Many Australian
situation comedy series have been produced over the years, however in the first twenty
years of television only a few noteworthy examples stand out. One is the
mid-1970’s Crawford Production The Last Of The Australians,
which featured a brilliant performance from Alwyn Kurts.
As Crawfords broke new ground with Homicide
and Hunter, so too they did with The Last Of The Australians. LOTA was
Crawford’s first attempt at a comedy since Take That in 1957 (a 15 minute
live-to-air series screened only on HSV-7 Melbourne), and was one of very few Australian situation comedy
series filmed before a live audience.
The series is based on Alan Seymour’s famous
play, ‘The One Day Of The Year’, which examined the vastly different
attitudes of a father and his son to Anzac Day. When it first appeared in
1960, many RSL (Returned Servicemen's League) members claimed the play was
unpatriotic - it was a biting social comment which, nonetheless, provided
rich humour from its situations. The title of the series is taken from a line
in the play.
Seymour
had been approached several times for the TV series rights to the play,
and he refused all offers, including one from an American film company.
However, when scriptwriter Terry Stapleton approached him on Crawford’s
behalf, Seymour agreed to sell the rights. This was because scripts that
Stapleton had prepared were given to Seymour, and he was pleased with the
way Terry had handled the character interpretations. "I have appeared in
three Australian productions of the play," explained Stapleton, "the
second of which Alan Seymour directed. We developed a good rapport and he
trusts me."1
A pilot episode was
made in late January 1974, with production due to commence in April
1974. It seems
it was inevitable that the series would be sold to the Nine Network due to a running joke
between Hector Crawford and Leon Hill, then General Manager of GTV-9
Melbourne. TV Times
quoted Hector Crawford, head of Crawford Productions:
"Early on in the days of Showcase
(a talent quest series produced by Crawfords), Leon
told me I should produce a situation comedy show. I gave him a flat 'no' because, frankly,
I was frightened of comedy. I’ve seen so many Australian produced comedy shows which
have been failures, so I was very much against us trying. TV comedy is the hardest of all
things to produce successfully and I was quite happy with the drama series we were doing.
"However, every week as we
adjudicated Showcase Leon would bring the subject of comedy up, and every week I
would say 'no'. It got to be a running joke between us. He would suggest it and I would
say 'no' as a matter of course". Some of Crawford's own employees had
been
pushing for consideration of a comedy series, and one day Hill was quite surprised by a
'yes' to the standard question after years of saying no!2
The central character of The Last Of The
Australians is Ted Cook, a noisy, bigoted ocker in his late fifties who feels the
country is going down the drain. He went through the Depression, fought in the Second
World War, and now works as a lift driver because some obscure war injury prevents him
from doing anything else. He is a Liberal Party supporter, and intensely dislikes the Whitlam Labor
Government, long-haired youth, the permissive society, Italians, communists, Roman
Catholics, the Essendon football team, women’s lib, in fact anything that
doesn’t fit in with the way he was brought up. He is a staunch Collingwood supporter,
and he believes a woman’s place is in the kitchen and that there should always be a
roast for Sunday lunch. Ted is dictated to only by his prejudices, but is nonetheless a
kind-hearted man who loves his family, despite his outward blustering.
Ted is played by Alwyn Kurts, who was a natural for
the part. Alwyn had previously appeared as Inspector Fox in Homicide, and proved
himself to be an excellent actor by competently handling these two very different roles. Many were
surprised when Kurts took on the role in Homicide, as previously he was well-known
as host of the game show Raising A Husband; and many more were surprised after Homicide
when he appeared as a totally different character in The Last Of The Australians. Together with his subsequent
roles, it is readily apparent that Kurts had a natural instinct for comedy, and a perfect
sense of timing.
Kurts was a staunch supporter of the
Labor Party, but he was determined not to let his personal views influence the character.
