Spyforce

Spyforce
Genre	Drama Military Action Espionage Serial
Created by	Roger Mirams
Starring	Jack Thompson Peter Sumner Redmond Phillips Katy Wild Stuart Finch Bill Hunter Anna-Maria Winchester Chips Rafferty Russell Crowe Marty Morton
Country of origin	Australia
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	42
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	Channel Nine (Australia)
Picture format	film
Original run	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.

The idea appealed to American producers Paramount Pictures, who backed creator Roger Mirams to begin production without having seen a script. He made the pilot episode, "Spy Catcher", which impressed Paramount, and the Nine Network immediately bought the local rights. The first episode aired in Sydney on 8 August 1971, and the rest of Australia on 26 August 1971. It was originally intended to produce 26 episodes, but following the success of the first series, Mirams held talks with both Nine Network and Paramount Pictures, who backed him for a second series. In all 42 episodes were produced. The series was last aired on Australian television in Adelaide on 21 September 1976, but has been re-run several times since.

Actor Russell Crowe appeared briefly in one episode as a child actor at the age of seven.

Synopsis

Spyforce was designed by Roger Mirams to be a wartime espionage action adventure in the format of a weekly, hour-long television mini-film. It was very much intended to highlight the important role played by Australian forces in achieving victory in World War II, but also remain exciting and compelling. Despite being based upon a war setting, character development played a key role in Spyforce. The way the main characters interact and change over time was carefully scripted by Mirams.^{[citation needed]}

Unlike many previous war films, particularly American ones, Spyforce does not portray the protagonists as invincible, who always win an easy victory.^{[citation needed]} Indeed their human failings are made clear, and their plans do not always come to fruition. It does not dwell on torture by Japanese soldiers, or portray Australians as perfect.

The protagonists are members of a secretive special elite unit known as the Special Intelligence Unit, headed by Colonel Cato, who is only responsible directly to the Prime Minister of Australia. Cato's unit is responsible for sabotage and covert operations, often behind enemy lines, against Japanese forces in the South West Pacific during World War II.

Colonel Cato recruits both Erskine and Gunther Haber into the Special Intelligence Unit as civilian operatives due to their intimate knowledge of the South West Pacific and New Guinea. Both are reluctant at first, so Cato fabricates false evidence against them to coerce them into co-operating.

Although some episodes were filmed on location in New Guinea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau and also in Changi Prison in Singapore, most of the filming was done in the Australian bushland surrounding Sydney. Several ideal Sydney locations, such as Middle Head Fortifications were also used.

Main characters

Erskine

Lead actor Jack Thompson's character, Erskine is the hero and main protagonist of Spyforce. Erskine was an Australian planter in the Australian Territory of New Guinea when the Imperial Japanese Army invaded in 1942. Erskine is a heavy drinking, swearing, womanising and sometimes cold hearted man who has little time for rank or etiquette. He was forced off his plantation by advancing Japanese troops, and resents the Australian Army for not having properly protected his property.

Despite this, Erskine is an excellent soldier, although often prone to disobeying, or bending orders. He is quick to the trigger, and not afraid of tackling the Japanese head on if necessary. He also has a ruthless streak, but can be cold and calculating at times.

He despises Gunther Haber initially, and resents being forced to work with him. But as the two men get to know each other, both realise they have a similar dishonest roguish character, and begin to bond.

Gunther Haber

Erskine's main sidekick is Gunther Haber played by Peter Sumner. He is a German planter with a plantation on New Britain, and he too was forced to flee the advancing Japanese. Because of his German heritage, he is initially interned in a Prison Camp in Australia, but later is recruited by the Special Intelligence Unit for his linguistic skills and intimate knowledge of New Guinea.

Haber is a cultured German, who is the complete foil for Erskine's rough and ready character. They are also love rivals, and initially the bitterness is strong between the two. However, as they begin to succeed together in their missions, a grudging mutual respect develops.

At the beginning Erskine calls Haber 'Adolf' as a slight, but after the men begin to bond, he continues to use the nickname in a more friendly affectionate way.

Colonel Cato

Colonel Cato played by Redmond Phillips, is the Commanding Officer of the Special Intelligence Unit, and is only directly responsible to the Prime Minister of Australia. He is astutely intelligent, a clever strategist, very cunning and calculating, and is willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve his goals. Cato is not beyond bending the rules, and manipulates both Erskine and Haber into co-operating with the Special Intelligence Unit.

Lieutenant French

Lieutenant French, played by the petite actress Katy Wild is Colonel Cato's secretary, and despite her cute good looks, she has her finger on the pulse of the operations. Although primarily limited to administrative duties in the Units headquarters office, French does occasionally operate in the field. Unlike Erskine and Haber, French is a member of the Australian Army, and holds the rank of Lieutenant. French has a crush on Erskine, and he an attracted admiration for her, but their relationship always remains platonic.

