Whiplash (TV series)
Whiplash | |
---|---|
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Created by | Michael Noonan Michael Plant |
Written by | Gene Roddenberry Harry Julian Fink |
Starring | Peter Graves Anthony Wickert |
Theme music composer | Edwin Astley |
Opening theme | "Whiplash" sung by Frank Ifield |
Composers | Edwin Astley Albert Elms |
Country of origin | United Kingdom Australia |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 34 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Ralph Smart Resigned Leslie Harris |
Producers | Michael Geraghty Ben Fox |
Production location | Australia: Artransa Park Studios |
Running time | 25 min. |
Production companies | Seven Network ATV Incorporated Television Company |
Original release | |
Network | Seven Network (Australia) ITV (UK) |
Release | 10 September 1960 – 10 June 1961 |
Whiplash is a British/Australian television series in the Australian Western genre produced by the Seven Network, ATV, and ITC Entertainment, starring Peter Graves. Filmed in 1959-60, the series was first broadcast in September 1960 in the United Kingdom followed by Australia in February 1961.
Series outline
Set in the 1860s, the series is a Western filmed in Australia, and stars Peter Graves as Christopher Cobb. The series is inspired by the life of Freeman Cobb, founder of Australia's first stagecoach line, Cobb and Co. The real Freeman Cobb did not carry a pistol, nor did he use a stockwhip to settle disputes.
The series stands out from other television Westerns of its era in using only Australian actors as guest stars, rather than character actors from American Westerns.
The series was created by Michael Noonan and Michael Plant, and produced by Maury Geraghty and Ben Fox at the Artransas Studios (owned by ATV), Sydney Australia. Post-production was completed in the United Kingdom.
Cast and characters
- Peter Graves as Christopher Cobb
- Anthony Wickert as Dan Ledward
Actors with memorable appearances and not included in episode list (below) include comedian George Wallace Jnr and Chuck Faulkner.[1]
Music
Theme Music: Words and Music by Edwin Astley, Sung by Frank Ifield.
Incidental music
Episode list
Airdate[2] is for ATV London. ITV[3] regions varied date and order.
Production number here refers to the order in the Network DVD booklet.
Episode # | Prod # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 102 | "Episode in Bathurst" | Peter Maxwell | Gene Roddenberry | 10 September 1960 | |
Three brothers set up roadblocks in the town of Bathurst demanding payment from passing traffic. With a big contract at stake Cobb must act quickly. | ||||||
2 | 101 | "Convict Town" | Peter Maxwell | Dwight Newton | 17 September 1960 | |
Big Tom Ledward rules his settlement with a rod of iron much to his son, Dan Ledward, distaste and is determined to stop Cobb opening a new stage route. | ||||||
3 | 104 | "Rider on the Hill" | John Meredyth Lucas | Harry Julian Fink | 24 September 1960 | |
A Cobb & Co. coach is wrecked by two bushrangers. A passenger is killed in the crash, and Cobb kills the bushrangers in self-defence. He later receives an Aboriginal death-stick, marking him to die at the next full moon. Defying the warning, Cobb takes a coach into Aboriginal territory, knowing that one of his passengers is his would-be killer. | ||||||
4 | 108 | "Barbed Wire" | Peter Maxwell | Harry Julian Fink | 30 September 1960 | |
A vicious landowner has a young farmer flogged for attempting to fence in his land with barbed wire. Cobb and Ledward find the injured man, and Cobb goes after the landowner. Stars Robert Tudawali | ||||||
5 | 103 | "Sarong" | John Meredyth Lucas | Gene Roddenberry | 8 October 1960 | |
Cobb heads north towards Brisbane to investigate the disappearance of several female indentured servants who have vanished while travelling on Cobb & Co. coaches. He finds that the women were kidnapped and taken to a secluded inlet, where they are forced to dive for pearls. | ||||||
6 | 106 | "Dutchman's Reef" | Peter Maxwell | Gene Roddenberry | 15 October 1960 | |
A wealthy matriarch asks Cobb to search for her missing son rumoured to be living with an Aboriginal tribe, and stumbles across a legendary rich gold deposit, known as ‘Dutchman’s Reef’. Stars Leonard Teale | ||||||
