AustLit

'Wally Curran, a crim struggling to reform under Bluey's tutorship, stumbles into more trouble - only this time he drags his wife, May, and eldest son, Kevin, down with him.

'To Bluey, Wally has become a challenge in which he hopes to prove his philosophy - a well placed boot applied at the appropriate moment to the seat of the pants of a miscreant gets far better results than the airy-fairy ideas and theories of all the sociologists and psychiatrists.

'There are some who do not agree. Monica, for one, sees Wally as nothing but a no-hoper. She considers May as the battler, the one worthy of understanding, encouragement and help. The difference of opinion sets sparks flying between her and Bluey.

'To his son, Kevin, Wally is everything. He'd follow Dad through hell. Indeed, that's just where Wally leads him - only to abandon him there. But Kevin has inherited all his father's guile and quickly extricates himself from his dilemma.

'The problem is all far too academic for May. A simple soul, she sees Wally only as her husband, the man she promised to love, honour and obey. She applies herself totally to that task and the upbringing of their kids ... until it all becomes impossible.'

Source: Synopsis held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection (RMIT).

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'WALLY CURRAN: About 45, a born loser. He's spent most of his life in and out of prisons in six months or year stretches. There is absolutely no violence in Wally. There doesn't have to be. He manages to get by without it because deep down Wally is a cheap little con man. His wheeling-dealing has made life difficult for ...

(Truck Driving Required)

'MAY CURRAN: His wife. May is almost 40. She struggles to be independent and her aim in life is to keep her five kids together and give them a bit of a chance ... something she never had. Her herculean effort looks as though it might be beginning to bear fruit in their eldest ...

'KEVIN CURRAN: A big boy, 19 or 20. He's apprenticed to an engineering company and, although it's heavy going, there's a chance he might make it. On the top there seems to be a lot of May in Kevin, but deep down lurk some of those genes that made Wally the sly con man that he is.

(Motorbike Riding Required)

'IDA STACEY: A prostitute friend of May. She is a little older than May but a pretty tough existence and too much alcohol make her look old for her years.

'TERRY LOWE: A crim who has moved into the prostitution racket. Probably about 30.

'ROY JACKSON: A crim mate of Lowes'. A thump man.

[Note: The apostrophe has been added in black ink.]

'PIGGOT & BAKER: Two break and enter types. The parts call for stuntment [sic] and are non-speaking.

'MAN: A witness to a drunk being rolled. One word of dialogue.

'SERVICE STATION ATTENDANT: Young. Two lines of dialogue.

'NON-SPEAKING:-

'DRUNK: Old.

'BARMAN:

'WARDER:

'EXTRA: A drinker.'