Spyforce
| Spyforce | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre |
Drama Military Action Espionage Serial |
| Created by |
Roger Mirams Ron McLean Brian Wright |
| Starring |
Jack Thompson Peter Sumner Redmond Phillips Katy Wild Stuart Finch Bill Hunter Anna-Maria Winchester Chips Rafferty Marty Morton |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 42 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Roger Mirams associate Ron McLean Paramount Production Executive Bruce Gordon |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Distributor | Paramount (outside Australia) Umbrella Entertainment (DVD) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Nine Network |
| Picture format | film |
| Original release | 8 August 1971 – 21 September 1976 (plus re-runs) |
Spyforce was an Australian TV series produced from 1971 to 1973, based upon the adventures of Australian Military Intelligence operatives in the South West Pacific during World War II. It was produced by the Nine Network in conjunction with Paramount Pictures.
The series centres on the action and adventures of lead actor Jack Thompson's character Erskine, and his main support character, Peter Sumner's Gunthar Haber. It was the first lead role for Jack Thompson. The two are part of an elite unit of special operatives, the Special Intelligence Unit, and their adventures are loosely based upon those of the real Services Reconnaissance Department who often operated behind Japanese-held lines during the war.
Unlike most previous war films, Spyforce deliberately steered away from the notion that the United States was solely responsible for Japan's defeat, and highlights the important role Australian forces played in the defeat of the Imperial Japanese Army. Producer Roger Mirams was also careful to avoid stereotypes of the genre, and tired formulas for the battle scenes.
Roger Mirams was a newsreel cameraman and war correspondent during World War Two. He had long harboured an ambition to make a TV series set during the war. In 1959 he made a pilot called The Coastwatchers but no series resulted.
Mirams went on to establish a strong reputation in the world of children's TV. On one of the shows, Woobinda, Animal Doctor, he established a good working relationship with writer Ron McLean. Mirams showed McLean a concept he had been working on called Sparrowforce and McLean were enthusiastic.
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Wikipedia