7 | 107 | "The Other Side of Swan" | Peter Maxwell | Michael Plant | 22 October 1960 | |
While in Melbourne to open a branch office, Cobb is asked to do a personal favour for Sir John Eddington, the Governor of New South Wales - to locate his brother, who fled England after being charged with murder. | ||||||
8 | 111 | "The Actress" | Peter Maxwell | Gene Roddenberry | 29 October 1960 | |
Miners will no longer send their gold with Cobb & Co. - unless Cobb can prevent bushranger Mike Upton's raids on the coaches. During the trip, Upton waylays Cobb's coach and kidnaps a female passenger. Cobb trails Upton to his lair and rescues the girl. When their trail crosses that of the irate miners, who are intent on lynching Upton, the aspiring actress must give the performance of her career to save his life. Stars Jennifer Jayne | ||||||
9 | 105 | "Love Story in Gold" | John Meredyth Lucas | James Clavell | 5 November 1960 | |
Cobb is paid handsomely to undertakes the transport of brandy, a trousseau and two coffins, into the heart of New South Wales. At the agreed meeting place, Cobb is overpowered and taken to meet the female leader of a group of escaped convicts. She tells Cobb that he is to marry her daughter and he will be given more gold than he can imagine. If he refuses, he will fill one of the coffins. Stars Neva Carr Glyn | ||||||
10 | 109 | "The Bone that Whispered" | John Meredyth Lucas | Michael Plant | 3 December 1960 | |
Dan has vanished and when a small girl is left motherless, Cobb sets out to track down her father, a man charged with murder who has fled the law swearing his innocence and now lives with an Aboriginal tribe. Stars Nigel Lovell, Robert Tudawali | ||||||
11 | 110 | "The Secret of Screaming Hills" | Peter Maxwell | Michael Plant | 10 December 1960 | |
Cobb finds a dying man in the bush, and undertakes to deliver a map to the man's wife. With the help of an Aboriginal, Cobb solves the mystery of the 'frog fella' and a missing treasure. | ||||||
12 | 115 | "Act of Courage" | Ben Fox | Gerry Day | 17 December 1960 | |
On his way to testify at the trial of a bushranger charged with killing one of his stagecoach drivers, Cobb arrives at drought-stricken Cross Creek Way Station with two passengers, a married couple. He is met by a gang who plan to keep him prisoner until after the bushranger's trial. Stars Terry McDermott, Guy Doleman, Margo Lee | ||||||
13 | 118 | "The Twisted Road" | Peter Maxwell | Michael Plant | 7 January 1961 | |
Returning to Brisbane from an outback run, Cobb's coach is commandeered to transport a prisoner, Ted Cammidge, who is to stand trial for murder, and is accompanied by his employer, Dr. Table, who plans to vouch for his innocence at the trial. Stars Rachael Lloyd, Ben Gabriel, Tom Farley. | ||||||
14 | 120 | "Divide and Conquer" | Peter Maxwell | David Evans | 14 January 1961 | |
A murderous gang abduct Cobb and a Government minister looking for a mountain pass to open up the fertile land beyond. Stars Colin Croft, Owen Weingott | ||||||
15 | 121 | "The Remittance Man" | John Meredyth Lucas | Wells Root and Ron Bishop | 21 January 1961 | |
Jimmy Quicksilver, a 'gentleman' bushranger who has been robbing coaches, asks Cobb to conceal knowledge of his activities from two members of his aristocratic family, who have come to Australia to take Quicksilver's son to England to be educated. Stars Stuart Wagstaff | ||||||
16 | 117 | "Day of the Hunter" | Peter Maxwell | Michael Plant | 28 January 1961 | |
A squatter's farm where Cobb wants to build a way station is burned down by a land-hungry neighbour who trades on people's fears by terrorising their families. Cobb undertakes a hazardous crossing of an Aboriginal burial ground to assist. Stars Chips Rafferty | ||||||
17 | 119 | "The Solid Gold Brigade" | Maury Geraghty | Michael Plant | 4 February 1961 | |
Cobb is transporting miner's gold from Fury Creek to Sydney, but en route a bushranger shoots him and leaves him for dead. The bushranger takes Cobb's coach and clothes to impersonate him and get away with the gold. Stars John Gray | ||||||
18 | 112 | "Stage for Two" | Peter Maxwell | Terry Maples | 11 February 1961 | |
