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THE RESTLESS YEARS |
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- 1977-1981 - 781 x 30 minute episodes - |
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Contents1980: New Villains and Serial
Killers |
The Restless Years was the Reg
Grundy Organisation’s third successful excursion
into soap opera. The show was made in The Restless Years continued to develop the general
formula with which the Grundy Organisation had
recently found success: like school room drama Class of ‘74 and hospital-based romance serial
The Young Doctors, this was clearly aimed at a
teenage audience and chiefly concerned with the family and relationship
dramas of a bunch of young adults. The
serial eschewed the comedy and the risqué elements of Number 96 and The Box, which had ended their runs just
months before. Indeed The Restless Years seemed markedly more earnest and
melodramatic than Class of ‘74 or The Young Doctors. As it
progressed The Restless Years would feature murder, suicide,
prostitution, amnesia, serial killers, blackmail, divorce, mental illness and
kidnapping in its various storylines. In some ways The Restless Years was the straight romance drama
with a large proportion of youthful characters that Number 96 seemed to be trying to become in its later period. The Restless Years
debuted 6 December 1977 - at the end of the 1977 television ratings season.
This meant the opening episodes of the series would screen out of ratings
allowing it to settle in and gain an audience free of high rating competitors
and ratings scrutiny. (The week before Cop Shop
had similarly received an out-of-ratings premiere on Channel Seven.) The Restless Years screened in one-hour episodes, on Tuesday and
Wednesday at 7.30 PM each week. Background and Premise
At its
inception The Restless Years followed the divergent lives of
various school leavers, a premise developed by Reg
Watson who had previously spent ten years as producer of popular This
rather maudlin tune and refrain set a pensive, sad tone. The title recalled As
pointed-out by academic Lesley Stern in her contemporary critical analysis of
The Restless Years, the style of the title sequence
serves to firmly set the series in the tradition of television serials [1] - the opening sequence clearly telegraphs
what the viewer should expect from the episode that follows. Indeed
the show’s unfolding storylines explored several rather fraught family and
romantic relationships, much like a daytime soap opera. However in terms of
the show’s pace and rhythm Stern sees the series as far more action-packed
and lively than the standard US daytime drama, placing it in the same
category as Number 96 and The Box. [2] Like The Restless Years these shows were broadcast in an evening
timeslot up against police dramas and situation comedies. In order to compete
their plots moved at a fast pace with clearly motivated action and a regular
rotation of climaxes and breaks through the episode, helping ensure that
viewers remained hooked. [3] The Restless Years had been big gamble for Network
Ten with its nebulous premise and a cast dominated by unknown young novice
actors. Meanwhile in a bold promotional move Network Ten had popular singer
Renee Geyer record a funky ballad based on the show’s theme music. This song
was then used the song as the station identification tune. [4] Explaining
the development of The Restless Years, Reg
Watson told TV Week that: “The
format came under a great deal of detailed discussion within the company (The
Grundy Organisation). Then we went out and spoke
with parents, teachers, social workers, teenagers and even kids who had run
away from home. But don’t think we were setting out to make some great social
comment. We weren’t. If the programs highlight problems existing between
parents and teenagers today, that’s good, but our priority is purely and
simply entertainment.” [5] In theory
the loose social network of disparate individuals that made up the show’s
cast of characters did not seem like a strong premise for an on-going serial.
Watson explained to TV Week that it was settled on: “Because
we found the scope of this format tremendous. Following the lives of people
as they leave school gives us great flexibility and enables us to go anywhere
with anyone. You will see that one will leave home. We have given him his own
scriptwriter to make his roamings strong and
significant. Others will marry, have children...” [6] Unusually,
the series did not focus upon a defined physical locale like serials such as In
contrast The Restless Years presented a loose set of
relationships where frequent telephone calls defined the links and
facilitated interactions. Meetings would frequently occur in foyers of the
various apartment buildings where different characters lived. While most
other contemporary Australian soap operas used shots of the program’s
physical setting for titles sequences, here only a shot of the sky with fast
rolling clouds as the sun sets would be seen. Certainly there was the
working-class bar Thommo’s, a much frequented café,
and later a youth refuge and the Beck and Call café, but their physical
relationship to the various residences was unclear, and the patronage of each
establishment logically would be restricted to just a sub-set of the regular
characters. Certain
episodes feature extensive location shooting in assorted shopping streets,
suburban parks and gardens, and at the beach. Other large sections of the
narrative are shot entirely in the studio and feature many more telephone
conversations, chance restaurant meetings, and scenes that start with the
opening of a door. But either way the nexus of the narrative remains
nebulous, unknown, and unknowable, [7] perhaps contributing to the
ongoing sense of tension that pervades the story. Technically
the show presents a rather prosaic style where camera work and lighting
remains proficient but artistically unremarkable so as to appear invisible.
The most noticeable technical flourish is the occasional habit of starting a
scene on a tight close-up on a prop before zooming out to reveal the
situation. The Opening Cast
The cast
contained many attractive and charismatic newcomers in the key roles as the
various school leavers, though there was also a sturdy foundation of more
experienced professionals to back them up. The opening storylines explored a
range of outcomes for the school leavers. Elegant
brunette Penny Russell (Deborah Coulls) ditched her
hunky boyfriend Alan Archer (Jon Blake) and became a photographic model
before taking up with another fellow school leaver, the ambitious Barry King
(Graham Thorburn). An early prototype for Wayne
Hamilton in Sons and Daughters and Paul Robinson in Neighbours,
Barry quickly developed into a mercenary upstart who alienated both friends
and work colleagues with his desire to get ahead at any cost. The
thoughtful and conscientious Alison Clarke (Julieanne
Newbould) would soon be badly burnt by a range of
bad experiences. When the series began she was conducting a clandestine
romance with her former teacher Richard Dawson (John Benton),
who was married. Alison witnessed his murder at the hands of his ex-wife,
with the trauma inducing amnesia, leading to her being briefly suspected of committing the
crime. Alison later began a troubled romantic relationship with Penny’s
dependable older brother, medical Doctor Bruce Russell (Malcolm Thompson).
