Bluey (1976 TV series)
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television production |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founder | Crawford Productions |
| Defunct | 1977 |
| Fate | Ended |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
| Products | Television drama series |
| Parent | Crawford Productions |
Bluey is a television series from Australia, created by Crawford Productions and aired on the Seven Network in 1976.
In contrast to Crawford's previous police dramas like Homicide, Division 4, and Matlock Police, Bluey centered on a solitary detective rather than featuring a group of main characters. The protagonist, Detective Sergeant 'Bluey' Hills, portrayed by comedian Lucky Grills, broke away from conventional police character stereotypes. Bluey was depicted as overweight, frequently drinking alcohol (including while on duty), smoking, visiting local prostitutes, and often resorting to physical force against offenders.
The show debuted with a 90-minute pilot episode on Wednesday, 21 July 1976, broadcast on ATN-7 in Sydney, followed by the first standard 60-minute episode the following day. Bluey rapidly became a staple of Thursday evening television.
Main
- Lucky Grills as Det. Sgt. ‘Bluey’ Hills
- Gerda Nicolson as Sgt. Monica Rourke
- John Diedrich as Det. Gary Dawson
- Ken Goodlet as Assistant Commissioner
- Terry Gill as Det. Sgt. Reg Truscott
- Victoria Quilter as Jo Goldman
Recurring / guests
| Actor | Role | Episode appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony Hawkins | David Andrews | 1 |
| Belinda Giblin | Sergeant Tracey Alexander | 1 |
| Billie Hammerberg | Stella Hedley / Alice Collins / Mrs Gruman | 3 |
| Briony Behets | Kate Wallace | 1 |
| Caroline Gillmer | Tracy Carter | 1 |
| Chris Haywood | Chris | 1 |
| Chuck Faulkner | Cecil 'Knuckles' McBride | 1 |
| Don Barker | Det. Sgt. Harry White | 1 |
| Elspeth Ballantyne | Rhoda Lewis | 1 |
| Frank Gallacher | Jules | 1 |
| Fred Parslow | Chief Superintendent | 3 |
| Gary Waddell | Terry Baxter / Davidson | 2 |
| George Spartels | Steve Berry / Wilson | 2 |
| Gerard Maguire | Larry Davis | 1 |
| Gerard Kennedy | Doug Stewart | 1 |
| Ian Smith | Senior Detective Davidson | 1 |
| Ivar Kants | Roger Stevens | 1 |
| Jane Clifton | Seaboots | 1 |
| Jeanie Drynan | Shirley Watson | 1 |
| John Bluthal | Newsman | 1 |
| John Clayton | Bert Thompson | 1 |
| John Hargreaves | Eric Yates | 1 |
| John Jarratt | Walter Kite | 1 |
| John Orcsik | Dino Rossi | 1 |
| John Wood | Det Sgt Brendan Cusack / Terry Carter | 2 |
| Jonathan Hardy | Benny Allman | 1 |
| Judith McGrath | Mrs Thompson | 1 |
| Judy McBurney | Janey / Sandra Gibson | 3 |
| Julieanne Newbould | Sue Golding | 1 |
| June Salter | Lilly Morris | 1 |
| Kim Krejus | Mary Fellows | 1 |
| Kit Taylor | Charles Packer / Jack Stevens | 2 |
| Kris McQuade | Judy Browning | 1 |
| Leila Hayes | Georgie | 2 |
| Liddy Clark | Esme Fulcher | 1 |
| Lynette Curran | Jenny | 1 |
| Maria Mercedes | Teresa | 1 |
| Marion Edward | Matron | 1 |
Overview
Set against the backdrop of Melbourne's Russell Street Police Headquarters, Bluey centers on the character 'Bluey' Hills, who leads a unique unit known as 'Department B' after finding it difficult to integrate into standard police divisions. This specialized team was tasked with resolving cases that conventional departments could not, relying on Hills' inventive and non-traditional investigative techniques to deliver results.
The main cast supporting Bluey included Detective Gary Dawson (John Diedrich), Sergeant Monica Rourke (Gerda Nicolson), and undercover Detective Sergeant Reg Truscott (Terry Gill), who infiltrated criminal circles posing as a petty thief to collect vital intelligence. Early in the series, Victoria Quilter portrayed Jo Goldman, Dawson’s girlfriend, a role later taken over by Mercia Deane-Johns playing Debbie Morley. Although Bluey’s methods often challenged the authority of the Assistant Commissioner (Ken Goodlet) and Superintendent (Fred Parslow), his success in solving difficult cases made him an essential asset when other teams failed.
Distinct from many Australian television dramas of the time that combined videotaped indoor scenes with filmed outdoor shots, Bluey was filmed entirely on colour film. The concluding episode, "Son of Bluey," featured Don Barker reprising his role as Detective Sergeant Harry White from the series Homicide.
Lucky Grills as Bluey
Lucky Grills earned the lead role of Bluey following a guest spot on Matlock Police. After receiving a script page from his agent, he auditioned and was notified of his casting by producer Hector Crawford within ten days.
Legacy
During its initial broadcast period, Grills appeared as himself in the Crawford sitcom Bobby Dazzler, making references to his portrayal of Bluey. The series saw three reruns on Channel Seven, including daytime broadcasts in Sydney (1978) and Melbourne (1979), with additional repeats during the late 1980s and early 1990s, partly due to the popularity of the comedic sketch Bargearse (see below). Since then, it has not been aired again but remains accessible on DVD through Crawford Productions.
Nearly twenty years later, excerpts from Bluey, re-dubbed for comedic effect, inspired the well-known sketch Bargearse featured on The Late Show. Lucky Grills made appearances as himself and reprised his Bluey character to voice opposition against the sketch’s final broadcast.
The program’s theme tune, Brian Bennett's "New Horizons," became closely linked with cricket broadcasts on Nine Network's Wide World of Sports from 1977 through 2018.
Among the principal cast members, Gerda Nicolson passed away in 1992 and Lucky Grills in 2007. Despite some misinformation following the release of the Bargearse DVD, Victoria Quilter was confirmed to be alive and residing in Sydney as of 2010.
External links
- Bluey at Crawford Productions
- Bluey at the National Film and Sound Archive
- News of Lucky's Death at 2GB, via Internet Archive
- Articles with short description
- Seven Network original programming
- Television shows set in Melbourne
- 1976 Australian television series debuts
- 1977 Australian television series endings
- 1970s Australian crime television series
- Television series by Crawford Productions
- 1970s Australian drama television series