Cobb becomes the reluctant ally of an escaping bank robber who is sought not only by the police, but also by the outlaw gang he has cheated. Stars Leonard Teale | ||||||
19 | 122 | "Canoomba Incident" | Peter Maxwell | Richard Grey and Ralph Peterson | 18 February 1961 | |
Upon arrival in Canoomba, Cobb and Dan Ledward find the men are away digging gold and the women are running the town. Dan Ledward finds romance in the town before being assigned the perilous task of carrying a fortune in gold from the diggings to Canoomba. Stars Janette Craig, Brenda Senders | ||||||
20 | 123 | "The Rushing Sands" | Peter Maxwell | Michael Plant | 25 February 1961 | |
In his Duranga office, Cobb finds Peter Hibberd, a one time star driver for the Cobb & Co stage line and now a mere husk of a man expecting death. Hibberd dedicates his last days to tracking down a bushranger who is believed to have murdered his son. Stars Gordon Glenwright | ||||||
21 | 127 | "The Adelaide Arabs" | Peter Maxwell | Ralph Peterson | 4 March 1961 | |
Cobb is in competition to buy three magnificent Arabian horses, and the contest soon becomes a fight to the death after he is robbed by three masked men who intend to buy the horses. Stars Chips Rafferty, Stuart Wagstaff | ||||||
22 | 113 | "The Hunters" | John Meredyth Lucas | Morris L West | 11 March 1961 | |
A white cattleman, Dillon, inadvertently interrupts the ritual killing of a bull by a tribe of Aboriginals, and must himself be killed to complete the cycle of events. Seriously wounded Dillon manages to escape. When Dillon's riderless horse returns to the homestead Cobb sets out on a desperate race against time. Stars Robert Tudawali | ||||||
23 | 124 | "The Legacy" | John Meredyth Lucas | Bill Templeton | 18 March 1961 | |
Anxious to obtain good grazing land for his horses, Cobb approaches the heir to a dilapidated estate to enquire about a grazing lease on the property. Cobb's request falls on unresponsive ears and a chain of events behind an Aboriginal boys stolen legacy. | ||||||
24 | 126 | "Fire Rock" | John Meredyth Lucas | Michael Plant | 25 March 1961 | |
A trusted Cobb & Co agent disappears in the ‘Taroomba’ (burning land),a sacred Aboriginal burial ground which is rich in opal. His alluring wife, persuades Cobb to lead a search party. Stars Robert Tudawali, Delia Williams | ||||||
25 | 125 | "Stage Freight" | Peter Maxwell | Ralph Peterson | 8 April 1961 | |
Cobb has a full load of passengers on the return journey from Mowamba, and it seems certain that among them are a man and a woman who have committed a brutal murder. | ||||||
26 | 114 | "The Wreckers" | John Meredyth Lucas | Daphne Field | 15 April 1961 | |
A group of bushrangers capture a Cobb & Co. coach, and use it in a series of raids and robberies implicating Cobb. To protect his company's reputation, Cobb tracks down the bushrangers. Stars Guy Doleman, Robert Tudawali | ||||||
27 | 134 | "Portrait in Gunpowder" | John Meredyth Lucas | Michael Plant | 22 April 1961 | |
Cobb accepts a commission to transport a renowned artist newly arrived from France to an undisclosed destination. He again crosses the path of Jimmy Quicksilver, a 'gentleman bushranger' whose dishonesty is equalled only by his good manners and sense of humour. Stars Stuart Wagstaff | ||||||
28 | 131 | "Ribbons and Wheels" | Peter Maxwell | Ralph Peterson | 29 April 1961 | |
The sleepy calm of outback Ginini is shattered when Cobb accepts a challenge to race a Western Co. stagecoach over the usual route to Brindabella to win the exclusive franchise for the route. | ||||||
29 | 129 | "Flood Tide" | Ben Fox | Michael Plant | 6 May 1961 | |
Their route cut off by a flood Cobb and his sole passenger, Sarah Bartley, spend the night in a deserted house. During the night a violent storm strikes, and all is not as it seems when a mysterious stranger arrives to seek shelter. | ||||||
30 | 130 | "Storm River" | John Meredyth Lucas | Michael Plant | 13 May 1961 | |
During a violent storm with a lame horse, Cobb is felled by an unseen foe. He recovers consciousness in an outback cabin, minus his money-belt. The cabin's other occupant is a girl who wants to travel to Sydney. She asks Cobb to take her with him, but when they set off they meet with deadly opposition. Stars Annette Andre | ||||||
