Hunter (1967 TV series)
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television |
| Founded | July 4, 1967 |
| Founder | Ian Jones |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
| Products | Television series |
| Parent | Crawford Productions |
Hunter was an Australian espionage adventure television series aired on the Nine Network from 4 July 1967 until March 1969. Developed by Ian Jones and produced under the banner of Crawford Productions, the show consisted of 65 episodes, each approximately one hour in length.
Series synopsis
The protagonist, John Hunter, served as an operative for SCU3, a sector within COSMIC (Commonwealth Office of Security & Military Intelligence Co-ordination), an agency comparable to ASIO. The term "Hunter" indicated a rank of agent, with the lead character designated as "Hunter 5." Tony Ward portrayed Hunter, who consistently used "Hunter" as his surname in both present-day and flashback sequences.
The primary villain, Kragg, was affiliated with the Australian division of the CUCW (Council for the Unification of the Communist World) and quickly emerged as a standout figure in the series. Played by Gerard Kennedy, Kragg’s role earned Kennedy a Logie Award recognizing Best New Talent.
SCU3 operated out of Melbourne’s former National Mutual Centre on St Kilda Road under the leadership of Charles Blake (Nigel Lovell). Blake’s secretary and field operative was initially Eve Halliday (Fernande Glyn), who was later succeeded by Julie Coleman (Anne Morgan). Real-life detective Gordon Timmins appeared as agent Doug Marshall, creating a connection to his earlier role in Homicide.
The CUCW was managed by Mr. Smith (Ronald Morse), with occasional appearances by international superiors such as Vargon (Jack Hume).
Production
Scripts were authored by Ian Jones, Terry Stapleton, and Howard Griffiths, the latter bringing experience from British military intelligence. Allan Trevor functioned as line producer and occasionally appeared on screen. Ted Gregory directed the majority of episodes while Jones oversaw a streamlined production crew.
During 1967, the series ranked within Australia’s top ten television programs. It produced 65 hour-long episodes but achieved only modest international distribution. The show was filmed in black and white; studio interior scenes utilized videotape at GTV-9’s Richmond facilities, while outdoor sequences were captured on 16 mm film.
Distinguishing itself from typical Australian dramas of the time, the series incorporated extensive location filming alongside action scenes featuring explosions and stunts. The sophisticated jazz theme and background score were composed by reed player Frank Smith. Filming locations spanned Sydney, New South Wales’ Snowy Mountains, Queensland’s Gold Coast, South Australia, and Singapore.
Initially formatted as serialized story arcs spanning three to four episodes, the series shifted after episode 15 toward predominantly self-contained narratives, with only two two-part storylines following. A notable first-season storyline titled "The Prometheus File" took place at the highly secure Woomera Rocket Range and included authentic footage of Blue Streak missile launches.
Opening narration was provided by Kevin Sanders, a journalist and announcer from GTV-9. Early development footage featured President Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1966 Melbourne tickertape motorcade to emphasize Hunter’s status as a special agent.
Series evolution
As the show advanced, Kragg’s immense popularity posed creative challenges; his character often overshadowed John Hunter and required defeating the protagonist to maintain narrative tension. Due to audience appeal, Kragg eventually switched allegiances after his girlfriend’s death. Tony Ward expressed dissatisfaction with Kragg’s increasing prominence and noted that producing a high volume of episodes placed considerable pressure on the writing team.
Toward the series’ conclusion, Ward departed following disputes with producers to pursue film opportunities; his character was killed off in an Eastern European setting (filmed at Old Melbourne Gaol). British actor Rod Mullinar joined as lead spy Gil Martin—previously seen in various roles on Homicide. Mullinar appeared in eight episodes prior to cancellation. To retain key personnel, Crawfords redirected efforts toward launching a new police drama, Division 4, which became notably successful. Mullinar later starred in another Crawford production, Ryan (1973).
The entire series was rebroadcast multiple times between 1969 and 1973 in Melbourne and Sydney during afternoon and late-night time slots.
In 2018, the first season was released on DVD but omitted one episode; Crawfords has yet to release the second season on home media.
Home media
| Title | Format | Episodes | Discs | Region 4 (Australia) | Special Features | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter (Collector's Edition) | DVD | Episodes 1–4, 6–14 | 4 | December 2018 | None | Crawford Productions |
External links
- Articles with short description
- Nine Network original programming
- 1967 Australian television series debuts
- 1969 Australian television series endings
- Black-and-white Australian television shows
- Television shows set in Victoria (state)
- 1960s Australian crime television series
- Television series by Crawford Productions
- 1960s Australian drama television series