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Epilogue |
Page 88
Val won both. Her Bea Smith character was still the number one attraction for devoted 'Prisoner' fans around Australia, and had a cult following, although the writers were giving other characters a lot more to do.
Grundy's and Channel Ten (Sydney) were acutely worried about the fall in ratings in Sydney, Australia's premier city [population of nearly 3.3 million, compared to Melbourne's 2.6. At State and provincial level these two big cast coast capital cities have had a legendary rivalry as to which city or football code (Aussie Rules or Rugby League) is the greater, which has the better weather, the more beautiful women, better restaurants ... it goes on and on.]
But what is openly known and agreed in the always cut-throat world of Australian commercial television is that some locally made shows which wow Melbourne are duds in Sydney, or vice versa. Sydney is the jewel of any commercial network, and usually pays the most for network news, drama or special events. So, if you don't rate in Sydney, the harbour city bosses don't like paying the biggest bills. This was precisely the problem facing 'Prisoner' and Grundy's towards the end of March 1982. To add to their woes, two rival soaps from the Seven Network, 'A Country Practice' and 'Sons And Daughters' were doing well and had taken over as the top-rated longest-running drama shows on local stations.
Heavyweight performer Val Lehman, now recognised in all quarters as the official voice of the 'Prisoner' cast, was sent north to Sydney by Channel Ten and Grundy's to juice up publicity and inform the locals that 'Prisoner' was going to be back on top form in coming episodes. And she would have some hard words for Grundy, too.
Val didn't pull any punches at a Sydney press conference. She
readily admitted the show was going through a flat patch. 'But that's
all about to change. Expect plenty of heavy action real soon.'
Val denied her leave of absence from the line-up (to work on outside
drama productions) had played any part in the Sydney dilemma. 'We
rate very well in Melbourne and elsewhere, but if you don't perform with
figures in Sydney, you're not too safe.'
Page 89
Explaining that taping was four months ahead of the current on-air shows, Val said: 'The writers and producers are honest enough to know what the problems are, and what has to be done to fix them. Look, I've been in the show for more than three years, from day one. I wouldn't stay unless I thought we were going to deliver the goods and get back to being number one everywhere. We have a top show, unique anywhere in the world, and we're going to make sure Sydney people start tuning in again in the big numbers of the past.'
But the best quotes came when a journalist asked how Val felt about the enormous success of 'Prisoner' in the United States. The firebrand in one of Australia's most volatile actresses ignited. 'The show is seen by 35 per cent of America, you know, and the remuneration for the lead actors is about $70 (£34) a week and we have to pay tax out of that.'
Val said she was bemused and indignant that after three successful seasons and a string of awards she had yet to meet the principal of the production company which employs her (Reg Grundy). 'I find that so very extraordinary and I think it's a shame we are not in closer contact with the people for whom we work. I think it's one of the advantages of working for Crawford's that they have a man (Hector, the company's founder, and chairman-executive producer) who is so closely concerned with his cast and crew.
'The 'Prisoner' cast sent a letter to Mr Grundy and it was answered by the managing director Ian Holmes. In fact, it took two years before I met any of the Grundy executives. I think it is enormously insulting. And they keep the Logies on their desks.'
In 1982, Dorian Wild (Daily Telegraph, Sydney) decided it was time to
write an early epitaph for 'Prisoner'. 'There will probably be a
bit of head-scratching when this one folds. Although the show rates
well in Melbourne, it is rating badly in Sydney. It's not hard to
see why. In a word the show is rotten. There is a tiredness
about it that would stun even Methuselah. Every prison routine has
been worked over and the show has a pervading sense of been there-done
that. Enough hair has been pulled to stuff mattresses for every prison
bed, enough pills have been pushed to open a fair-sized pharmacy,
| PRISONER FILE
Name: Sister Anita Selby Actress: Diana Craig |
| Actress Diana Craig had an early role in 'Prisoner' as an escaped inmate before she became Sister Anita Selby three years later. She is arrested at a nuclear disarmament rally and charged with disturbing the peace and inciting a crowd to violence. Her scenes with Sister Mary Helen Sexton (Carmel Millhouse), the superior of her order, bring a new twist to the story. |
Page 90
enough fatuous home-spun philosophy has been spouted to keep Ronald Reagan in speeches for a year. When the steel doors of Wentworth jail swung open in 1979 it was a breath of fresh air. The way things are going at present, the best thing Grundy's could do is open the doors again, let everyone run away and get on with something else. Let's hope they will.'
Another major embarrassment for Grundy's and the O-TEN Network was the contentious gap between Melbourne and Sydney screening dates for 'Prisoner'. National magazines (especially the more regular publications TV Week and TV Soap - and later TV Star - which specialised in 'Prisoner' coverage) gave up-to-date details of what was happening in the show as episodes aired in Melbourne, as well as advising who was leaving or joining the show. Major on-screen events like deaths, riots, romances, babies, paroles and escapes were regular media headline events. Sydney viewers had no chance of escaping the national and local deluge of advance information. So, by the time episodes aired, they were tired stories.
