The Box (soap opera)
|
|
The Box was a popular Australian soap opera than ran on Network Ten from 1974 until 1977.
Inspired by the enormous success of soap opera Number 96, Crawford's Productions, then known for the highly popular police dramas they specialised in, launched The Box, their first-ever soap opera, in February 1974. It was a naughty satire set in television station UCV-12. Characters in the series were said to be modelled on Australian television figures of the day, and many self referential elements featured. Like Number 96 the series was famous for its frequent nude glimpses and sexual content.
The initial episodes emphasised sex, scandal, and the political machinations of station personnel. The first episode showed a sexy young woman seduce a male character, pose for a nude centerfold with yet another male character, and then be seduced by a scheming female journalist. This seducion featured Australian TV's first ever lesbian kiss. It was later revealed that the young woman was a 15-year-old schoolgirl.
The journalist in question was Vicki Stafford (Judy Nunn) who emerged as the show's most popular character. The show also featured a high-camp male homosexual, television producer Lee Whiteman (Paul Karo).
Initially the series proved a huge hit, ranking as Australia's second most popular show in 1974. Thereafter the series toned-down the more controversial elements and more comic notes appeared. A feature film of the same name was produced in colour in 1975 featuring much the same cast as the series at that time along with Graham Kennedy playing himself and Cornelia Frances as an efficiency expert brought in to improve operations at UCV-12. The series was initially in black and white but switched to colour in 1975. It ended in October 1977.
The original cast was: George Mallaby, Peter Regan, Cul Cullen, Belinda Giblin, Barrie Barkla, Helen Hemingway, Judy Nunn, Paul Karo, Ken James, Monica Maughan, Kay McFeeter, Graeme Blundell, Briony Behets, Fred Betts, Ken Snodgrass, Lois Ramsey. Later cast additions included Jill Forster, John Stanton, Delvene Delaney, Tracey Mann, Penny Downie, Cheryl Rixon, Luigi Villani, Noni Hazelhurst, Maurie Fields, Anne Louise Lambert.
See also
External links
- Aussie Soap Archive: The Box (http://members.ozemail.com.au/~fangora/thebox.html) — Overview and review