Matthew and Son (film)

Matthew and Son is a 1984 Australian television film about a single parent who is a police surgeon. It was filmed May to June 1984 and is a pilot for a TV series that never eventuated.[1]

Matthew and Son
Directed byGary Conway
Written byChristine Schofield
Marcus Cole
Based onshort story by Bert Deling
Michael Aitkens
Produced byDamien Parer
StarringPaul Cronin
Darius Perkins
Paula Duncan
Production
company
Television House Films
Distributed byChannel Ten
Release date
  • 5 August 1984 (1984-08-05)
Running time
75 mins
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Budget$800,000[1]

Cast

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Production

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The film was one of several projects Paul Cronin made when at Channel Ten, and was done for Johnny Young's company. Cronin:

It was based on the life of Dr John Birrell, the police surgeon, who was instrumental in the .05 and seatbelt legislation. A fascinating man – I met him, and he was a great character to play. Ten Brisbane, Ten Melbourne and Ten Adelaide committed to a series – they had a 7:30 timeslot allocated for it and all – and the only fly in the ointment was Ten Sydney. They would not commit. The telemovie rated well when it did go to air. It was a very, very well constructed show, but Johnny's company collapsed after that, and I left channel Ten.[2]

The cast includes Cronin as Matthew Caine, Paula Duncan as social worker Barbara Dean, Darius Perkins as Matthew's son Stephen, and Nicole Kidman as Stephen's friend Bridgette Elliot.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p106
  2. ^ "Interview Paul Cronin" TV EYE No. 7, December 1995. Classic Australian TV accessed 13 July 2013
  3. ^ Lamont, Leonie (21 October 1984). "Police crusader". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 November 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
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