AustLit

'Helena Rubenstein’s towering makeup empire is under constant threat. Staving off cunning attacks from her rivals Elizabeth Arden and Revlon, she holds fast to the principles that got her to the top: thrift, ruthlessness and a take-no-prisoners steely resolve. But when she finds an unlikely confidante in personal assistant Patrick, it dawns on her perhaps she isn’t such a hardened business woman after all.In John Misto’s new play, Rubenstein’s career is charted from humble beginnings in country Victoria to the intoxicating international heights of success.' (Summary)

'Hollywood, 1962. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford are at war – their careers are on the skids, they are aging rapidly, and they are locked in a titanic struggle for top-billing on their latest movie. When America’s most feared columnist, Hedda Hopper, invites them to supper, they call an uneasy truce. However the evening turns chaotic when an unexpected guest arrives – a very young and very drunk Marilyn Monroe. Will old age and treachery defeat youth and courage? Or is there more to Marilyn than anyone could have guessed?' (Production summary)

'13 episode series about a family that runs a debt collection business.

Warm, funny and moving, Tricky Business looks at the lengths people go to get themselves out of trouble - financial trouble, emotional trouble, growing up trouble, relationship trouble... things we all have to deal with at some time or other. Nine's exciting new Aussie family drama looks at the lengths people go to get themselves out of trouble.'

(Source: Channel Nine website)

'Sisters of War is a tale of strength, survival and forgiveness. It is inspired by the remarkable true story of two extraordinary Australian women, Lorna Whyte (Sarah Snook), an army nurse and Sister Berenice Twohill (Claire van der Boom), a Catholic nun from New South Wales. Although they were two very different women, their friendship would survive the incredible events of World War II.

'In January 1942, the Japanese war machine thundered across South East Asia. In its path lay a tiny Catholic mission station Vunapope, on the island of New Britain. Here a handful of Australian nurses, led by Matron Kay Parker (Susie Porter) took refuge along with a number of wounded Australian soldiers. Abandoned by their commanding officers, they were left to face the Japanese alone.

'When the Japanese arrived at Vunapope, the nurses and their patients were saved from massacre by the mission's leader, Polish-born Bishop Leo Scharmach (Gerald Lepkowski). This astonishing man bluffed the Japanese into believing that he was a personal friend of Hitler and that the mission was Hitler's property.

'In the dark days that followed, Sister Berenice and Lorna found themselves facing starvation, beatings and torture. Their beliefs were constantly tested, as was their friendship. Sister Berenice idolised Bishop Scharmach: Lorna was convinced he was a collaborator. The tiny mission became a setting for betrayal, heroism and death. And all the normal rules of war were broken.

'After six months, Lorna and Sister Berenice were separated. The Australian nurses were sent to Yokohama as part of a prisoner exchange. But the exchange program collapsed and the nurses found themselves trapped in war-time Japan, freezing and ravaged by disease. At the same time Sister Berenice, Bishop Scharmach and the nuns were taken to a dark, uninhabited jungle valley where they would be safe from air raids.

'Sisters of War is adapted from the wartime diaries and interviews with Lorna Johnston (nee Whyte), Sister Berenice and others who survived. The story of their captivity, their friendship, their will to survive and their extraordinary courage has never been told.'

Source: ABC1 website, http://www.abc.net.au/
Sighted: 09/11/2010

'Written by one of Australia's most highly regarded writers, John Misto ... The Cut delves into the sometimes murky world of Telford Sports Management run by rogue sports agent "Wild" Bill Telford and his hapless son Andrew.

'While managing a stable of sporting superstars, some of Bill Telford's dodgy deals begin to unravel when he is injured whilst saving the lives of others in a terrorist attack overseas. He is evacuated to Australia and hailed as a hero - however contrary to his tabloid image - "Wild" Bill is always on the make ensuring his cut of his clients' earnings.

'When his estranged son Andrew returns from Europe to pick up the pieces of the family company he discovers more than he bargained for! On the same evening Andrew arrives two of Bill's rugby league players are arrested for fighting but neither will say what caused the fight. One of the players, Jason Kerslake, could lose a lucrative sponsorship deal if his character is "tainted".

