Cash Harmon Television

Cash Harmon Television was a television production company based in Australia, operating in the 1970s. Their most famous product was top-rated evening soap opera Number 96.

Company History

Cash Harmon Television was created after the dissolution of NLT Productions in 1971, by two former NLT producers, Don Cash and Bill Harmon. Both had previously worked in United States television industry and they had been brought to Australia by NLT due to their previous experience. Cash Harmon Television used a regular team of writers on its projects including David Sale, Johnny Whyte and Lynn Foster.[1]

The company first made popular situation comedy series The Group (1971) for ATN7, written by David Sale.[2] Then in 1972 they responded to the Ten Network's request for a Coronation Street-type daily serial. Enlisting the services of David Sale, who created the general outline and the original characters, Cash Harmon came up with Number 96. The serial began on-air in March 1972 and was an instant hit.

Don Cash died in 1973 but the company continued under the same name with Nancy Sales Cash as co-producer. They created a feature film version of Number 96 in late 1973. With just a single program in production, the company attempted to expand in late 1974 by launching a new daily serial, this time for the Nine Network.[3] The new show, The Unisexers, was created by Number 96 scriptwriter Anne Hall and utilised several other current Number 96 writers including Johnny Whyte and Derek Strahan.[4]

The early evening timeslot of The Unisexers meant that the writers were restricted in what content they could include, with much of the adult Number 96-style action forbidden. The Unisexers debuted in February 1975 but proved to be a ratings disaster. It was quickly cancelled and was taken off the air after only three weeks and 15 half-hour episodes had been screened.[5]

In 1976 several attempts to spin-off new situation comedy series from Number 96 failed, and Cash Harmon Television was dissolved in 1977 with the cancellation of Number 96.[3]

Several former employees later collaborated on short lived serial Arcade (1980).

Notes

  1. ↑ Moran, Albert. Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series, Allen & Unwin, 1993. ISBN 0-642-18462-3 p 515-6
  2. ↑ Moran, Albert. Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series, Allen & Unwin, 1993. ISBN 0-642-18462-3 p 209-10
  3. 1 2 Moran, Albert. Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series, Allen & Unwin, 1993. ISBN 0-642-18462-3 p 515-6
  4. ↑ Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps, Pluto Press Australia, 2004. ISBN 1-86403-191-3 p 91
  5. ↑ Moran, Albert. Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series, Allen & Unwin, 1993. ISBN 0-642-18462-3 p 471
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