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ARCADE |
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- 1980 - 90 minute premiere and 49 x 30 minute episodes, produced in-house by Network Ten - |
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Contents |
Arcade holds the dubious distinction of being the
most notorious Australian soap opera disaster of all time. For years after
its brief run jokes about its purported shoddy production values, terrible
acting and laughably short life were repeated with glee. Produced by the key
creative people behind Number 96, Arcade was devised as a fun romp that
examined the personal lives and interactions of the various shopkeepers in a Despite
the show’s reputation, by using various barometers of measurement one quickly
finds other Australian soap opera failures that seem more disastrous. The Unisexers, a 1975 daily strip serial also
produced by the Number 96 company, was a critical disaster
on Channel Nine whose low ratings prompted its swift cancellation and removal
from the schedules after just three weeks and 16 episodes. And Punishment (1981),
apparently dismissed from the outset as merely a cash-in copy of the proven Prisoner format, went to air on Channel
Ten buried on Saturday evenings and was taken off well before all its 26
episodes had screened. (Although in this case the Punishment continued and the male
prison drama would later return to play out its stockpiled episodes, albeit
over the summer non-ratings period.) Nevertheless the question remains, why
was it that Arcade became the big joke? THE BIG IDEA
Arcade had its genesis when the Ten Network,
seeking to increase their quota of Australian drama content, devised a new
one-hour series to be titled Centaur with a horseracing and big
business theme. The pilot fell through at the last minute when ATV0
Melbourne, part of the Ten Network, withdrew support for the project. At this
juncture the director of programming at Sydney’s Ten10, Pal Cleary, suddenly
remembered an old outline for a serial set in a shopping mall. Mentioning the
idea to Ten10 General Manager Ian Kennon while they were on their way to
lunch, Kennon suddenly got very excited by the resurrected idea, and promptly
called a meeting with various executives that very afternoon to discuss this
brilliant concept. Kennon and Cleary’s initial brainstorming session over
lunch involved various love affairs amongst the shopkeepers, and a brothel
with a peephole through which the adjacent photographer shot pornographic
films. As Cleary told TV Week, “when the excitement wore off we
realised, of course, that none of this shock stuff would work - as Number 96 found in its dying months. Society is too permissive now for that
sort of material. Besides, it was totally impractical for an early evening
timeslot.” [1] However
key station executives were sold on the general shopping mall idea. Cleary
contacted Bill Harmon, one-time producer of Number 96, hiring him as special consultant
on the new series for three months. Harmon quickly enlisted Number 96 creator and writer David Sale, and that show’s story editor Johnny
Whyte who jumped on board once he had freed himself from a commitment to Unlike Number 96, however, there would be no overt sexual activity or nudity. [4] As had been demonstrated with Class of ‘74 on Seven and The Young Doctors on Nine, catching viewers early
was shown to help bolster the viewing figures for the programs that followed,
and Various other members of the Number 96 alumni were put to work on the series
including Nancy Cash,
widow of Number 96 producer Don Cash, as one of the
scriptwriters. [6] Former Number 96
production supervisor Kevin
Powell, son of British film director Michael Powell, set to work interviewing
1500 actors in The cast
that was ultimately assembled indeed included a mix of well-known television
faces and several unknown novice actors. The experienced professionals with
regular television roles under their belt were popular singer and entertainer
Lorrae Desmond, versatile musical star Peggy Toppano, Mike Dorsey who played
popular comedy character Daddy McDonald in Number 96 for three-and-a-half years,
comedian Syd Heylen who had appeared as a fast talking sports presenter in The Box,
and Aileen Britton whose previous roles included that of Norma’s imperious
mother in Number 96. Others such as Patrick Ward, Danny Adcock,
comedian Garth Meade, and Olga Tamara, had done television guest roles, while
the cast was filled out by hopeful newcomers. [8] At the time production began,
Whyte described the new show as “a lovely, flexible idea, with a great cast.”