Alison proved to be the first of his girlfriends the sometimes snippy Penny
approved of. Meanwhile
class clown and rebel, Peter Beckett (Nick Hedstrom),
would hold a continuing grudge against their former teacher, Miss Elizabeth
McKenzie (June Salter). A new arrival in the show’s early days was Olivia
Baxter (Zoe Bertram) who became a prostitute before enduring several fraught
romantic attachments, starting with Peter Beckett. Initial
publicity focused on the attractive newcomers playing the school leavers,
many in their first ever acting jobs. Singled-out for attention was Nick Hedstrom who portrayed young trouble maker Peter Beckett
in the series. His shock of blond hair and a natural lisp made him an
unlikely sex symbol, but his intense performance as the rebellious Peter won
him several fans. As
reported in TV Week Hedstrom would
prepare for his dramatic scenes using the method acting techniques he had
learned from Hayes Gordon, artistic Director of the Ensemble Theatre in “Before
I play an aggressive scene I go off into a corner and throw a few lefts and rights
into the air or even hit a few punches into a chair. And all the while I am
reliving some traumatic incident from my past.” [8] TV Week highlighted the method actor’s credentials for
the part of an impoverished and frustrated school leaver, reporting on how
his initial dreams of becoming a park ranger were abandoned after he failed
to obtain the necessary marks to enter the required university course. This
was followed by a string of short-lived and unfulfilling factory jobs and
night-time acting classes at the Ensemble before his successful audition. [9] Indeed Hedstrom
was so broke, the magazine reported, he had to hitchhike to Hedstrom
tried to remain down to earth about his sudden brush with fame, explaining to
TV Week that: “Of
course it’s nice to get good press and it is also great to get fan mail from
viewers, but the one thing I am not going to do is get big-headed about it.” [11] Like most
of the cast Hedstrom was learning his craft - and
making mistakes - under the glare of public and critical scrutiny. “I am
learning all the time and I am getting there. Each of us progresses at a
different rate.” [12] Likewise his
young co-star Zoe Bertram admitted to TV Week: “I was
terrified the first day I was on the set of The Restless Years, but it was a matter of getting
in and doing my best. I thought after seeing a run-back of some of my first
scenes, my best wasn’t that good!” she said. “I feel lucky to be in the
serial. It has helped me as an actress, and I have watched myself improve,
especially working with such talented people as June Salter.” [13] Indeed
the matriarchal character portrayed by Salter, dignified middle-aged spinster
and former teacher Miss McKenzie, would emerge as the heart of the series
seemingly holding the story together through the turnover of youngsters in
the cast. It had been Miss McKenzie who had earlier brought up the orphaned
Bruce and Penny Russell, and more recently she had taught the show’s opening
batch of school leavers. In the
opening scenes she retired from her teaching job due to ill health just as
the students left school for the real world. Depressed and fearing her
condition was terminal she attempted suicide by sealing her flat and leaving
the gas on. However at the start of episode two she was saved by Peter
Beckett who had arrived to confront her over her refusal to write him a
complimentary reference. The
tension between Peter and Miss McKenzie would endure for much of the show’s
run and the two had frequent heated clashes as the story continued. However
it was Dr Bruce Russell who would ultimately become the show’s
longest-serving character. His portrayer, the then 28-year-old, English-born
Malcolm Thompson, had previously acted in UK soap opera Coronation Street as the roughneck Thomo for ten months.
After visiting Shortly
after this came the role in The Restless Years, and Thompson would be the only
original cast member to last the show’s entire four-year run. Bruce emerged
as the hero of the piece (while thankfully dropping his rather
artificial-sounding theatrical enunciation along the way). Thompson had high
praise for his fellow cast members and the technical crew, telling TV Week that: “The
technicians are some of the best I have ever worked with, even better than
their English counterparts in some respects.” [15] Alan Archer was the only child of successful businessman Clive (Stanley Walsh) and housewife Louise (Tina Grenville). Alan was one youngster to continue his studies as the series began, and he clashed bitterly with his father who had conducted an extra-marital affair with his sexy and assertive secretary Jean Hutton, played by former Bellbird veteran Lynette Curran. Early
Developments
Jean
herself married the company boss to become Jean Stafford and promptly left
the series. Jean returned for several months in 1979, and then unexpectedly
resurfaced again much later as a deranged patient in a mental hospital. Clive
announced his plans to divorce Louise and later departed for work overseas.
In the storyline his brother Jeff (Noel Trevarthen)
moved in to the Archer’s spacious beachfront home, bringing in his own
family: wife Carol (Peggy Thompson) and son Shane (Michael C. Smith). Another key
The Restless Years character of the older age group
was officious and beleaguered advertising executive A. R. Jordan (John
Hamblin, practically recreating his Class of ‘74 role) whose gruff outward manner
hid a heart of gold. Peter
Beckett took a job at the refuge, and when Miss McKenzie was employed under
him tensions between the two continued. Jordan himself would start a romance
with Heather Russell (Jill Forster), Bruce and Penny’s warm-hearted aunt.
