more more louise homfrey

Who is Ryan squintingly gleaning information from? Yes it's no other than...

'Mrs Crew' (though I'm fairly sure her name is not referred to in the actual episode, but that's what IMDB says her name is) as played by... I can't even finish this sentence.

From the Ryan episode known as 'A Little Something Special' first screened 8 December 1973. This episode is chockers* with stars, from Lex Mitchell as a murderous criminal to Jane Clifton in a one-scene, barely-seen role as a waitress. Oddly this episode was written by William Froug who was an American screenwriter. It is good, but not better than the usual locally-written fare (and has one particularly odd aspect - that Ryan would have an almost instantaneous, James Bondian sexual relationship with one of the people caught up in the intrigue, immediately after her brother is murdered. Said woman is set up in a number of ways prior to her kissing then apparently sexing with Ryan as an innocent, inexperienced, etc - it's altogether weird). 

* Shall I once again bemoan the americanishittifaction of, um, everything? 'Chockers' was autocorrected to 'checkers', it took me about a day to realise. 

ryan 'pipeline' (part 1)

I'm going to come back to this ep of Ryan because it has an amazing North Melbourne car chase, but first I want to honour Margaret Cruickshank in this episode and also ask: do you think she was ever denied a part because of her super long name? (And did Joe James get that part?) Also, do you think that characters had their names changed so they could fit on a line with 'Margaret Cruickshank'? I think there's basically 29 characters available on the Ryan credits screen. 'Mrs. Hall' just makes it in against MC. 

Anyway, here's Mrs. Hall who is a sympathetic character, ordinary really, nothing much to discuss. She just wonders what happened to her husband, who has disappeared. 

Could Pamela Stephenson feel less like wallpaper or a human version of a filing cabinet in this scene (really, this show)? 

I wish that when I had known James Cruickshank, which I sort of did in the late 1980s, I had asked him more about Margaret and her career. But you don't know what you don't know (iydkydk). 

That's the sort of profundity that would keep Ryan himself going for a week. Oh, by the way, here's some total madness:

Now Street? WTAF!!! Alright, I admit I looked it up, I mean I didn't think there was a Now Street in Kew (I guess Crawfords had someone to check those kinds of things in the Melways to make sure people didn't show up at real addresses looking for pretend people) but I thought maybe somewhere someone had the bright idea of a Now Street (for now people, of course). Well, no, there isn't. But I guess in a city with a Y street, anything is possible. 

Anyway that's a Y for yes I am going to get back to you* on that car chase business. 

*Y is also for you
 

ryan and more hilda scurr

The last episodes of Crawfords shows are particularly good because they get a bit ramshackle when (I assume) everyone's thinking about their next show and how to keep it going for more than a year, etc. This is episode 33 of Ryan, a ridiculously convoluted plot I only understand enough to know it's dependent on a host of crazy conspiracies. It does have Vince Martin in it as a threatening heavy.

It also has more unconvincing tension between Ryan and Julie where she seems to pine for him in some way and he is unwilling to, I don't know, marry her? It's not subtle, it's just weird. 

But the best thing is it has Hilda Scurr! As a matron who unknowingly keeps a man in a coma at the direction of a doctor who has created a conspiracy whereby a racing car driver has been 'set up' with a fake will leaving his money to a woman who doesn't exist and etc etc etc etc 

 

more ryan - episode 21, first aired 13 october 1973

 

No huge anything to say here just wanted to celebrate once again the great supporting cast that the Crawfords shows drew together in the 60s and 70s such as the redoubtable Syd Conabere who shows up repeatedly in different shows and is here playing... god, I am not even sure, some man called Jacob Jones who faked his own death to protect his daughter from the 'syndicate' - ? I wasn't paying enough attention but I was pleased to see him. The daughter in question ('Anastasia') was played by Sally Conabere. Some relation? Well, I don't know for certain.* 

SC was born in 1918 so was 55 here. He died in 2008. His wife Betty was in eight Crawfords episodes in the early 70s. 

* Don't write in and complain, of course I do. 

the great australian bite

So I don't think I've mentioned that lately I've been watching Ryan, the Rod Mullinar private detective show which also has Pamela Stephenson in it. I'll tell you more about it sometime. But right now I just want to fill you in on an episode (Episode 21) I've been looking at in which a lot of the action centres around a locale about two minutes' walk from where I live, notably at a restaurant called The Great Australian Bite. It was on the corner of Molesworth St and, I guess, Harker St (though that corner seems to be exactly the spot where Harker becomes Curzon). 

Molesworth, looking south. 

Looking down Curzon. 

I think this is the interior of the Great Australian Bite, but maybe not. It's surely not a set. 

The actual establishment. Sometime soon I'll show you what it looks like today. 

Cornelia Frances in Harker st

And the flats across the street. So that's about it. Oh, except here's an ad.