[9] Unfortunately,
in their haste to get to get the program on air for a planned 20 January 1980
premiere, the show’s makers took the unusual course of not bothering to make
a pilot. Production began - one week behind schedule - in the last week of
November 1979. There were three different camera units, under the direction
of former The Young Doctors director Mike Murphy, and Tony
Nielsen and Howard Scrivener who had both worked on the Grundy Produced,
Network Ten serial The Restless Years. [10] Indeed the new production was
based in a studio adjacent to that used by The Restless Years, and photographs of actors from
the two programs mingling in the common green room were frequently used in TV Week publicity. It was a
crucial time for Ten with Rupert Murdoch at the time gaining control of the
Melbourne and Sydney stations of the Network. [11] Initial publicity for Arcade
highlighted the program’s lavish budget and extensive sets - basically an
entire mall recreated in the studio. The new serial was given a generous $3
Million budget. [12] The show was boldly described as
Ten’s first “big gun” in the 1980 ratings battle, and as “Australian
television’s most ambitious production yet.” [13] ARCADE OPENS…
Arcade debuted with a feature length premiere episode at
7.30 pm on Sunday 20 January 1980 - several weeks before the official ratings
surveys were due to commence. This opening installment is enjoyable and the
storylines, while lightweight, move at a brisk pace. The opener deftly
introduced the range of characters and the arcade locale, and sets up a few
ongoing story situations. The interplay amongst the regular characters is
fun; the jokes and the several light comedy skits are funny. Arriving for work at The Bookworm newsagency is the brassy and straight-talking Molly Sparks (Lorrae Desmond), accompanied by her gossipy and unbearably prissy co-worker sister Miriam Buxton (Peggy Toppano). Miriam has “temporarily” moved in with Molly in her apartment above the arcade, leaving Molly’s exuberant but irresponsible son Joey Fellows (Greg Bepper) on the couch. The thrice-married Molly must contend with Miriam’s fussiness and disapproving manner, while Joey wants her to romance the arcade manager Mr. Henderson (Allan Penney) and convince the businessman to appoint him as the new assistant manager. Toby’s café is run by Si Wan Soo (Lucy Taylor) and her adult son Phillip Soo (Raymond Nock). They are originally from Hong Kong but have long lived in Australia; Phillip speaks with an Australian accent and they absolutely regard themselves as “Australian” through and through. As the story opens they have just been joined by Si Wan’s long-lost daughter, the beautiful Mee Ling (Sinan Leong). Mee Ling appeared after her father’s financial ruin and suicide in their native Hong Kong. Mee Ling considers herself much too refined to help out in the family café business and is indulged by Si Wan, so Phillip, a competitive swimmer, is stuck with all the work leaving little time for training. Fortunately he still manages to attend the odd session, and Nock, a dancer with Bruce Lee-type good looks (and athletic physique), was regularly shown in his Speedos for the training scenes. However his trainer Frank Shaw (Dennis Grosvenor) is adamant that Phillip must spend much more time training or jeopardise his chances of competing in the Olympics. Meanwhile blond
and busty Magda Yokochek (Anne Semler), the outrageous proprietor of the
arcade’s gift shop, bounces in well after most of the other stores have
opened. Magda wears a revealing low-cut leopard print dress and pink feather
boa, explaining that she is fresh from an all-night party where she was belle
of the ball - until all the men went home with their wives. Babbling
immigrant Magda speaks in a heavy Russian accent at a rapid rate and calls
everyone “Darlink!” Like many characters from Number 96 she has trouble with her English
and frequently gets words and pronunciations confused. The Aristocrat dry cleaning depot was run by the haughty
and imperious Joyce Blair (Aileen Britton) always recounting bits of
sage advise that her late “Mumsy” gave. Joyce was
contrasted by her knockabout husband Walter (Syd
Heylen). Walter was a secret drinker whose sly nips were perhaps
his way of coping with his affected and boasting wife endlessly reminiscing
about her glory days of being raised in Toorak society. Joyce is horrified
when a customer reports the loss of $500 from the clothes he left for
cleaning, demanding recompense. To raise the $500 and keep the police out of
it Joyce reluctantly sells her brooch to Magda, who swiftly sells it on at a
large mark-up. For her portrayal of Joyce, Britton enacted a carbon copy
repeat of her Number 96 character of Norma’s
imperious mother. Heylen was his rascally self as Walter. Also in
the arcade is Pendleton’s Heath Studio, a gym owned by the bitchy, grasping
Iris Pendleton (Maggie Stewart). Iris’s body builder
husband Mike recently died leaving his share in the business to his weedy
brother Norman Pendleton
(Garth
Meade), so the resentful Iris is left sharing the gym with an
unwanted co-owner. The gym’s
receptionist suddenly quits leaving Norman running the show while the
extremely dim gym instructor Len Crosby (Bill Charlton) is no help, and
when a furious Iris arrives the place is in turmoil. The replacement
receptionist sent by the agency, Consuela McPhee (Coral Kelly before becoming Prisoner story