After running out on a planned wedding to Miles Dunstan (Bruce Barry),
Heather learned she had a terminal illness. She married Meanwhile
the embattled Jeff and Carol endured a cycle of marital upsets, arguments,
and tensions. Jeff was perturbed when Carol took an office job offered to her
by his returned brother Clive, and was then furious over her affair with Ken
Garrett (Ivar Kants). Their
son, immature womaniser
Shane, would settle down to marry the Raelene
Geddes (Victoria Nicholls) the vivacious barmaid from the local hangout, Thommo’s bar. Somewhat child-like with a romanticised view of the world, Raelene emerged as a standout character and an enduring
comedy figure in the series, providing a much-needed antidote to the show’s
generally grim, earnest and pessimistic tone. Later Storylines
The
program’s storylines continued with an unrelenting cycle of marital problems,
affairs, romances, and domestic squabbles in the share households of the
younger crowd. A recurring situation was a returning school friend, back in
town seeking work and a free bed for the night in one of the show’s busy
share houses. Another recurring storyline was that of the naïve youngster employed
by the ruthless businessman, the latest of which was Craig Garside (Vince
Martin). Garside
hired young Shane Archer, who spiraled into financial strife after being
thrust into the unfamiliar world of big business. Garside also employed
Olivia as his assistant, frequently making sexual advances and unreasonable
work demands, which she coldly rebuked. In a
pattern that had been established in the later years of Number 96, parents were apparently dispensable. They could become subordinate
players in the proceedings or even disappear from the story, allowing their
children to take centre stage. In this case Alan Archer would last longer
than his parents, sticking around to take snipes at his uncle Jeff over his
suspected affair with Alan’s university tutor Gail Lawrence (Diane Craig). Alan was
later accidentally shot in the neck by the exuberant and often thoughtless
young Mickey Pratt in a hunting accident. Alan survived the shooting but soon
left the series, making his onscreen exit in March 1979. Taking his place in
the house was Jeff and Carol’s daughter Diane (played by Lenore Smith, in her
first-ever professional acting job) who left her boarding school in Incoming
cast member Jamie Gleeson was cast in the role of the blind Tim Watson by the
program’s then producer Don Battye,
when Gleeson appeared as a non-speaking extra on the show. Battye approached Gleeson, asked his name, and declared
“I want you in this show.” At the time Gleeson’s work with The Restless Years had included two stints as a non-speaking
extra in the background, and one as a thug who attacks Miss McKenzie. [16] Of his
new role Gleeson admitted to TV Week that: “I had
no real experience in TV and I was playing the part of a blind bloke. I spent
some time in Co-incidentally
the portrayer of his screen girlfriend, Lenore Smith, had also appeared as an
extra in the show prior to scoring a regular lead role. Lenore Smith had
learned through actor friend Michael C Smith, who played Shane Archer in the
show, that the role of his screen sister Diane was soon to be cast. [18] Lenore
Smith herself called the show’s casting director Kerry Spence, who arranged
an audition in front of producer Don Battye, however she was initially passed over due to her
sophisticated appearance. Spence then called the Ensemble Theatre, where
Lenore Smith was studying, to arrange further auditions. When Lenore Smith
was suggested for the role at this time, Spence explained she didn’t think
Smith was suitable – with Smith suspecting her made-up appearance at the
first audition had cost her the part. However another audition was arranged
and this time Smith went along dressed and made-up as she imagined Diane
should look, and she got the role. [19] Lenore
Smith had at the time been studying at the Ensemble for two and a half years,
and in that time had refrained from auditioning for professional acting jobs
until she thought she was ready. “I
wanted to know certain things before I jumped in at the deep end. Others who
haven’t had drama training are still learning and are making their mistakes
on the show for everyone to see. I made mine in class in front of students.
I’ve been through all that.” [20] Villains
and Killers
To break
up The Restless Years’ routine there were also a few flashy Number 96-style villains, blackmailers and murderers to provide story high
points. Perhaps most fun was sly schemer Rita Merrick, icily enacted by Joy
Chambers in a big black curly wig. Rita was
a calculating madam who ran Regal Escorts and enlisted both Olivia and Alison
to join her stable of prostitutes. Maurice Brown (Peter Whitworth), Alison’s apparently
generous boss in her hotel job, was revealed as a psychopathic murderer who
stole Rita’s address book, stabbing to death her working girls one by one. In
chilling scenes he would brandish a large hunting knife while crossing off
each name in the address book in turn, until finally reaching the names of
Alison and Olivia. When Maurice learned that Olivia had fled town he decided to roster Alison on to
the late shift at the hotel and make her his next victim. Alison, Olivia, and
Rita herself would all successfully evade his clutches, and would stick
around in the series to suffer further turmoil, or in Rita’s case, to cause
it. Rita
later hired young David Harker (Chris Bell) to
impersonate Miss McKenzie’s long lost son in a scheme to get their hands on
her savings. Her fortunes had been significantly bolstered by the success of
her secretly autobiographical novel The Boy Who Never Was. After pushing Rita down the
stairs in a shock cliffhanger that suggested she could have died, David
continued to insinuate his way into Miss McKenzie’s affairs. Miss
McKenzie eventually twigged that David was an imposter, tipped off by his
outrage when she announced her intention of signing over the book royalties
to The Refuge. Before she could reveal her suspicions or sign over the
royalties David attacked her and placed her into the large crate of old books
that Miss McKenzie had packed ready to be shipped out to a fund raising sale.
