Long Arm, The

1 9 7 0 (Australia)
19 x 50 minute episodes

Part cop show, part soap opera, this series from Network Ten (Australia) – filmed and broadcast in black & white – was more a precursor to Cop Shop than a descendant of Homicide.

Set in an obscure department of the Victoria Police in Melbourne, the series starred Robert Bruning as Inspector Dallas Buchanan and Sandy Harbutt as Detective Constable Kim Riverton.

Sergeant Ted Driscoll, a regular support role played by Ken Goodlet, represented the uniform branch.

Inspector Mike Hammond (Tony Ward) was Buchanan’s counterpart in the New South Wales police and appeared whenever the action moved to Sydney.

Barbara Mason (pictured at left) appeared regularly as wealthy socialite Veleen Towns, with Lyndal Moor as her 18-year-old daughter, Trish. Veleen’s policeman husband, murdered five years ago, had been a colleague of Buchanan’s.

Guests included Gary Day, Bill Hunter, Noeline Brown, Ron Shand, Jeff Kevin, Ruth Cracknell, Gus Mercurio, Maurie Fields, Brian Wenzel, Gordon McDougall, Michael Pate and Serge Lazareff.

The series received a degree of criticism because of the violence shown – a point of much discussion given the 7.30 pm broadcast timeslot.

Insp. Dallas Buchanan
Robert Bruning
Det. Const. Kim Riverton
Sandy Harbutt
Veleen Towns
Barbara Mason
Trish Towns
Lyndall Moor
Sgt. Ted Driscoll
Ken Goodlet
Insp. Mike Hammond
Tony Ward

Episodes

The Lion Was First To Know |  I’d Trust Him With My Life | The Harder They Fall | Whispers In The Mike | Dealer In Dolls | The Flight Of The Chicken | Love, Honour And Obey | The Big Circle | Wrongway | The End Of A Bullet | Terror In Tranquilitie | It Was Twilight | The Christmas Break | The Broken Moment | Donovan | Dog On A Hot Line | The Line Between Is So Thin | Only A Wave Away | The Enforcer