division 4: the human factor

The final year of D4 was patchy. 

This might be (I haven't looked it up - yes I just did - and it is) the last of 13 appearances of Keith Eden in the show. This time he's an older man in a car accessories firm who sets fire to a computer because he can't stand progress, or whatever. 

He's good. He has a twinkle in his eye. I have a lot of time for him. He's gone now. He died in 2003. 

I'm guessing this opening shizzle was shot from atop the Crawfords building in Abbotsford. I haven't compared anything but it looks familiar. All of this. 

This is not the greatest episode, particularly given the weird bit where even though Eden's character commits arson, then steals some car radios to try and cover it up then dumps them, then tries to do himself in, the company still wants to redeploy him to personnel (!!!!!!!!). Explain why!

OK one more thing of note: this twenty-year-old. It wasn't her first TV appearance, she'd already been in The Box for six episodes as 'Office Girl' and 'Debbie - Office Girl' and now here she is: 

For some el weirdo reason IMDB thinks she is reprising the role of 'Office Girl' and also that this is true: 

But it is not true:

I don't think she says anything, but I didn't notice her in the show until I noticed her name in the credits. I am looking forward to seeing her in The Box though. 

more keith eden

A fine late period two-part D4 (6 May 1975) in which suddenly Keith Eden, who has shown up numerously in various roles as various crims, is now suddenly Frank Banner's old mentor and confidant. 

I just liked this image because it's a composite phone call. Cool. I think it's from 'A Bird in the Hand', 28 April 1975. 

Oh, and note to self: the episode from 12 May 1975, 'No Prize for Second', is a rare example of where the crooks get away with it. Amazing non-sequitur ending. Pretty unsatisfying! 

 

'billy's choice'

D4 7 October 1974, 'Billy's Choice'. It's a half decent storyline but what means the most to me is the marvellous three guest stars of Hilda Scurr, Keith Eden and John Stanton. YESSSS. And one other wonder (see below). 

Stanton is a mad bastard. 

Scurrfection! 

One scene with the amazeballs Denise. 

Scurr and Eden are terrific in this, a really sympathetic criminal couple (well he's a crim, she just deals with it). Great work everyone. 

d4 the battle of waterloo st

It becomes particularly obvious what a high quality series D4 is when you hit the rare dud. This one, from 11 March 1974, has all the ingredients - great cast (Keith Eden, Sheila Florance, Norman Kaye, Jon Finlayson, David Jon, and others) possibly even on paper a decent storyline, almost. But the way the whole is played for comedy (why? why?!) and the type of hamfisted comedy... jeepers. When you consider how many incredibly good, tightly scripted, brilliantly acted episodes they made in '73-'74, well, obviously, there have to be winners and losers. But a flour fight under a hose? Thanks but no thanks.

Possibly the D4 world just wasn't sure how it felt about hot shot property developers and/or the inner city, still in this episode the habitat of old battlers and eccentrics. In this episode some heavies are employed at arm's length by an effete developer who won't actually have the money he needs to buy all the land he's bought for his new high-rise towers until he scores one holdout house, The Briars, owned (sort of) by an elderly lady called Miss Bobby. (I say elderly and perhaps the character is but Sheila Florance was... gulp... younger than I am now, when this show was made). 

The final moment of the show depicts a model of the Briars next to the extensive property development* and we are told that 'Miss Bobby is still living in her house which is now in the centre of a shopping complex,' no doubt a reference to the poor lady in real life who held out against the sale of her home in Camberwell Junction and had people looking into her backyard for years as they went into Target. The model we are shown while hearing these words does not match the description of a house in a shopping centre but oh well. That's the least of anyone's worries with this silly farce. Such a waste.  

* Which btw implies that the developer actually got his way, which is odd, as he went to prison in the story.

d4 - petty cash

A lot to love about this episode originally broadcast 1 August 1973. Great actors, like Bill Hunter (as usual, playing a vicious crim)

Keith Eden, playing the part of Russell Ward (so, obviously, not the same name as the extremely famous historian Russel Ward).* 

Gerry Duggan, what an amazing face! As Charlie Reid. 

Peter Adams as Harold Jones 

And, wonderfully... 

This time, they call her Louise Homfrey, probably so she could still collect the dole or something, I don't know. She plays Mrs. Adams, and her boarding house (oh yeah, of course she runs a boarding house - of course she does) has her name in big letters out the front, which might have made Peter Adams feel a bit weird. Or seen. 

Also, kudos to Marie Redshaw who is terrific as 'Mrs. Jones', an ebullient drunk who doesn't leave the living room for any of her scenes or if she does she takes the gin bottle with her. 

A while ago I was very excited about the fake (of course they're fake, it's not real) newspaper headlines in Homicide, you don't often see them in D4 though but here's one! Bad capitalisation irregularities and all.  

One more novelty - for this episode the usual final scene announcer Bruce Mansfield is dispensed with, and I think Gerard Kennedy is given the job of telling us everyone's sentences, but whoever it is, they're not credited. Mansfield is back the following episode but not the one after it. Go figure. 

PS! 

The building in the first picture is 503 Orrong Road. It seems it no longer has a wall around it as it once did. 

* In fact, although Eden is credited as playing 'Russell Ward' in the show, actually it's a false name and his name is something that sounds a bit like Russell Cock but it can't be can it. 

division 4 'a waste of time' 12 july 1972

Keith Eden is Arthur Morrison, recently released from prison and hoping to go straight and/or meet his estranged son. There are lots of extremely interesting elements to this episode, starting with the opening sequence presumably shot from upstairs at Flinders St station. This is the intersection of Elizabeth and Flinders st and the tram terminus which is very drab and sparse compared to the glories of today. 

Irritatingly we are led to believe (I suppose it isn't outright stated) that the central character in this episode has come from Pentridge. But the 57 doesn't go past Pentridge, it just doesn't. Imagine thinking it did. 

The priest who was travelling with him goes to the tram stop in Flinders St which suggests to me that he lives in the eastern suburbs but actually we see his home later and it's in Yarra Central so who knows what he was up to, going places he shouldn't. 

Morrison tries to buy a second class ticket on the train and he's told they don't have those anymore. He was in prison for five years (which means he went in in 1967) and they stopped second class tickets (switched to 'economy') in March 1970.*

He goes to where he used to live, apparently it's Risley St, Richmond - that's not a guess. They're building something there, unclear what it is in the show, but it's clear now, it's a car park. 

Keith Eden, 1917-2003. I always like it when people born early in the 20th century get into the 21st. He is a great character actor, Crawfords had so many! I wonder if this was him... (Age 4 September 2000 p. 11). By the way, Bolte was dead 13 years by this time. 

 * 'No more second class: no it's economy' Melbourne Age 25 October 1969 p. 3