In the end-of-year cliffhanger he was seen burying the box in a field; when
the series resumed the following year it was revealed that Rita had survived
her fall and had secretly rescued Miss McKenzie from the crate before it was
buried. Joy
Chambers, who played the scheming Rita, was wife of production company boss Reg Grundy. Chambers told TV Week she had got the role “all by
herself” and without her husband’s help. “Being
married to Reg, I can’t just be good. I have to be
the best, or people will say I only got the job because of his influence.” [21] Meanwhile
Miss McKenzie’s portrayer June Salter had in July 1978 been offered the role
of Queen Mary in Crown Matrimonial on stage. [22] Though work on The Restless Years took up five days a week and the Grundy
contract stipulated no outside work, Salter requested permission to work on
the stage production at night while taping The Restless Years during the day. After assuring
the producers there would be no laxness permission was granted. Soon she had
suggested former The Restless Years actor John Hamblin for a part,
and he was cast as Edward VIII in the play. The play proved to be a huge
success winning Salter rave reviews [23] and she won the 1978 Glug’s Award
for her performance in the production. By April 1979 the play, which had
initially been scheduled to run for 32 performances in Back on The Restless Years, Bruce’s romance with Alison faced seemingly
insurmountable obstacles. At one point Bruce was washed away in the surf and
feared drowned. However after some episodes it was revealed that he had been
washed up on an isolated beach suffering amnesia. He was returned home where
he was isolated in his apartment and nursed back to health by beautiful
psychiatrist Gillian Vaughn (Ros Spiers), who, rather predictably, became personally
involved in the case. Finally
reunited with Alison he failed to recognise her,
though Bruce’s memory would later return allowing the relationship to
continue. They eventually married but a pregnant Alison was soon being
pestered by a blackmailing author of poison-pen letters in a Number 96-inspired
mystery whodunit. After suffering a traumatic miscarriage her father Don
(Keith Lee) bought her and Bruce tickets to an ocean cruise. When Bruce opted
to remain in Cast
Departures
In
reality, Alison’s portrayer Julieanne Newbould had finally decided to leave the series. She
told TV Week that she originally only planned to stay in
the role six months, but became complacent and stayed a year before
announcing her intention to quit. The producers asked her to delay the
decision until after the summer break in taping, but when she returned and
still wanted to leave they convinced her stay a few months more as they felt
they owed the public the wedding between her character Alison, and Bruce. The
cruise left the door open to allow Alison’s possible return, something Newbould at the time did not completely rule out. [25] “I
would consider returning to The Restless Years for a few weeks but not on a
long-term basis again. I feel it is time to do some stage acting. Towards the
end it became more or less like going to the channel and taping scenes as if
I was almost automatic. I’ve never been in a job or had a part for that long
before. I guess the challenge had gone.” [26] In the
event Newbould’s return didn’t eventuate, so in the
story news eventually came through that Alison’s tour bus had been taken over
by terrorists and that she was missing. Miss McKenzie and Bruce travelled to the fictional South East Asian
city of Soon
after this another original cast member, Graham Thorburn,
elected to leave the series, telling TV Week that: “I
asked to be written out of The Restless Years. I want to try other things but I
may have to bury Barry first. I’m terribly typecast as the villain because of
the role and I want to get away from that.” [27] At the
end of 1979 several other key cast members made their departures from the
show. Leaving the series were original cast member
John Hamblin, Vince Martin who played callous businessman Craig Garside, and
Tom Burlinson who had portrayed Mickey Pratt for
eighteen months. [28] New
Characters Emerge
Miss
McKenzie enjoyed a romance with absent-minded university Professor Greg
Denning (Ron Haddrick). Widower Greg was oblivious
to the secret lascivious life of his apparently dutiful daughter Suzy (Penny
Cook), while his forgetfulness was presented as a comedy element in the
storyline. Also helping to counter balance the show’s generally serious and
dramatic tone was a special Brisbane-shot story where Diane Archer,
accompanied by her bright and vivacious aunt Sandy Miller (Geraldine Turner),
travelled north for a
swim meet where they would be billeted with the Moran family in their elegant
Queenslander-style home. To their
surprise, the Moran family turned out to consist entirely of hunky teenage
son Rick Moran (Peter Mochrie), whose father had
traveled to Despite
initially making a pass at sexy and sophisticated older woman Sandy, the
show’s storyline would see Rick move to The role
of Diane’s aunt - Carol Archer’s sister - was originally to have been played
by elegant US-based actor Dana Wynter, who had
portrayed the demure wife of Burt Lancaster’s character in the 1970 film Airport.
After Wynter had accepted the role, which was
planned to last between four to six weeks, the casting was scrapped by the
network when Actors Equity registered their opposition to the use of a
non-Australian performer. [29] Meanwhile
new cast member Peter Mochrie made history of sorts
in the series when in August 1979 he contributed the program’s first
full-back nude scene, albeit in a night-time comedy sequence. The shot
featured Rick running naked through some bushes after a prank by Peter
Beckett and Tim Watson. Said series producer Peter Benardos: “The
scene was shot in the best of taste because it is meant to be an amusing
situation and nothing sordid at all. Viewers won’t see all that much as it
was filmed at night. It is a long shot and a rear view of him.” [30] Eventually
Rick’s romance with Diane ended, and she conducted a clandestine affair with
her father’s rather brusque business associate Sidney Dalton (Barry Creyton). Her
subsequent coma resulted in the most intense round of arguments and
recriminations yet for parents Jeff and Carol. When Diane recovered the
family opted to move away to less stressful environs. Further
Cast Departures
In
reality actor Lenore Smith had in January 1980 advised the show’s producers
of her intention to quit the series. With the character of Diane’s brother
Shane already out of the series and his portrayer, Michael C Smith, showing
no signs of ever returning, the scriptwriters could see no way to continue
the storyline of the parents without their children, and with Diane’s
departure they were forced to write out Jeff and Carol as well. They made
their onscreen exits in April 1980. [31] Miss
McKenzie also left the series at this time when actress June Salter was
allowed a two month break to take the role of Mamma Rose in a production of Gypsy
for the Queensland Theatre Company in “It was
a most wonderful surprise. June taught me such a lot on The Restless Years, especially about how to economise, and keep still, and it is a real
joy to work with her.” [33] Unfortunately
a There
were other significant cast changes during this period of The Restless Years. A new extended family was developed around
the character of Anne Hunter. Anne was played by Jan Kingsbury who had
previously appeared as John Hamblin’s sniping wife Maureen in Class of ‘74. This time she would play a warm and friendly school teacher with a
daughter, Robyn (Rosemary Paul), who was a beautiful and conscientious high
school student. A
reluctant Robyn was under pressure from her boyfriend Tim Watson to
consummate their union; when Robyn sought her mother’s advice the resulting
scene was written and conducted in a mature, realistic and thoughtful manner.
Anne later embarked on a romance with her friendly brother-in-law Chris
Hunter, played by busy film and television actor John Ewart.