"I think the (Whitlam) Government has done a great job since it came to power but
that won't affect my character's views. He'll be having a go at the Labor mob every chance
he gets."3
Asked to describe the character of
Ted Cook, Kurts replied: "Well, he's a noisy bloke and definitely bigoted. He shouts
at everybody, including his wife and son. He likes to think he runs the home and everyone
in it, but when his wife turns on him, boy, does he know about it! I reckon underneath he
has a bit of a soft heart. He's not all bad, despite his cunning. And he can be very
cunning!"4
Terry Stapleton would spend about a
week writing each episode, fine tuning the dialogue during rehearsals. As the success of
the series depended largely on Alwyn Kurts' portrayal of Ted Cook, Stapleton said Kurts'
performance influenced his writing: "Alwyn has brought depths and heights to the part
that neither of us imagined the character had. We’ve managed to develop an important
and, I think, successful chemistry between us. I’ve been writing to his acting
strengths, and he’s been performing to my writing strengths."5
Alwyn Kurts was not the first choice
for the role of Ted Cook. Executive Producer and Director Ian Crawford explained in a TV Eye interview: "We
tried everybody in the lead role, and couldn't find anyone suitable. We ended up with
Alwyn largely because Hector said, 'Let's try Alwyn'. Everybody else was saying 'Let's not
try Alwyn - he's only a compere from Raising A Husband or Inspector Fox (from Homicide)!'
But it was extraordinary, he was terrific."6
At first, Alwyn was not
very keen on the part. "I'd been out of Homicide for some time," he
said, "and Crawfords and I weren't 'playing speakies'. Then Dorothy
Crawford wrote me a letter with part of the script enclosed, asking
whether I'd be interested in playing Ted Cook. I read it, but didn't like
it, and put it aside. They sent me another part of the script, and I still
couldn't find much interest in it. Then they telephoned, and my wife
Eileen, who answered the phone and who likes peace at all costs, said
she'd convince me to re-read it. Finally, I went into Crawfords one day
and said 'Okay, let's put something on film'."7
Ted’s son is Gary, 19, a university student
whose trendy and progressive views are the cause of frequent conflicts in the household.
He is the direct opposite of his father in every way, but nonetheless Gary loves his
parents, although he has long since rejected their values and lifestyle. He
can be a con-man
par excellence, and sometimes pays impressive lip service to his father’s beliefs. He
often gets his way but without malice and with lots of affection.
Adelaide actor Richard Hibbard
played Gary in the first series of 13 episodes. Before the second series commenced he
resigned to join the 'Hare Krishna' sect. Although he was contracted for another 13
episodes, and Crawfords could have legally held him to that contract, they let him go.
Hector Crawford explained: "To become a member of the 'Hare Krishna' sect was of
great importance to Hibbard. It was something he felt he really had to do. I could not
stand in his way."8
The role of Gary was taken over by Stephen Thomas in the second
series. Thomas first appeared in episode 15, the transition being smoothed over by not having
Gary appear in the previous episode, and it was accomplished very convincingly and without
fanfare. "We decided not to make a big thing of the changeover," said
Terry Stapleton. "In fact, the idea was to cause as little ripple as
possible. Thomas was chosen because he had similar attributes and
mannerisms to Hibbard."9
That the transition went so well was quite an achievement, as often when another actor steps into a major role there
is a resultant lack of credibility.
Ted’s long-suffering wife is Dot, who acts as a
restraining force on both Ted and Gary. She is more in tune with contemporary attitudes
than her husband suspects, and, like Gary, supports the Whitlam Labor
Government, a source of irritation to Ted. Dot has learned to live with
Ted - her only alternatives are divorce or murder, and neither is possible
because she loves him. She is the perfect foil for Ted, and although Ted
rules the household, when Dot gets to breaking point and says, "Now listen
here!", Ted backs right away.
Rosie Sturgess played the part of Dot, a role in
effect tailor-made for her due to her extensive stage and television comedy background.
She played a similar role opposite Graham Kennedy in ‘The Wilsons’, a regular
sketch comedy segment on the variety show In Melbourne Tonight.
Other regular support characters were ‘Blue’
Dawson,
a wet-blanket pessimist played by Terry Norris; Fred, one of Ted’s drinking mates
played by John Ewart; and Barney, another drinking mate played by Maurie Fields. Barney
appeared in the first episode, and was seen regularly from episode 11 onwards. Keith Eden
appeared in three episodes as Mr. King, the Cook’s prim and proper next door neighbour.