31 | 133 | "Dilemma in Wool" | Peter Maxwell | Ralph Peterson | 20 May 1961 | |
Cobb becomes involved in the strange story of a beautiful Spanish woman, and a disapproving family. The beginning of Australia's wool growing industry. Stars Lionel Long, Nigel Lovell | ||||||
32 | 132 | "Magic Wire" | Peter Maxwell | Ralph Peterson | 27 May 1961 | |
Aboriginal attacks imperil the laying of an overhead telegraph line. Cobb, contracted to freight supplies from the coast to a telegraph construction camp, discovers that the attacks are being instigated by a white man. Stars Terry McDermott, Robert Tudawali | ||||||
33 | 116 | "The Haunted Valley" | John Meredyth Lucas | Gerry Day | 3 June 1961 | |
Cattlemen at Wallaby Junction lose stock in mysterious thefts which convince Cobb that there must be a secret pass through the surrounding mountains. He sets out to find the trail and catch the thief. | ||||||
34 | 128 | "Dark Runs the Sea" | John Meredyth Lucas | Oscar Maillard and Michael Plant | 10 June 1961 | |
Attractive, adventurous, niece of the local magistrate, is kidnapped in the outback. Cobb is mystified when he discovers that she is apparently a willing victim, and her uncle is reluctant to press on with the search for her. Stars Annette Andre, Guy Doleman, Reg Lye |
Production
Star Peter Graves was best known at the time for the TV Western Fury.[4]
Production of the series was to have begun in 1959 but was delayed due to finance problems. Filming recommenced on 4 March 1960. The budget of the series was a reported £650,000.[5] Some location footage was shot in the Northern Territory.[6]
Lionel Ware was in charge of horses. Studio scenes were shot at Artransa Studios in Frenchs Forest, Sydney.[7]
In 1961, it became one of the original twelve programs aired by the new CTV network in Canada (and the only one produced Down Under).
DVD releases
Network DVD released a Region 2 five disc set on 7 December 2009.[8]
On 18 September 2012, Timeless Media Group released Whiplash - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. The 4-disc set features all 34 episodes of the series.[9]
References
- ^ Albert Moran (1993). Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 0642184623.
{{cite book}}
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(help) - ^ Dates from ITC Episode guide issued with the Network DVD
- ^ History of ITV
- ^ "American TV star here for Australian Western". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 27, , no. [?]. Australia, Australia. 14 October 1959. p. 68. Retrieved 30 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
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: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ "T.V. Series to be Filmed at Alice Springs". The Beverley Times. Vol. , , no. 1880. Western Australia. 20 May 1960. p. 5. Retrieved 30 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
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: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ "AUSTRALIAN DRAMA WHIPLASH". The Canberra Times. Vol. 36, , no. 10, 245. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 7 June 1962. p. 30. Retrieved 30 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ "Boy trains horses for TV Western". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 28, , no. 2[?]. Australia, Australia. 30 November 1960. p. 4 (Teenagers' Weekly). Retrieved 30 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ http://www.networkdvd.net/product_info.php?products_id=1015
- ^ "Whiplash - Finalized Date, Cost, Details and Box for 'The Complete Series' with Peter Graves". Archived from the original on 17 July 2012.
- "The Australian Film and Television Companion" — compiled by Tony Harrison — Simon & Schuster Australia, 1994
External links
- Whiplash at IMDb
- Whiplash at Classic Australian Television
- Whiplash at the National Film and Sound Archive
- Whiplash reviewed on VideoVista.net
- 1961 Australian television series debuts
- 1961 Australian television series endings
- 1960s Australian television series
- Australian drama television series
- ITV television dramas
- Seven Network shows
- Television series by ITC Entertainment
- Television shows set in colonial Australia
- Australian Western (genre) films
- Black-and-white Australian television programs