Chris and his daughter Kate (Katie Thorpe), a ballerina, soon moved in with
Anne and Robyn. Meanwhile
after two-and-a-half years in the role of the exuberant Raelene
Archer, actor Victoria Nicholls opted to leave the series. Raelene, who was reportedly one of the show’s most
popular figures, made her on screen exit in May 1980. [35] Her portrayer Victoria Nicholls,
a versatile singer and actor, would soon find even greater fame displaying
her natural flair for comedy as the vivacious co-host of top-rated quiz show Sale of the Century. Prior to Raelene’s departure she had been joined by her brassy
older sister and fellow barmaid Charmaine Weston
(Mary-Lou Stewart). Buxom Charmaine presented
herself as a bubbly but straight-talking, seen-it-all good-time girl. Charmaine soon took the place of the departed Raelene in the share household nicknamed The Bakehouse whose inhabitants included Peter Beckett, Tim
Watson, and Rick Moran. Nevertheless
Charmaine also enjoyed playing the big sister role
to several of the many naïve young girls drifting though the story. One of
these was Tim Watson’s sister, the sprightly Julie Scott (Kim Lewis). Julie
was waitress at the Beck and Call café who fell in love with knockabout
jokester Hodgo (Ned Lander),
another new Bakehouse resident. 1980:
New Villains and Serial Killers
As the
1980 episodes played out Charmaine Weston was soon
also offering support to Sally Kennedy (Anna Hruby),
a naïve girlfriend of young Brett Gibbs (Brock Perks), when Sally announced
she was pregnant to him. The impoverished and unassuming Sally only wanted
some money to help her set up a small flat and to care for the baby. She was
later revealed as a sly gold digger who was not really pregnant, and after
her subsequent strangulation murder Brett was briefly in the frame. Sally’s
murder came shortly after the June 1980 reappearance of Miss McKenzie who
returned from overseas and surprised her friends with the revelation that she
had not married Greg Denning as intended. Now she had a new fiancé, the
apparently sinister art dealer Colin Strauss (Tony Blackett),
and many of her friends disapproved on this union. Colin was
revealed as a sly schemer apparently trying to poison a duped Miss McKenzie
as the date of their planned wedding approached. Then a young blind and
paraplegic woman named Karen moves in to The Bakehouse
and reports a prowler in the area, while someone seems to be stalking a
terrified Robyn in yet another Number 96-style
whodunit murder mystery. It seems Colin could have other intended victims
aside from Miss McKenzie. The
actual culprit was ultimately revealed to be the embittered Karen who was
actually masquerading as a paraplegic and had invented her prowler claims.
Unmasked and unrepentant, she whipped off her dark glasses to reveal a large
scar across her face, and confessed that she despised beautiful young women
and murdered them out of jealousy. Meanwhile
Miss McKenzie was not out of the woods. Colin was secretly lacing her food
with hypnotic drugs in a bid to gain power of attorney over her affairs to
ultimately gain access to her fortune. As Miss McKenzie battled a series of
mysterious illnesses and inexplicable tiredness, Colin was always close at
hand with her medication or a soothing cup of warm milk - all of which he had
adulterated - while keeping her isolated from her friends. They eventually
married but the law caught up with Colin before he could succeed with his
plan, and Colin Strauss was ultimately sent to prison for attempted murder. The
Young and the Restless
The
series usually had a large number of youngsters with a reasonably high
turnover of new characters. In August 1980 it was reported that young actor
Ned Lander had opted to leave his role of Hodgo
after a ten month run in the serial. TV Week magazine described Lander’s
character as one of the most popular in the show, as evidenced by the
decision to write in the character of his sister Marilyn (Maureen Elkner). TV Week explained that Lander chose to
leave to avoid becoming typecast, and that he planned to return to acting
classes with Hayes Gordon at the Ensemble theatre. [36] This
turnover of youngsters fitted the program’s usual formula. In mid 1980 two
other youngsters had been written out, the characters of good hearted country
boy Brett Gibbs, and the romantic cad Ronny Maguire (Allen Cribbs). It was the first professional acting role for
Brett’s portrayer Brock Perks, and he was reportedly “distressed” by the
decision. “If I
knew why they were getting rid of my character it wouldn’t be so bad. I don’t
even know how I finish with the show. But I guess it is just part of the
business that you have to accept whether you like it or not. I’ve appreciated
my time in T.R.Y. and the experience has been
invaluable.” [37] Allen Cribbs had been signed to play the character of loafer
Ronny Maguire for thirteen weeks, and this had been extended by another three
prior to the announcement he would be leaving the series. Said Cribbs at the time: “The
decision to not continue was really a joint one. I felt Ronny had gone though
enough and he goes out on a tragic note, but showing a good side to his
character.” [38] These
plans for Ronny, however, would be quickly amended after a fan protest
prompted the producers to bring the character back. As soon as TV Week reported that Ronny would be leaving, the Network was reportedly
besieged by callers threatening to stop watching the serial if Ronny
departed, and hundreds of letters protesting the decision were received. Even
Cribbs’ mother was inundated by phone calls
expressing regret at the character’s impending demise. These outpourings
demonstrated to the show’s makers that the character clearly was very
popular, so they relented and devised a new storyline to keep Ronny in the
series. [39] “It’s
great. I didn’t really want to give the character up. At first I thought the
way the character was going it had run its race but now the writers have come
up with a whole new storyline and Ronny has a new lease of life. I couldn’t
be happier – I love working on Restless and I’m grateful for this chance
to stay with the show. [40] In March
1981 it was announced that Ronny Maguire really would be written out of the
series, after problems in the personal life of his portrayer Allen Cribbs affected his work on the show. Producer Ross
McGregor explained the situation to TV Week. “When
young people come into acting, with no previous experience, sometimes they
find that their personal lives suffer because they haven’t got the maturity
to handle it. If this happens the job should be given up in preference to the
personal life. I think it is best for Allen that he is going.” [41] Cribbs
had a 16 month old daughter and was to marry the mother of the child before
the wedding was called off. Cribbs explained that: “When I
came into The Restless Years these problems were there. I’ve
been in the show 12 months and they’re still there. My personal life did
creep into my work and I became very agitated and unsettled. It was showing
through. The pressure from the show and my personal life was something that I
was neither prepared for nor could I handle.” [42] In the
end, TV Week reports, Cribbs
took on aspects of the character of Ronny. He was playing him 24 hours a day. “I
couldn’t turn off. I took Ronny home with me and lived him day and night. I
