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Jonah (TV series)

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Jonah
SMH ad, 15 October 1962
GenreDrama
Written by
Directed by
StarringBrian James
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes20
Production
ProducerHarry Dearth
Running time30 minutes
Budget£3,500 per episode[1]
Original release
NetworkATN-7
Release15 October 1962 (1962-10-15) –
1963 (1963)

Jonah is an Australian television drama series which aired for 20 episodes starting from 15 October 1962 on the Seven Network. Produced during an era when commercial television in Australia produced few dramatic series, Jonah was a period drama, and was inspired by the success of ABC's period drama mini-series like Stormy Petrel.[2]

Eponymous actor Brian James had been the star of Stormy Petrel. The episodes still exist.[3]

Premise

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The National Film and Sound Archive describes the series as a "historical drama series about Jonah Locke, a merchant trader in the early Australian colony".[4] Jonah lived in Sydney between 1840 and 1850. He would encounter historical figures.

Regular cast

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Guest stars

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Background

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In March 1962 it was announced ATN would make the series with Michael Plant to be writer and story editor, Harry Dearth to produce and David Cahill to direct.[5] By July the lead actors had been cast. It was shot at Artransa Park Studios. Michael Plant was the writer and script editor.[6][7]

The episode cost around £3,500 each. They sold to the Australian networks for £1,500 an episode and then to Britain for £1,000 an episode. There were disputes with Actors Equity over how much the actors should be paid.[1]

Reception

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One review called it "splendid".[8]

The Australian Women's Weekly called it "fast, action packed entertainment".[9]

Filmink wrote Plant "was a first-rate writer: the stories proceed logically and dramatically, scenes are focused and to the point, characters are well-rounded and their behaviour is consistent."[10]

Episodes

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No.TitleGuest stars
1"No Time for Despair"Hans Farkash as Count Strzelecki, Ron Haddrick as Governor Gipps, Al Thomas, Owen Weingott as Stone Polonski[8]
Gold is discovered in 1839, written by Michael Plant
2"The Wrong Hands"Clement McCallin, Joe McCormick, Philip Ross
The story of Ludwig Leichardt
3"A Ring Around a Rosa"Muriel Steinbeck as Caroline Chisolm, Judith Artha as Rosa
The story of a young immigrant girl
4"A Tale of Two Bees"Colin Croft, Brigid Lenihan, John Faasen as Sir John Franklin, Gwen Plumb as Lady Jane Franklin
The story of Benjamin Boyd who dreamed of building his own city
5"Freedom for Port Phillip"Henry Gilbert, John Llewellyn, Lionel Pearcey, Robert McPhee
The story of John Dunmore Lang
6"A Nest of Hornets"Allan Tobin as Lin Fong, Derek Barnes as Captain Zouch[11]
A clash with Chinese migrants at Lambing Flat
7"The Hashemy"N/A
A story about the ship The Hashemy
8"The Man from Myall Creek"N/A
9"The Damned of Darlinghurst"Al Thomas as Colonel Keck, Lyndall Barbour as Fairy Mortimer
Jonah spends time in Darlinghurst Prison on a matter of principle
10"The Treaty of South Island"Harry Willis as Maori chief Te Rauparaha, James Condon as William Wentworth, Ron Haddrick as Governor Gipps
The story of the formation of New Zealand
11"Black Henry"Brigid Lenihan, Chris Christensen, Richard Davies, Claire Dunn
A story about a man who helped fix unemployment
12"The Marquis of Mallabimbee [sic]"James Condon, Keith Buckley, Bill Lewis
The clash between William Wentworth and Henry Parkes
13"The Railroader"Wynn Roberts as Morgan, Vaughan Tracey as Jamey
Miles Morgan builds a railway in the Hunter Valley
14"The Coal Mutiny"Tom Farley as James Brown, Moray Powell as Commodore Styles, Noeline Brown as Dorothea Styles
a man leads a charge against the monopoly given to the Australian Agricultural Company
15"Where is Adelaide?"Donald Phillips as Captain Duff, John Barnard as William Light, John Faasen as Horton Depenn
A story of the planning of the city of Adelaide
16"The Seekers"Tanya Haylesworth as Purity Tunstall, Alan Herbert as John Tunstall
Puritans arrive in Australia on their way to New Zealand
17"This Piece of Earth[12]"N/A
18"A Plague on Both Your Houses"Geoffrey King, Julianna Allan, Alexander Archdale, John Gregg
A romance between an emancipist's daughter and the son of an aristocratic gentleman
19"Ship of Fame"Denis Doonan as Captain Westcote, Moya O'Sullivan as Pompy & Donald Philps as Captain Duff
20"The Exile"N/A
Series Finale

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "TV lords lock out actors". Tribune. No. 1284. New South Wales, Australia. 12 December 1962. p. 11. Retrieved 8 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ ""Jonah" may be a winner". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 30, no. 20. 17 October 1962. p. 15. Retrieved 8 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "Search results for jonah". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  4. ^ "JONAH". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  5. ^ "ATN's Series From History". TV Guide. The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 March 1962. p. 1. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Stars of ATN Historical Series Named". TV Guide. The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 July 1962. p. 1. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Jonah Begins on ATN Tonight". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 October 1962. p. 1. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b "From convict girl to colonial lady". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 30, no. 2. 31 October 1962. p. 17. Retrieved 8 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ ""Jonah" may be a winner". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 30, no. 20. 17 October 1962. p. 15. Retrieved 16 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ Vagg, Stephen (14 November 2021). "Forgotten Australian TV Screenwriters: Michael Plant". Filmink.
  11. ^ "When Our Miners Turned on the Thrifty Chinese". The Age. 22 November 1962. p. 16. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Jonah Episode Set in Years of Bitterness". TV & Radio Guide. The Age. 17 January 1963. p. 2. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
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