editor Coral Drouyn), is sure they wont hire her as she is rather overweight,
but desperate for work she reports for duty nonetheless. Tina Marshall (Christine Harris, in her first television role) was the paraplegic daughter of Vic Marshall (Mike Dorsey) and they ran the Flashback video game parlour together. She was frustrated by his constant fussing and overprotective nature, insisting that she could easily deal with the sometimes rough crowd their business attracts. Meanwhile the bright and breezy Kitty Adams (Joy Miller), a former nightclub singer who runs Kitty’s Record Bar, is receiving visits from a mysterious stranger. Each meeting with this man seems to end in an argument, as Miriam takes delight in reporting. Finally
Di Smith (Olga Tamara) works with her conceited but somewhat dim boyfriend,
male model Craig Carmichael whose real name was Stan Stuart (Patrick Ward), in his sports store
Surf ‘n’ Ski. She soon suspected Craig’s newly arrived brother Robbie Stuart
(Jeremy
Kewley) of being the hitchhiker murderer when she finds a woman’s
scarf in the pocket of his jacket, which is stained with what is identified
by Joyce as blood. Di discovers the murders have occurred (all off camera) in
locations along Robbie’s route, so that night she sneaks down and searches
his car in the darkened parking garage. For the show’s first cliffhanger, a terrified
Di is confronted by Robbie in the car park. It had
been hoped that the program’s early-season premiere would allow the series to
slowly gain a following before critical and ratings scrutiny began.
Unfortunately, the series nevertheless received scathing reviews from
critics. John-Michael Howson in his TV Week column said of In her
review in The Sun newspaper in Of the
opening episode itself, Moloney described the overall sense of déjà vu in the
proceedings and a script that was characterised by the repetition of banal trivia. The
characters, she felt, “hover between being one dimensional and four
dimensional […] a few need toning down, a few need toning up, but there are
still some pleasantly played parts around in it.” Moloney singles-out cast
members Lorrae Desmond and Anne Semler for praise, and hopes that in time the
remaining cast members might develop into identifiable characters. Among her
viewing recommendations for the evening the review appeared is the US soap
opera parody series Soap; Arcade does not get a look in. [16] The
ninety minute Arcade premiere ran past 8.30 pm when films
traditionally commenced, meaning the opening of Continuing
the day after the premiere, The
show’s ongoing storylines focused on the daily activities of the shopkeepers,
who were constantly in and out of each other’s shops for friendly chats or to
gossip. Many scenes opened with a smiling bit-part customer being ushered out
with a “… and if your fiancé doesn’t like the colour bring it back and we’ll
exchange it” before the shopkeeper in question launches into their latest bit
of drama. Often this would be a complaint about the long absence of the retail
assistant supposed to be on duty: with the convoluted plots and characters
rushing out at odd times there were many absences and frequent “can you just
mind my shop” requests of other shopkeepers. Most of the shopkeepers lived in
apartments above the retail complex, making the similarities to Number 96 all the greater. As the
storyline unfolded Robbie was quickly cleared when another murder occurs and
he finally has an alibi. Magda creates a bureaucratic nightmare for her tax
advisor Mr Sponge (Brian Moll) when he arrives to inspect her books (and her
“assets”). Later she was revealed as a man-hungry illegal immigrant hoping to
land a (wealthy) husband to secure permanent residency. Meanwhile Iris
runs the gym as if it were Ewing Oil, and has Len
act as her spy there when she isn’t around. Norman decides to retain the
services of Consuela and their friendship develops. Nevertheless Consuela worries she’ll lose her job as
Iris harbours a strong dislike of her. Molly Sparks is now attempting
to thwart Henderson’s plans to invite her on a “dirty” weekend away at a
beach house, while Miriam gasps and swoons with disapproval at the very idea.
The mysterious stranger who had been visiting proprietor Kitty Adams is revealed as her estranged husband Duncan (Danny Adcock), attempting to rekindle their failed marriage. It is learned that Kitty has a brain damaged child in an institution. The child is introduced via a disturbing scene shot from the unseen child’s point of view using a distorted camera lens - apparently to denote the mental condition - as he throws a tantrum during a visit. Later Kitty allows Duncan to move in to her apartment where (in a psychedelic dream sequence with a flashback fight and surreal close-ups of coldly chanting doctors) Duncan is revealed to have beaten her up while she was pregnant, causing the child’s brain damaged condition. Viewers
also learn that Vic Marshall formerly served in the Merchant Navy, which
perhaps explains his seaman’s persona complete with greying beard and Irish accent. In the
opening episodes he continues to fuss over Tina. The device of having a
paraplegic character was not a new one on Australian serials: after Bellbird
regular Louise Phillips was disabled in a road accident she returned to that
show, with the story rewritten to explain why she was now in a wheelchair.