became short-tempered, very frustrated with life and, in the end, I couldn’t
talk to people. I also related to Ronny because of the uncanny storylines –
they bore a great resemblance to incidents that had happened to me. The fact
is I let myself be taken over by the character and I couldn’t split myself
from him.” [43] Cribbs’
troubles of his character impinging on his personal life were not over on
departing the series. In December 1981 he was attacked in a Kings Cross
street by a car load of men armed with iron bars. “They
must have recognised me. A car pulled up beside me
and before I knew what was happening about 12 blokes attacked me. I’m no super
hero and, as there were so many of them, I didn’t try to fight. But I managed
to get away before they did more damage.” [44] Cribs
spent the night is hospital under observation, nursing severe head
lacerations, concussion, and swelling to the head. “Ronny was
pretty tough, a real fighter. Unfortunately, a lot of people believe actors
are really like the characters they play. I guess the group of blokes who
attacked me thought this way. That’s why I used to visit schools and talk
about an actor’s job when I worked on The Restless Years. I tried to explain that people
shouldn’t associate actors with the characters they play. Unfortunately many
still do.” [45] The
Restless Years Continue
Meanwhile
back on the show, long running characters Bruce Russell and Olivia Baxter had
survived a multitude of failed relationships and other catastrophes, so it
seemed inevitable they would end up together. Indeed they enjoyed a romance
and eventually married, yet this union too would be doomed to failure. Olivia
fell pregnant but it was learned that the pregnancy could jeopardise her health, and Bruce had no
choice but to arrange an abortion for her, leading to the disintegration of
the marriage. An
embittered Olivia held Bruce responsible for killing her baby and for the
situation of her never being able to have another child, and declared she
wanted an immediate divorce. Mentally unbalanced, Olivia snatched a baby from
a shopping centre and went on the run. Meanwhile,
with Raelene gone, now taking care of the mad-cap
comedy schemes was Anne Hunter’s dim but effervescent niece Wendy Price
(Sally Cooper) who had moved down from the country. With the dramas now more
depressing than ever, the comedy relief that Wendy provided was sorely
needed. Meanwhile other new characters were Rick’s divorced parents Clare
(Benita Collings) and James (Kerry Francis), and Clare’s
stepson Stephen Moran (Simon Burke). Stephen began a romance with Julie, a
union that faced much opposition. A short
time after completing a sellout season with the play Crown Matrimonial in Perth, June Salter announced she would be quitting The Restless Years altogether. Her departure came a couple of
months after the production celebrated its third anniversary on 4 October
1980, and just weeks after the exit of fellow original cast member Nick Hedstrom, and of Peter Mochrie
who had been with the series eighteen months. The
losses were a blow to the series and the exits of Salter and Hedstrom left Malcolm Thompson as the show’s only
remaining original cast member. Mochrie too was a
popular figure in the series and his departure prompted the show’s makers to
scramble for a replacement hunky male surfer character - blond this time. Of
Salter’s departure TEN10’s publicity manager
Lorraine Willison said “We are sorry to see her go
but wish her all the best.” Hedstrom taped his
final scenes on 24 October, Mochrie on 21 November,
while Salter finished work on 6 December, with the episodes going to air in
the early months of 1981. [46] Salter’s final scenes were shot
on the last day of production for 1980, and were broadcast in episode number
600. [47] In the
story, Salter’s character Miss McKenzie finally accepted the wedding proposal
of returned former fiancé Greg Denning on the eve of his posting to a
University in 1981 Revamp
In
Melbourne, when the series returned for 1981 it switched to airing as five
thirty minute episodes Monday through to Friday each week at 7.00 PM. This
later period of the show features a high turnover of new characters, although
the overall style and tone of the serial remains consistent with its earlier
period. As a
replacement for the departing Rick Moran, the show’s new hunky surfer was
Shaun Williams. The producers had actively been seeking a blond surfer
this time, but after seeing more than a hundred hopefuls, the dark haired Warren Blundell
was cast in the role. [48] Mail man
Blundell was discovered while plying his route in Soon an
entire family would be built around the character of Shaun. The various
members of the Williams family would become central to the storyline for much
of the show’s final year. Shaun’s
parents were Bill and Fran Williams, played by Don Barker and Judith Fisher.
For the role of Shaun’s younger sister, the easily led teenager Sarah, the
show’s makers signed up Gold Coast-based singer Joanne Stanley. In the
storyline Bill and Fran soon took in the show’s latest, and youngest, waif
Artie Wilson (Mark Spain). Artie had previously lived with Miss McKenzie.
They also had a briefly-seen older daughter, the snobbish Tracey (Antoinette
Byron), who was away at university much of the time. As the
1981 season got underway there were further cast changes in an attempt to revitalise the show. Key characters Anne and
Chris Hunter were written out of the series. John Ewart
(Chris) finished work on the show in March 1981 while Janet Kingsbury, who
had been in the series 18 months as Anne Hunter, finished up in April. [51] More
New Characters
Several
new actors were drafted in and would make their on screen debuts in April
1981. These were former Number 96 regular Bunney
Brooke who played the on-going role of Amy Blake, a bitter, lonely and
combative old woman. Meanwhile Jennifer Hagan portrayed the bitchy Maggie
Edwards, mother of Stephen Moran. Young actor David Franklin joined the cast
playing Bernie Harper, an apparent no-hoper who had just been expelled from
school. Also in April original cast member John Hamblin made his onscreen
return as A.R. Jordan, having signed on for a 26
week return run in the serial. [52] Closely
following these cast additions former The Sullivans actor Lisa Crittenden
joined the series playing the bitchy compulsive liar Briony
Thompson. Briony enters the storyline when Tim
Watson saves her from a bunch of thugs at the beach. Then the popular Lynette
Curran, in her role of recurring The Restless Years
bitch Jean Stafford,
made yet another return to the show. This time Jean would be back for six
weeks from May 1981. Also returning was Mary Lou Stewart who had left her
role of Charmaine the year before. Charmaine’s onscreen reintroduction came in July. [53] Also
joining the cast was the blond and muscular Peter Phelps. Phelps had
originally auditioned for the role of Shaun Williams when the call went out
for a blond surfer type. Though that role went to dark-haired Warren Blondell, Phelps was later recalled for a second reading,
and was cast in the new role of promising young boxer Kevin Ryan. [54] Like Blondell, Peter Phelps would regularly been seen at the
beach in his Speedos. Then, a new storyline would see him go completely nude.
