| Bluey | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Written by | Jock Blair, Ian Jones, Vincent Moran, James Wulf Simmonds, Everett De Roche, Robert Caswell, John Drew, Tom Hegarty, Gregory Lindsay Scott, Gwenda Marsh, Colin Eggleston, David Stevens |
| Directed by | Graeme Arthur, Gary Conway, George Miller, Kevin James Dobson, David Stevens |
| Starring | Lucky Grills, Gerda Nicolson, John Diedrich, Ken Goodlet, Terry Gill |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 39 |
| Production | |
| Editor(s) | Adrian Carr, Philip Reid, Ken Sallows |
| Location(s) | Melbourne |
| Running time | 60 mins (90 min pilot) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Seven Network |
| Original run | 2 August 1976 – 25 April 1977 |
Bluey is an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for the Seven Network in 1976.
The series was another crime TV series from Crawford Productions, but was different from previous series - Homicide, Division 4, Matlock Police - in that it focused on a single detective rather than an ensemble, and that the characters were not stock standard archetypes usually seen in police dramas. Stand-up comedian Lucky Grills was cast as the titular Det. Sgt. "Bluey" Hills.
The series was set at Melbourne's Russell Street Police Headquarters, with "Bluey" Hills heading his own squad ("Department B"), due to his inability to work within the existing police squads. Department B was given cases which the other departments could not readily solve by conventional means, with Hills applying his unconventional methods to bring about their resolution.
Bluey was supported in his investigations by newly-assigned Det. Gary Dawson (John Diedrich) long-time cohort Sgt. Monica Rourke (Gerda Nicolson), and undercover officer Det. Sgt. Reg Truscott (Terry Gill), who spent his time ostensibly working as a small-time burglar, and supplying Bluey with information on the activities of local criminals. Victoria Quilter also featured in early episodes as Dawson's girlfriend Jo Goldman, later replaced by Merica Deane-Johns as Debbie Morley.
Unlike the relatively straight detectives seen in previous Crawford TV dramas, "Bluey" Hills was obese, drank heavily (even on duty), smoked heavily, visited local prostitutes, and would often enact physical violence to criminals.
Whilst a constant thorn in the side of the Assistant Commissioner (Ken Goodlet) and Superintendent (Fred Parslow), Bluey's methods were highly effective - while other squads didn't want him as a part of their team, they still sought him out when they couldn't get the job done.
Unlike other Australian TV series where it was common practice to shoot interior scenes on 2" quad videotape and outdoor shots on film, the series was entirely shot on colour film. The final episode "Son Of Bluey" featured an appearance by actor Don Barker as Det. Sgt. Harry White - the same character he played in "Homicide". Grills featured as himself in an episode of the Crawfords sit-com "Bobby Dazzler", as a telethon guest, where reference was made to his role in "Bluey".
Although the show only lasted for one year, Bluey found a new audience almost two decades later when dubbed clips from the show formed the basis for the popular The Late Show sketch "Bargearse". Another enduring element, the theme music, is now best associated with the Nine Network's cricket broadcasts.
Lucky Grills died on July 27, 2007, Gerda Nicholson on June 12, 1992. As a result of commentary on the Bargearse DVD release, Victoria Quilter is listed on several Internet sites - including IMDb - as being officially listed as a "missing person". As with so much "official" information on the Internet, this is completely inaccurate - as of October 2010, she was alive and well and living in Sydney...