The press were quick to condemn Ted
Cook as an imitation of Britain’s Alf Garnett (Till Death Us Do Part) or
America’s Archie Bunker (All In The Family). Given that the
characters from 'The One Day Of The Year' were around long before Garnett
and Bunker were even thought of, the claim was groundless, and both Alwyn Kurts and
Terry Stapleton
emphatically denied that Ted Cook was a copy. "Ted is Australian through and through," said Kurts. "The
humour of the show is purely Australian, which is what I like about it."109 Stapleton
said, "Our characters are quite different and distinctly Australian, so their
attitudes and concerns are completely different."11
In fact,
Stapleton would get quite touchy about comparisons between LOTA and
Till Death Us Do Part: "I'm weary of the press not taking my views
seriously. There may well be some similarities between the two shows, but
that's inevitable in a domestic situation series. The Cook family is quite
different from the Garnett family. There's affection between the Cooks. In
spite of different viewpoints in the family circle, there's love there.
And we haven't traded heavily on Ted's bigotry. There's not the abrasive
quality you find in Till Death Us Do Part."12 The press soon changed their tune when they saw a
completed episode, and reviewers unanimously agreed that The Last Of The Australians
was the funniest comedy series to ever come out of Australia.
The Last Of The Australians
was very much Terry Stapleton’s baby. Since acting in the original production of
‘The One Day Of The Year’ in Adelaide, he had nurtured the idea of expanding it
into a comedy series. "I was with those characters on stage for several
months," said Stapleton, "and knew then that one day I would use them in a series such as this, and two years
ago I knew the time was right to start. Everybody knows someone like Ted Cook, and the
situations from which the comedy derives are based on everyday family life."13 Stapleton
also said: "It seemed like the ideal basis for an Australian situation comedy.
Audiences will be able to identify with the Cook family".14 And they did -
many a wife was heard to remark "My husband exactly!" when referring to Ted
Cook.
Stapleton spent some time the
previous year looking at production techniques overseas, particularly on comedy shows
filmed before a live audience. One of America’s top comedy writer-producers, Hal Kanter, was brought out by Crawfords as a consultant for the pilot episode. Stapleton also
made a firm decision - there would be no lavatory humour: "I hate that sort of stuff - it’s
just a cheap and nasty way to get a laugh."15 He added: "The humour is
certainly very earthy, but never crude."16
Stapleton was producer of the series,
a task he embraced to ensure the finished product ended up the way he
thought it should. "I'd hate anyone else to be in charge of it," he said.17
Unable to find anyone else to successfully take over the writing of some
episodes, Stapleton wrote
all of the scripts himself, the only exception being one which he co-wrote
with his brother Jim.
Most episodes were
directed by Ian Crawford and Marie Trevor, and Ian Crawford was also the
Executive Producer for all 26 episodes. "The production team is small and
close," said Stapleton. "There's an exchange of views between me, the
director and the cast. We make small adjustments to the script right up to
taping day."18
The series was updated to
contemporary 1974, and
the Anzac Day controversy played down, as it wasn’t as big an issue as it was in 1960
when the original play appeared. The series successfully avoided the stereotype characters
that plague so many other family type sit-coms. There is no dysfunctional
element, no precocious cute kid saying
witty things, no glamour girl teenager - even Ted himself is not a cliche, but rather a
caricature. Terry Stapleton said that The Last Of The Australians stood apart from other
sit-coms because it dealt with identifiable situations and people: "The major faults
with other series have been that the characters were unrealistic, the situations
unbelievable and the comedy sometimes too ridiculous."19
Although
contracted for 26 episodes, a decision was made to produce two
short series of 13 episodes each, in contrast to the Crawford police shows
which usually ran to 48 episodes a year. Stapleton said this was done to allow the
cast and crew to "recharge their batteries and maintain a high standard of enthusiasm
and performance".20
The second series of 13 episodes was
commenced before the first series had gone to air. Initially, Stapleton
was concerned that the material could 'thin out' after 13 eps, but as the
characters developed so did the ideas, and the second series featured a
few more 'serious' scenes. Plans for a third series did
not reach fruition, nor did ideas for a movie and a stage play. Hector Crawford said,
"We have these ideas in the melting pot, but we must consider them with regard to
our other commitments. The Nine Network is very interested in signing for another 13
episodes of the programme and this too is under consideration. The Last Of The
Australians is a very difficult programme to write among other things, and we must
first look at its chance of long-running success."21
The Last Of The Australians first went to air
in Sydney in April 1975 in the 7:30 PM Sunday timeslot. It followed soon after in Adelaide
and Brisbane, quickly becoming a firm favourite in both cities. However,
in Sydney it only received an
average reception.