During a visit to the beach with young Vikki Boyd (Maria Jones) and Tim Watson, Kevin was
approached by a woman who invites him to pose for a nude centrefold
in a woman’s magazine. Kevin accepts the $2000 fee and poses nude for the
photo spread - with a spear gun and a plastic flipper as props to preserve
the novice model’s modesty. Of taping the nude photo shoot sequence Phelps
admitted his embarrassment. “Everyone was around and I felt a bit self
conscious. Luckily, it was all over in about 10 minutes.” Of posing for a
real-life centrefold Phelps told TV Week “No one’s asked me. If I got an offer I’d do it.” [55] Further
beefing up the ranks of handsome young men was Martin Sacks who made his on
screen debut as Adam Lee in June 1981. His character was described in advance
publicity as a drifter whose virile masculinity makes him very successful
with women. Though intelligent, Adam could neither read nor write. [56] A
Final Exodus
After
Bill Williams finally settled his enduring feud with father Rex (Don Crosby)
a speeding motorist slammed into the car carrying Bill, Fran, Shaun and
Artie, leaving Artie as the only survivor of the smash. Sarah went off the
rails and was sent to boarding school, but quickly ran away with fellow
student Kim (Jacqui Gordon), a mischievous trouble-maker. Bill,
Fran and Shaun had been killed off in further attempts to revamp the
storyline, with their exit going to air in August. Shaun’s portrayer Warren Blondell, who at the time of his sudden departure still
had several months to run on his contract, explained to TV Week that the show’s producer Ross McGregor had given the reason that
the writers had run out of storyline ideas for his character. Warren Blondell admitted to TV Week that: “I was
very disappointed because I enjoyed my time with the show,
they were some of the best months of my life.” [57] This
exodus closely followed the departures of long running characters Olivia
Russell, Tim Watson and Stephen Moran. The TV Week report on the changes noted that
a recent slump in ratings in The Cancellation
Despite
all these changes, declining audience figures ultimately resulted in the
show’s demise in mid 1981 after a run of about four years. It had been
announced in July 1981 that the program would not be renewed for 1982 due to
poor audience figures in the major television market of TV Week later surmised that The Restless Years had been a ratings success until the format
change from two one-hour episodes a week to five half-hour segments. With the
switch to five half-hour segments came the move to
the 7.00 pm slot - up against the highly popular Sale of the Century - and this led to the drop in
ratings for The Restless Years. [60] Of the
program’s cancellation Malcolm Thompson, the show’s only remaining original
cast member, said that The Restless Years “…had a
good run. I never thought when I signed up four years ago that it would last
this long. But as the ratings began to drop, especially up against Sale of the Century, I just treated each day as a bonus. It’s
given me tremendous exposure and the chance to work with some very fine actors,
for which I am grateful.” [61] TV Week reported that the announcement by the show’s
producer Ross McGregor caused some in the cast to break down and cry. Malcolm
Thompson said that: “I was
surprised when it was axed because I thought the popularity compared favourably with that of a lot of other programs on air at
the moment […] the standard was as good as it ever was, so that can’t be the
reason […] The cast as a whole took it calmly because the rumours
had been flying for so long it wasn’t such a shock.” [62] According
to TV Week the ratings had been in steady decline for a
few months prior to the cancellation. When the show came up for renewal in
the first week of August the Ten Network opted to not renew it due to the
dwindling viewing figures. At the time, the single one-hour episode of the
series broadcast in Starting
Monday 2 November 1981, ATV10 in Melbourne moved The Restless Years out of its usual 7.00 p.m. slot to make way
for new Melbourne-focused magazine program Together Tonight hosted by popular radio host Greg
Evans, former Prisoner and Skyways cast member Kerry Armstrong, and
Louise Phillip who had enjoyed long running roles in Bellbird
and Cop Shop. The Restless Years was consigned to the lowly 5.30
p.m. slot before the evening news, a timeslot usually reserved for repeats of
ageing US situation comedies such as The Brady Bunch. In this
new timeslot younger viewers could thrill to the show’s adult and
increasingly turgid incidents, in particular the graphic swimming pool murder
of the villainous Gary Fisher (James Heathmore) who
was brutally stabbed by an unseen assailant while nibbling on a cheese
platter between laps. The subsequent shots of his Speedo clad corpse bobbing
in the blood-tinged pool were as grisly as his stabbing had been violent, and
were not the sort of images traditionally screened in that timeslot. In In The TV Week report on this scheduled return for the cancelled series revealed that
The Restless Years would conclude with a three hour
“blockbuster program” on Friday 12 February 1982 - just days before the first
official ratings survey for 1982. [64] The title of this TV Week article - “Bowing Out In Style” - seems rather a disingenuous one
given that rather than going out in style, TEN10
Sydney clearly wanted all the episodes of the faded show rushed out before
ratings began. Final
Storylines
In the
closing stages of the series glamorous singer and Brisbane television
personality Kerri-Anne Wright joined the cast playing the plain and repressed
brunette Melinda Burgess. Melinda’s storyline involved her transformation
into a beautiful, blond-coiffed swan. Wright explained to TV Week that: “The make-up
people at TEN10 put a spray on my hair that’s like
glue. It makes it dark and I have it flattened down, parted in the middle and
tied in a bun. I don’t wear any makeup and have a few extra lines drawn on my
face. My wardrobe for the show consists of tame, plain clothes and I
generally look dowdy and unattractive.” [65] Wright
explained she did not mind the unattractive appearance of her character. “Looking
ugly didn’t bother me because it’s a very interesting part - being able to
play a character with two sides. At first Melinda was a very coy, detached
and nervous person, but knowing how to handle herself. Then she develops a
bit more and has to learn how to deal with the real world.” [66] Shortly
after this Wright married to become Kerri-Anne Kennerley
and emerged as a major national television presenter. In the
story Melinda’s brother, school teacher Neil Burgess (played by Rod Weaver,
the brother of actor Jacki Weaver), was suspected
of murdering Meanwhile
after a series of failed relationships with poised and demure young women,
Bruce Russell would eventually become engaged to bright and bouncy barmaid Charmaine as the storyline inched towards its conclusion.
