The Box (soap opera)
| The Box | |
|---|---|
| Genre | soap opera |
| Starring | (see cast list in article) |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 700+ |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30-60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | The 0-10 Network |
| Picture format | Black and White (1974) PAL (1975-1977) |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | 11 February 1974 – 11 October 1977 |
| The Box | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Paul Eddey |
| Produced by | Ian Jones |
| Written by | Tom Hegarty |
| Based on | story by Tom Hegarty Ray Kolle |
| Starring | Barrie Barkla, Fred Betts, Belinda Giblin, Ken James, Paul Karo, George Mallaby, Judy Nunn, Lois Ramsay |
| Cinematography | Wayne Williams |
| Edited by | Philip Reid |
|
Production
company |
|
| Distributed by | Roadshow |
|
Release date
|
8 August 1975 |
|
Running time
|
100 mins |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | A$300,000 |
| Box office | A$857,000 |
The Box was an Australian soap opera that ran on ATV-0 from 11 February 1974 until 11 October 1977 and on 0-10 Network affiliates around Australia.
The Box was produced by Crawford Productions who at the time was having great success producing police drama series in Australia. The Box was Crawford's first soap opera, and was launched as a reaction to the enormous success of adult soap opera Number 96.
The Box was a drama set in fictional television station UCV-12. It featured elements that satirised the Australian television industry. 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 adult storylines, frequent nude glimpses, and sexual content.
Along with constructing characters modelled on real-life Australian television figures of the day, The Box presented various fictional programs produced by UCV-12 that commented-on real-life Australian programs. Police procedural Manhunt, which was lumbered with a dim and accident-prone lead actor Tony Wild (Ken James), was much like the police series produced by Crawfords at that time. Variety program Big Night Out was an In Melbourne Tonight style production. Later the medical drama Mercy Flight seemed connected to early Australian series The Flying Doctor (1959). Other programs produced by the station included children's show "Holliday Farm", chat program "Girl Talk", and period drama "Gully Rider".
The initial episodes of The Box emphasised sex, scandal, the political machinations of station personnel, and featured several nude scenes. The first episode showed a sexy young woman named Felicity (played by 20-year-old Helen Hemingway) seduce Big Night Out host Gary Burke (Peter Regan). Felicity then announced she was a 15-year-old schoolgirl, causing the station to try to cover-up the scandal. Scheming bisexual television magazine journalist Vicki Stafford (Judy Nunn) exploited the situation and had Felicity pose for a nude centerfold with Tony Wild. Vicki also kissed Felicity, in Australian TV's first ever lesbian kiss. Felicity was soon revealed to be over 18, and schemed her way into the station to appear on Big Night Out. Vicki later switched to working for the station, producing and presenting chat and news style programs.
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