Phillips later played a regular role in Cop Shop and her character got married and
had a baby in that show’s storyline. In any event Arcade’s Tina rang true as a character,
and her wry observations of how she was treated, including the fact that the
various shopkeepers frequently rely on her to mind their unattended stores -
with the conspicuous exception of the gym - seemed natural rather than
preachy. Tina also
tolerated Vic’s overprotective and interfering ways, although with the dramas
of the arcade he perhaps had good reason. In one dramatic cliffhanger Tina is
tipped out of her wheelchair by three thugs robbing their business when she
is doing the evening shift alone. The dramatic scene ends with an apparently
unconscious Tina sprawled beside her upturned chair as the camera cuts in on
close-ups of the wheelchair’s spinning wheel, while a heartbeat and Space
Invaders blips and explosions are heard on the sound track. In a later
episode one of the robbers Teddy Pullen (Martin Portus) returns, and takes
her to an ocean side walking track where the cliffhanger suggests he may be
planning to tip her over the cliff. In fact he is taking her to where the
stolen cash is stashed; he apologises and turns over his share of the take. Soon Phillip and Si Wan managed to get Mee Ling pulling her weight in the café so the swimming training was back on. Phillip and Mee Ling soon notice an intense and forbidden sexual attraction, which as brother and sister they struggle to resist. Other dramas unfold as Di is revealed to be keeping secret
the fact she is daughter of incredibly wealthy widower Charles Maddox (Max
Osbiston) and has organised her father’s company to hire Craig for major
modelling contracts. When Craig becomes conceited over his success she is
tempted to reveal that she is actually the one securing the big jobs for him.
Tina meanwhile develops a romantic interest in Robbie, even though Joey
insists he is actually a “poof”. And in the latest set of Machiavellian
schemes being orchestrated at the Health Studio, Iris finds she has fallen
pregnant to Len and plots to pass the baby off as her late husband’s to get
her hands on his estate. Iris later starts an affair with Craig when he
organises the “Miss Healthy Bod” competition through the gym. Meanwhile Mee
Ling accepts that the illicit union with Phillip can never be, and so agrees
to an arranged marriage to the much older Chang Li (Adrian
Bernotti). Of the
cast, actor Anne Semler who played the boisterous socialite Magda with
piled-up blond hair and a series of cleavage-revealing costumes,
seemed to attract most of the publicity. Semler was featured in the show’s only TV Week cover, which pictured her in a
form-fitting bustier while fellow cast member Syd Heylen casts an approving
eye over her generously-proportioned chest. Of her role in the series Semler
admitted that it was hard work. “Magda is a hard character to play because of
the accent and I have to learn every word of every line thoroughly. It is a
totally exhausting and draining role.” [17] Meanwhile, behind the scenes,
Semler threw production schedules into chaos with a mystery illness that was
ultimately cured by rest and fasting. [18] No sooner was this illness in
hand when she suffered a bloody gash to her foot during a scene where she was
to trip on Tina’s wheelchair. Unwilling to upset the taping schedule again,
Semler was forced to hobble through taping with a bandaged foot.
Unfortunately the cut became infected, and when the next day’s taping called
for a scene where she is tossed into Sydney Harbour, a doctor was on hand to
redress the wound after the dunking. “My horoscope predicted January and
February wouldn’t be good for my health,” said Semler. “I can’t wait to see
what March holds for me!” [19] Fortunately
March would not bring news of further failing health for Semler, however the
prognosis for her show was not so good. Arcade’s ratings came in and they were
disastrous: the program was rating as low as 7, not only lower than all of
its commercial rivals but also trailing the ABC evening news bulletin. [20] Reports
of new characters soon to make their debuts had apparently done little to
provoke interest in the serial. Coming in were Susie Blair, played by popular
actor Tracy Mann, who returned to her parents Joyce and Walter after fleeing
a religious cult. Actor Robina Beard, best known as Madge the “you’re soaking
in it!” manicurist in the television advertisements for Palmolive Dishwashing
Liquid, and for an eight week stint as Flo’s daughter Raylene in Number 96, was to come in as Grace Horridge, a ladylike English woman employed
by the health studio. Lillian Gasinskayay, famous as the woman who defected
by swimming from a Russian ship in Sydney Harbour wearing only a red bikini,
made an appearance as a friend of Magda, providing tips on how to stay in
Australia. Gasinskayay had just posed nude for the men’s magazine Australian Penthouse,
participated in Network Ten special So You Want to
be a Centrefold, and
had recently made a non-speaking appearance in The Young Doctors. In her An
increase in the sexual situations in the later episodes proved to be a case
of too little too late. By the end there were more affairs, and more nudity.