'Filmed predominantly on location at sportsgrounds and watering holes around Sydney...'

Source: ABC1 website, http://www.abc.net.au/tv/
Sighted: 23/02/2009

'Alec Costello has run out of options. His career as a high flying Melbourne corporate lawyer has come to a crashing halt after being caught with his fingers in the till. Word is out and no-one along the eastern seaboard will employ him. Where in the world will he find anyone crazy enough to hire someone like him?

'Welcome to Broome, nestled in Australia's remote North-West. Broome is home to the world's finest pearls, the most spectacular beaches and quite possibly, the strangest mix of people—many of whom are running away from something. It is here we also find Riggleton and Marsh, the only law firm in Australia who bothered to reply to Alec's job application.

'It seems Broome has given Alec a second chance after all. One Alec needed.'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 10/5/2013)

'Enter the world of Medical Defence Australia, a medico-legal organisation that exists to defend doctors and where necessary compensate patients. All cases at MDA combine elements of law and medicine so each case is managed by a doctor and a lawyer who agree on how to proceed. It's a unique organisation that delves into morally complex and emotion filled relationships between doctors and patients.'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive (http://www.australiantelevision.net/mda/mda.html). (Sighted: 22/2/2013)

'The detectives of the Kingsway Major Crime Squad fight to preserve their Pacific Paradise. Crime knows no boundaries—from the Miami-like streets of Sylvania Waters, all dark glass and pontoons, to the towering cranes on the Container Wharves of Botany Bay, bordered by the white beaches and blue water between Monterey and Hungry Point. This is our world. It's tough. It's beautiful. Dangerous. A contradiction.'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 12/6/2013)

The Day of the Roses is a docu-drama that looks at the events of 18 January 1977, when a crowded commuter train heading for Sydney came off the track and struck the pillars of an overhead road bridge in the suburb of Granville. The force of the impact crushed part of the train, killing eighty-three passengers and injuring a further two hundred. The narrative follows the coronial inquiry into the crash, using flashbacks to tell the stories of particular people and the efforts of the rescuers to free the injured victims.

A mixture of live-action, puppetry, animation, and documentary, Lift Off centred on a group of children who lived in the same neighbourhood and whose imaginations made their environment a world of fun and excitement. However, the program also explored issues such as pain, loneliness, jealousy, and anger. The program was aimed at three-year-old to eight-year-old viewers (as defined by Harvard University developmental psychologist Howard Gardner), and was linked to school curricula through the Curriculum Corporation of Australia.

G.P. is an Australian television series that ran for eight seasons. Set in and around a fictional general medical practice in an inner-city suburb, the storylines explore the professional and personal lives of the doctors and staff who worked there.

Dusty is part Kelpie and part dingo. He was reared by dingoes but later bought as a puppy by an ageing bushman, Tom Lincoln, who trains him to be a champion sheep dog. The wild dingo side of Dusty is, however, never far from the surface. Although Tom is unaware of Dusty's lineage, the local farmers recognise it immediately, and he has to fend off numerous attempts to kill Dusty.

The story of the discovery of an ancient Roman boat in a small Queensland town and the commitment of three children to uncovering its mystery and resolving its fate.

Semi-dramatised documentary about the life of Mary MacKillop, an exceptionally single-minded and dedicated woman who became Sister Mary of the Cross in the Order of St. Joseph, Australia's first religious order.

In 1861, MacKillop, working in South Australia as a tutor, decided to dedicate herself to the education of the poor and devote herself to God. Unlike other orders, hers put itself outside the control of the local bishop, causing much resentment within segments of the Catholic faith.

'Four friends are reunited who, during the '70s, shared everything - an inner-suburban house, dope, plonk and, afterwards each other. They also share a murky secret, which threatens to destroy everything they have worked for since.'

Source: Screen Australia. (Sighted: 31/1/2014)

Dancing Daze was an ABC production about two sisters who move to the "big city" to pursue dance. 

Jane Campion directed one episode, collaborating with producer Jan Chapman for the first time.