Melbourne was one of the last cities to see the
show, even though it was made there. It finally turned up on June 17, following a press
preview held in the public bar of an inner suburban hotel. Unfortunately, it was slotted
on Tuesday nights at 7:30 PM in direct competition with another Crawford production, Homicide
(hardly surprising considering it was at the time all three commercial networks
‘coincidentally’ cancelled their Crawford police shows), yet it
still managed to attract quite a following. Episode 7 was chosen for the
Melbourne premiere, and the rest of the first series was shown out of
sequence. The second series was shown the following year at 8:00 PM on
Sunday, and in correct running order.
In every city LOTA
was well-received and rated in the mid to high 20’s - except Sydney, where
the mediocre ratings eventually caused it to be dropped from the schedule.
Guest artists on the programme included Johnny
Farnham, who popped up in episode 17, ‘Ashes To Ashes’, as a vacuum cleaner
salesman. Jacki Weaver, Terence Donovan, Elli Maclure, Noni Hazelhurst and Robert Bruning,
among others, all featured in various episodes.
Bob Hawke, then leader
of the ACTU (Australian Council of Trade Unions) and Federal president of
the ALP (Australian Labor Party), made a guest appearance as himself in
episode 16, ‘Guess Who’s Coming To Get Done Like A Dinner?’.
Hawke received an
enthusiastic response from the live audience, and a prophetic line is uttered when Gary says
that Hawke "could be the future Prime Minister of Australia"
(Hawke was PM from 1983 to 1991). Needless to say,
Hawke joined Actors Equity before appearing on the show.
Each episode was rehearsed for a
week before being recorded live in front of an audience of approximately 300 people.
Terry Stapleton said he was initially terrified that the audience would
not laugh because they were coming in 'cold' to a new series that had no
established image - but the laughter came, and continued to come.22
Actors had
the problem of tempering their performances to suit two audiences - the one in the studio,
and the larger one at home watching on television. Alwyn Kurts stated that it was like
being on a razor’s edge: "On the one hand each episode is like performing the
first night of a new stage play to a live audience, while on the other you must remember
the real purpose is to make a half-hour of TV comedy."23
Stapleton said Kurts' performances tended to be "a blend of stage and TV
acting. The audience reaction excuses what might seem to be a little too
big for the small screen."24
Filming in front of a live audience
was an unusual step for an Australian production. "The audience made the whole show
change from the rehearsal to recording because of the effect of the audience on the
actors," said Ian Crawford. "It was very exciting.
You were flying by the seat of your pants because you had no idea what the timing was
going to be. It was all done in one hit, non-stop, rather than doing this scene and then a
bit of that scene."25
Most cameramen enjoyed working on the show. Even
though it was pre-blocked like other drama series, being in front of a live audience and
recording in one session required improvisation and provided more scope for their own
creativity.
Alwyn Kurts, determined for the
series to succeed and constantly pushing for perfection, acknowledged at the time that the
show was the most difficult thing he had done. "It's hard work, damn hard work, but
I'm enjoying playing the part. It is a very funny show, and one of its best qualities is
that it does not contain any sort of blue humour. It’s a show any kid could watch and
the nearest thing to profanity of any sort is Ted’s occasional
‘bloody’."26
The Last Of The Australians is cleverly
written, very funny, and, being made during the tenure of the Whitlam Labor
Government,
contains many interesting political references. The acting and direction is superb, and
there is no irritating canned laughter. A similar concept surfaced in 1980 with the
very successful Reilley-Sattler (RS) Production Kingswood Country,
featuring Ross Higgins as Ted Bullpitt, although a direct comparison
between the two shows, in spite of the many similarities, would be unfair. The Last Of The Australians was repeated many times, last being seen in
the late 1980’s.
THE LAST OF THE AUSTRALIANS
EPISODE DETAILS