Joey horrified Miriam in one comedy scene in their flat where he was shown
fully naked from behind. The “Miss Healthy Bod” competition featured several young women
parading around in their swimsuits. Then, in one of the final episodes that
went to air, Phillip’s apparent suicide bid by stripping off and resignedly
swimming off into the surf featured Raymond
Nock in a full back nude scene in mid shot on the sunny
beach. …AND ARCADE CLOSES
Unfortunately
viewers never got to see how these cast additions or the increasingly turgid
storylines panned out, as low ratings had led to the show’s abrupt
cancellation and swift departure from the airwaves. Arcade
closed its doors for good and was quickly taken off the air and replaced by
repeats of M*A*S*H in Although
famously remembered as the show taken off after just two
weeks (an error repeated in reference book Moran’s Guide to Australian TV Series, by Albert Moran), the series had
actually lasted on-air for considerably longer. After the ninety minute
premiere, in Sydney episodes of the series were screened each weeknight for
six weeks. According to television schedules in While
many shows that fail to achieve high ratings on Australian television return
to play out the stockpiled episodes over the summer non-ratings period, WHAT WENT WRONG?
It seems
difficult to pin point what was precisely wrong with the serial. Though
reports over the years have ridiculed the cast, the acting, and the program’s
technical standard, an actual review of episodes reveals that these are
hardly below par given prevailing standards for the genre. Perhaps with
biggest weakness in the serial was that the ongoing storylines were skewed
towards light comedy and farce, with not enough engrossing drama. The
makers of the show followed the Number 96 formula by including several
outwardly comic characters, however they made the mistake here of settling
for too many characters who, while being appealing, were little more than
silly caricatures. The Number 96 comedy characters seemed somewhat
real, were well-rounded personalities, and were well-played. Arcade’s comedy characters such as the
muscular but dumb Len, the fat Consuela, the weedy Norman, the prissy Miriam,
the ebullient Magda, and the superior Joyce, all seemed to be basically
one-joke characters. It seems difficult to imagine any one them carrying an
engrossing ongoing storyline along on their own. At least Arcade’s
ridiculously wicked schemer Iris always seemed to have a convoluted new plan
under way, which added intrigue. Still, she certainly was no Maggie Cameron,
the bitch from Number 96. Nevertheless
the cast all give energetic performances and many leave a pleasing
impression. Appealing cast members include Christine Harris as the chirpy
Tina, Lorrae Desmond who bubbled along as Molly, Greg Bepper as the bright
and exuberant Joey, Jeremy Kewley as young Robbie - probably the most normal
person in the show, Tracy Mann as the dry and sardonic Susie, and Raymond
Nock as the handsome and athletic Phillip who despite his Hong Kong heritage
was Australian as they come. Perhaps
another crucial factor was that the show featured too few scenes in the
characters’ homes. While other soaps have succeeded by depicting the
characters in a workplace, such as Cop Shop and The Young Doctors, those shows succeeded by
presenting a team of characters not only all working for the same
workplace, but also married to a tough and demanding job and in an
environment where the team of colleagues became a de facto family with its members
supporting and looking out for each other. The
makers of the show made several obvious story borrowings from Number 96 - including the opening plotline featuring a Pantyhose Murderer-type serial killer, the comedy surrounding a planned saucy weekend in
a beach house, Magda muddling the English language, and dim Len taking
metaphors literally. It is understandable that tried and tested ideas would
be reused, but it seems pretty pointless to launch a serial killer mystery
where none of the victims are characters in the show, all the murders occur
elsewhere and off screen, and where its placement at the opening of the
storyline means viewers don’t know the characters so barely care that the
single suspect might actually be a killer. The
show’s technical standard was fairly average for a soap opera (and an
improvement over The Young Doctors). There was the odd stumble over
dialogue but this was a common occurrence on many Australian soap operas up
until that time. The serial mostly stuck to the established visual grammar of
the genre, and the general look of the show seemed acceptable. Occasionally
some rather striking visual effects were used in Arcade, such as the flashbacks and
point-of-view shots previously mentioned. One of the final episodes to be
