This early four-part children’s series from the Australian Broadcasting Commission was adapted by Eleanor Whitcombe from her own 1950 play of the same name.
Set in Sydney in 1818, the story told of the nefarious doings of Croaker (Jack Allan) and Huggle (Noel Brophy), whose waterfront tavern – The Drowning Duck Inn – was a cover for their smuggling activities.
Brendon Lunney starred as William, a naive young lad who lived next door to the inn and got mixed up with bumbling smugglers. Intrigued rather than alarmed, he became an unwitting ally to Huggle and Croaker, who were depicted as sympathetic yet comically inept figures driven by economic hardship rather than malice.
Interwoven with these adventures was the subplot of William’s sister Henrietta (Ann Becher) and her budding romance with Jamie, a young soldier tasked with enforcing the law, adding tension as their relationship risked exposing the smugglers’ schemes.
Others in the cast included Paddy Conroy, Ruth Cracknell, Toby Conroy, John Stocker, Nigel Lovell, Alistair Roberts and Marcia Hathaway.
The series premiered on Friday 11 January 1963 at 6.00 pm, with subsequent episodes airing on 18 January, 25 January, and 1 February.
William
Brendon Lunney Croaker
Jack Allan Huggle
Noel Brophy Henrietta
Ann Becher
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