Captain Pollock

Captain Pollock, played by Bill Hunter was a primarily support role. He was an Australian Army captain who appeared in the first 11 episodes, primarily when the Special Intelligence Unit had to interact directly with the Australian Army.

Captain Bergen

Captain Bergen, played by Stuart Finch replaced Captain Pollock as the Australian Army's main officer in later episodes of Spyforce.

Barrow

Barrow played by Max Cullen was a psychopathic criminal that Colonel Cato used to use to brutally interrogate prisoners, due to his aggressive personality. Barrow only appears in the first and fourth episodes.

Jill Stewart

Arna-Maria Winchester's Jill Stewart is an ASIO undercover operative who is a master of disguise. She was born in Burma and has contacts throughout the South West Pacific and particularly in New Guinea. Stewart is a master linguist, fluent in five languages, and is also a firearms expert.

Episodes

• Pilot. Spy Catcher
• 1. The General - Colonel Cato, the Commanding Officer of the Special Intelligence Unit, sends Erskine and his partner Gunther Haber to New Ireland to try and kidnap a German Officer who is working there with their Japanese Allies. It is vital the snatch goes according to plan, as Cato believes that the General is in possession of a list that contains the names of all German agents working in Australia. Erskine, who already has a strong dislike for his reluctant partner Haber, starts to distrust him even more when Haber, who is a German national, seemingly defects to the enemy.
• 2. Death Railway - Colonel Cato has received intelligence reports that the Imperial Japanese Army are using allied Prisoners of War as slave labour to build the Burma Railway. Plans are drawn up to prevent the railway from connecting Siam to Burma by blowing up part of the route ahead of the construction. Colonel Cato sends Erskine and Haber to gather information, but ensures they are captured by the Japanese in the hope they will be able to gather blueprints of the railway. Whilst they are Prisoners of War, they are shocked to discover that there is an Australian engineer assisting the Japanese with the construction of the railway.
• 3. Portuguese Man Of War - German Gestapo secret agents have been sent to Sydney where they are sabotaging important installations, and Colonel Cato devises a plan to thwart them. Suspicion of compliance once again falls upon German national Gunther Haber who is then interned in a Prisoner of War camp with captured German agents, leaving Erskine to combat the remaining agents alone. He tracks them down to an expatriate Portuguese fishing community, whilst Haber and the interred German agents manage to escape from the camp. Having infiltrated their group, Haber learns of their plans to attempt to blow up the Queen Mary which is carrying thousands of Australian troops back from the Middle East to reinforce New Guinea against the Japanese. With Erskine's help, Haber manages to thwart to sabotague attempt, and save the ship.
• 4. The Prisoner - Colonel Cato creates false evidence linking Gunther Haber and Erskine to a massacre on a small Pacific island in order to demonstrate the lengths he will go to in order to force them to work alongside each other, and to force them to carry out the orders he commands. Having manipulated them into continuing service with his department, he sends the pair to Singapore in order to break into Changi Prison and rescue a renowned British bacteriologist who is being kept prisoner there. Colonel Cato fears that the Japanese will force him to create bacteriological weapons if he is not rescued.
• 5. The Bridge - Gunther Haber and Erskine discover a plot to destroy the Sydney Harbour Bridge as a massive Allied shipping convey passes beneath. The pair, resentful of being forced to work for Colonel Cato's Special Intelligence Unit, try to use the information to bargain their way out of the organisation.
• 6. The Trader - Erskine and Gunther Haber are back in New Guinea where they are called upon to help rescue a party of locals from the advancing Imperial Japanese Army. The Japanese discover their presence and cut them off from their path to the coast. With the Japanese Army closing in, the party take refuge in a small trading post, but the pair soon become suspicious that one of their party is assisting the Japanese in their pursuit. In one scene. Winchester appears naked in a shower, and the scene was originally going to be cut for fear of offending the conservative censors of the period, however after much debate MacLean and Rubie decided the scene was "much too good to be cut".^[1]

• 7. The Escape
• 8. 27 Hours
• 9. The Volunteers - Part One
• 10. The Volunteers - Part Two
• 11. The Countess
• 12. The Cripple
• 13. The Assassin
• 14. The Tunku
• 15. The Gunner
• 16. The Saviour - Part One
• 17. The Saviour - Part Two
• 18. The Samurai
• 19. The Bunker
• 20. Reilley's Army
• 21. The Courier
• 22. The Doctor
• 23. The Major
• 24. The Lovers
• 25. The Chase
• 26. The Diplomat
• 27. The District Commissioner
• 28. The Troupers
• 29. The Encounter
• 30. The Breakout
• 31. The Interrogator
• 32. The Raiders
• 33. The Forger
• 34. The Correspondent
• 35. The Double Agent
• 36. The Misfits
• 37. The Mission
• 38. The Journey
• 39. The Decoy
• 40. The Murder
• 41. The Trail
• 42. The Rolls That Went To War

Notes

1. ^ TV Week Magazine, 22 August 1971

External links

• Spyforce at the Internet Movie Database
• ClassicAustralianTV.com