broadcast introduced new dramas for Susie one night when she received a
mysterious telephone call from the leader of the cult she escaped. As she
drifts into a trance we hear creepy music as the cult leader, played by
Vincent Gil and shown in silhouette through a wicker chair and swathed in
circles of cigarette smoke, chillingly issues her new command: to enlist
Teddy Pullen into the cult. These scenes do seem rather more camp than
dramatic, but other serials around the same general period, such as Prisoner
and Sons and Daughters, also occasionally featured
similar outlandish flourishes. Overall Arcade’s
strong competition in a crucial timeslot seems the critical factor in its
swift failure. In THE AFTERMATH
In
reporting the show’s demise TV Week noted that the show had been
panned by critics. [24] Young cast member Christine
Harris told the magazine that “All the cast took it well when they were told
production would end because of ratings but I felt it needed a little more
time to develop. We were given a torrid time by critics
right from the start so it wasn’t easy. I was disappointed because exciting
things were about to develop with my character and I was really looking
forward to them.” [25] Harris would continue on the soap
route, taking the ongoing roles of Dolly Davies in The Young Doctors, Amy Carson in Carson’s Law, and Pippa Reynolds in Prisoner. Anne
Semler, the cast member who had generated perhaps the most publicity,
expressed relief at the show’s demise. “Arcade was getting a bit too much for
me. It was just taking over my life. I have never worked so hard. I’m not all
that keen on TV work and I don’t believe you should do anything you don’t
like. I prefer stage - you give out and receive back from the audience - but
with TV you just give out and don’t get anything back.” [26] Syd
Heylen admitted he was disappointed by the show’s cancellation,
telling TV Week that “I had a false start. I
thought it was my big break but I was wrong. It was a big let down for me -
I’m a club worker and the exposure of a national show was good.” Heylen hoped
to continue his The more
experienced members of the cast faced the cancellation with equanimity. Mike
Dorsey commented that “Once the ratings were out we knew the writing was on
the wall. The mood after we were told was a mixture of regret that we
couldn’t get the show off the ground, and relief. It was a heavy slog in
terms of hours and volume of work.” Lorrae Desmond said “It’s a show business
rule. If a show isn’t doing business, whether it be
stage or TV, you don’t play. My lifestyle won’t change much. I’ll just have
more time to do the things I used to do.” [28] The following year she was an
original regular cast member of A Country Practice, and would stay with that series
more than a decade. Cast
member Raymond Nock, who was from a family of dancers and had danced in stage
musical A Chorus Line and on television variety shows,
went straight back to his old regular job teaching jazz ballet, tap and disco
dancing classes. [29] Several months after After Indeed Bill
Harmon died of cancer in 1981 (Don Cash had died in 1973), making Arcade
his final project and the last in a long line of failures for the veteran
producer. During the successful run of Number 96, realising that the show’s popularity would
inevitably wane, Bill Harmon began creating new, similarly-styled shows as
early as 1975, when The Unisexers was launched. That show lasted
just sixteen episodes. By 1976, with the ratings for Number 96 indeed declining, several spin-offs featuring established characters
from the soap, or new characters introduced just to be spun-off, where
planned. These spin-offs were mainly half-hour sitcoms and footage from the
filmed pilot episodes of these shows was incorporated into episodes of Number 96. None of these spin-offs eventuated, and Number 96 remained Cash-Harmon Productions’
single long-running success. Arcade’s notoriety has, however, proved be to
enduring. In July 2007 the Nine Network began its second season of
retrospective television series What a Year - now rejigged with more a comedy tone
and new hosts Bert Newton and Julia Zemiro - by looking at 1980. Arcade figured
prominently in the episode with many clips from the series shown. Various
celebrity commentators on What a Year made comments alluding to the
pointless, mundane nature of the storylines of a shopping
mall based drama serial and
the show’s short run. One commentator, entertainment reporter Peter Ford,
made the observation that while Arcade lasted just six weeks with thirty
episodes broadcast, by today’s standards that is not a bad run. What a Year was cancelled and taken off air one week later. |
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Page originally uploaded May 2000 Last updated 27 June 2009 |
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