Melbourne-based producer John McRae didn't want to start an inter-city
war (and media mogul Rupert Murdoch was now the owner of the network),
so he was guarded in his comments. However, McRae did suggest Channel
Ten in Sydney 'may be doing something wrong. "Prisoner" works well
in Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide.
| PRISONER FILE
Name: Marlene Warren Actress: Genevieve Lemon |
| Marlene 'Rabbit Warren, a wild and
reckless girl, was seen to have many of the same qualities as Doreen Anderson
(Colette Mann). As the result of an idiotic prank, she finds herself in
Wentworth for manslaughter -- throwing stones from
a train, she hits a driver' s windscreen and he swerves, hits a telephone
pole and is killed.
Genevieve Lemon played the retarded girl Dawn in Steaming the story of seven women who meet in a Turkish bath. |
Page 91
| PRISONER FILE
Name: Leigh Templar/Shirlene Chapel Actress: Virginia Hey |
| Shirlene Chapel, who called herself Leigh Templar on arrival at Wentworth, got mixed up in pornographic movies. When her mentor refuses to hand over prints and negatives she smashes in his skull with a statuette. Actress Virginia Hey, six foot international model, is best remembered for her role of Warrior Woman in Mad Max 3. |
In Sydney I hear they take it off for a couple of weeks every now and then for special series or sports events.'
Greg Coote, Channel Ten's boss in Sydney, agreed. 'We have moved it. I think that contributed to its problems a bit. Of course I'm concerned at the Sydney ratings, but this latest batch of episodes now on air is much tougher than a few weeks ago, and will work better.'
Later in the year the sneaky Nine Network created a bizarre case of 'double, trouble' for Grundy's and Reg Watson, who were still trying to win back 'Prisoner' audiences in Sydney.
Nine scheduled their new drama series 'Taurus Rising' against 'Prisoner' in the coveted Tuesday 8.30 p.m. timeslot. Who was producing 'Taurus Rising'? Grundy's, of course! And who supervised the show? Reg Watson, of course. And he was shattered!
Daily Telegraph (Sydney) reporter Campbell Reid wrote: 'It is difficult for Watson to be totally enthusiastic when a rival network contrives to programme his most cherished products against each other. In the days after the celebration for the 300th episode of "Prisoner" he said it came as a tremendous shock to him that "Taurus Rising" was to be scheduled against "Prisoner". For years there had been an unwritten gentlemen's agreement among the three commercial networks not to schedule local series against other local series, and this had been observed with only a handful of violations.'
'It is a far from perfect situation for the Grundy Organization, but we have no jurisdiction over when the shows go to air,' Watson told Reid. 'This has been an emotional period for me. I have a very strong attachment to "Prisoner".'
Asked if the two programmes were competing for exactly the same audience, Watson took a long time to answer. And, when he did, it was a straight 'Yes'. Asked if one was likely to kill the other, the answer was a much less definite 'No'. He didn't believe that. 'I think they can live in the same timeslot. Perhaps, opposites will attract.' 'Prisoner' didn't kill off 'Taurus Rising.' 'Taurus' killed itself. In a way its demise was like 'Punishment' revisited. The tale of two rival wealthy families, the Drysdales and
Page 92
the Bents, it was initially compared to two American shows, 'Dallas' and 'Flamingo Road'. Written by Michael Pate, the two-hour telemovie which launched the 'Taurus Rising' series seemed strong enough, but the subsequent episodes nose-dived to abysmal reception and low ratings. Maybe the Grundy factory had spent the whole budget on the opening show, reported to have cost $580,000 (£276,000).
It was a costly attempt to clobber 'Prisoner', and it failed miserably. So with the 'Taurus Rising' challenge taking care of itself, the mob at Wentworth pushed on with added vigour as Judy Bryant's departure to set up the halfway house neared. Betty Bobbitt confided she had taken several pages of notes when talking with Sandra Willson and discussed them in full with the scriptwriters. 'Sandy told me that Judy must be tough, and always in charge, yet make sure there was always a shoulder for someone to cry on.
An up-and-down year was about to play itself out, but Grundy's, Reg
Watson, producer McRae and O-TEN had learned major lessons over the second
half of 1982 and already put into motion some exciting changes for 1983.
| It got to the stage that you never knew who would pop up on the screen as 'Prisoner' headed towards its record-breaking 500th episode. Ultramarathon runner, 53-year-old Cliff Young, appeared on the show as himself, tutoring the inmates on fitness as they organised an attempt to break the world record of 72 hours waltzing to raise funds for little deaf girl Debbie Peters. Potato-farmer Cliff hit the headlines when he won the inaugural Sydney-Melbourne marathon (600 miles) in 1982 with his famous 'gum-boot shuffle' gait. |
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Epilogue |