In the end, actors June Salter and Nick Hedstrom
returned for the show’s concluding episodes, where Peter Beckett finally
learns that he was in fact Miss McKenzie’s illegitimate son who had been
fostered out as a baby. Analysis
There
could be several potential reasons for the show’s appeal. Certainly the
youthful cast were appealing and charismatic, and while Number 96 and The Box always seemed to have at least one
frequently (semi-)nude female sex symbol at any given time, here muscular
male hunks would regularly parade around shirtless in domestic scenes and in
Speedos for the many beach scenes. And slim and compliant females in bikinis
were not a rarity either. Perhaps too there was some appeal in the ease in
which the - usually impoverished - youngsters nevertheless managed to have
fun on the beach, in their romances, and with their various whacky schemes. Scenes
sometimes showed how they successfully thwarted their parents’ wishes to get
their own way. Perhaps too there was some appeal in the recurring tension
presented in the show’s succession of fractious - and fractured - families
where parents would depart leaving their children to fend for themselves, or
where there would be more traumatic estrangements of parents and children.
Such constructs tap into feelings of rebelliousness in the youthful audience,
and could appear reassuring to viewers with distant and apparently uncaring
parents. Crucially,
the program’s most recognised figure, Miss McKenzie, was explicitly unmarried and officially
childless yet acting as surrogate mother to so many of the youngsters in the
story. She had no official children, yet acted as mother to
many, with so many of these estranged from their parents. [67] Later Charmaine
Weston, only marginally older than the program’s then-current batch of
school-leavers, would assume this mother role. No matter what happened, The Restless Years showed that even without parents around,
there would always be somewhere to go and someone to look out for you. Like Class of ‘74, adult and parental figures in the series
were often presented realistically and as rounded characters, not just as
one-dimensional killjoy figures of authority. Story events would be pitched
both from the perspective of the teenage characters and the
adult figures in The Restless Years’ well-integrated weave of
differing plotlines, giving the proceedings an air of authenticity and
presenting both sides of the story. Aside from this the sometimes intense
travails of the adult characters could reassure the youthful audience that
having a nice home and car and well paid executive career hardly guaranteed
happiness. Famous Alumni
Several
notable actors and recognisable faces appeared in the show over the years. These included Vince
Martin as the tough, womanising businessman Craig Garside, long-time Playschool presenter Benita Collings as the kindly Clare Moran, former child-actor
Simon Burke as Stephen Moran, Australian Playboy centrefold
Rosemary Paul as conscientious student Robyn Hunter. Meanwhile
such youngsters as Peter Mochrie, Lenore Smith,
Penny Cook, Anna Hruby, Martin Sacks, Kim Lewis,
Warren Blondell, Joanne Stanley, Peter Phelps, Lisa
Crittenden, Jacqui Gordon and Kerri-Anne Kennerley
would make some of their earliest television appearances in the show. Tom Burlinson left The Restless Years and soon played the lead in
feature film The Man From Snowy River (1982). Margie McCrae who played Emma
Taylor, an apparently sweet
young protégée of Barry King, went into the 1981 film Winter of our Dreams. David Argue moved from the cast of The Restless Years to appearing in acclaimed film Gallipoli
(1981). Kim Lewis played a key role in Squizzy Taylor (1982) while Rosemary Paul took a
role in Dead Easy (1982). Shortly
after the demise of The Restless Years cast members Peter Phelps and Kim
Lewis were quickly snapped up as regulars in new serial Sons and Daughters. David Franklin, a final year
addition to The Restless Years cast, subsequently enjoyed a busy career acting on Australian television and in
feature films. In 2007 Handsome
actor Peter Mochrie overcame his reputation as a
pretty boy plucked from a modeling agency to act, and enjoyed a long and busy
acting career since The Restless Years. Shortly after leaving the series
Mochrie explained to TV Week that: “I
wasn’t plucked out of a modeling agency to do The Restless Years. I was studying drama with Mitch
Matthews, a casting lady in Unfortunately
there was some tension with some of the older cast members. “All
they knew about me was that I’d been a model and suddenly I had a starring
role in a TV series. But most of those actors respect me now because they
know I’m not in showbusiness to become a star.” [69] After
leaving the series Mochrie also had a role in film Winter of our Dreams which starred Bryan Brown and Judy Davis. “I
played Judy’s lover. I learnt a lot from Bryan and Judy and it was great
doing my first film.” Despite wanting the shed his “pretty boy” image, Mochrie soon accepted the ongoing Holiday Island role of Zack the resort island’s
entertainment officer, because he had always wanted to work for Crawford
Productions. While his muscular physique would still be on display in that
tropical resort series, Mochrie tried to infuse
things with a degree of authenticity by learning some Greek for the role. [70] Among Mochrie’s many subsequent roles were ongoing leads in
Australian crime series Water Rats and Murder Call in the late 1990s. He has had a
regular role in Another
notable young actor, Jon Blake (credited as “Sonny Blake” in The Restless Years) also got his start here. Born in Blake
later achieved far greater fame playing the main character Flanagan in the
1985 miniseries Anzacs. Leading entertainment figures had tipped
that Blake would become the next Mel Gibson, when, driving home from the last
day of filming on the film The Lighthorsemen on the night of 1 December 1986, he was critically injured in a road
accident. His car hit a broken-down vehicle parked on the wrong side of the
road in rural Remakes
The Reg Grundy Organisation has
since recycled the original concept of The Restless Years, producing various new
international serials modelled on the original The Restless Years blueprint. Plans of
this sort had first emerged in early 1980 when the show was in the midst of
its original successful run. At this time the Grundy Organisation
attended the National Association of Television Program Executives, a An
American The Restless Years never eventuated, however
successful versions of the serial were mounted in In both
cases the shows were initially based on Reg
Watson’s original scripts written for The Restless Years with slight alterations to bring
the show up-to-date and to match local conditions. After the first year or so
the scripts increasingly diverged from their source, partly because of
unpredictable cast changes, and the differing popularity of certain actors.
More than fifteen years after their launch both shows remain popular
successes in their respective markets. |
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Originally uploaded May 2000 Last updated 14 November 2009 |
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