Night Theatre and Brisbane Arts Theatre. She trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art , Sydney...
, Christine Broadway
Christine Broadway
Christine Broadway is a French-born television personality active in Australia in the 1970s and early 1980s.The glamorous blonde rocketed to fame on ATV-O appearing on The Box, the Australian versions of The Gong Show, Second Chance and Have A Go, as well as presenting weather reports on the...
, Ross Skiffington
Ross Skiffington
Ross Skiffington is a New Zealand-born Australian magician, actor, and theatre director, who has received two lifetime achievement awards for his contributions to magic.- Biography :...
, Gary Day
Gary Day (actor)
Gary Day is an actor who has appeared in Australian television police drama series, including Homicide and Murder Call.- Television :Day worked as a male model and appeared in several television commercials...
, Tom Richards
Tom Richards (actor)
Tom Richards is an Australian actor, best known for his appearances on television.He played Detective Steve York in Matlock Police during the 1970s and during the 1980s starred in the soap opera Sons and Daughters as David Palmer, for which he is probably best known...
.
Scriptwriters
Key writers for the early episodes included Tom Hegarty, Don BattyeDon Battye
Donald "Don" Battye is an Australian born writer composer and television producer.-Life:He was a writer, script editor, and producer on several Australian television series for Crawford Productions including soap opera The Box in 1976 & 1977, The Sullivans and police procedural drama series...
and Jonathan Dawson
Jonathan Dawson
Jonathan Dawson is an Australian academic, filmmaker, film and literary critic and broadcaster.-Background:Jonathan Dawson was born in Melbourne. At Melbourne University he graduated in English Honours and won awards for acting and two One Act Playwriting Competitions...
.
External links
- Crawford Productions
- Aussie Soap Archive: The Box — Overview and review
- The Box at the National Film and Sound Archive