The Sullivans

In the early 80's, I was glued to the television set for one of the most improbable soap operas to hit our idiot box. It didn't have any violence, no scandal and certainly no whiff at all of sex. Instead, the TV drama was all about a typical Australian family during the days of the World War.

I'm referring to The Sullivans. Although each episode was a half-hour long, RTM chose to show two episodes at a time and twice a week too. So it became a ritual for me to sit in front of the TV on a Wednesday and, I think, a Saturday to watch the drama unfold. Unfortunately, RTM underwent a revamp and they dropped the series soon afterwards.

I never learnt until recently that there were a whopping 1114 episodes, The Sullivans ran for six seasons from 1976 to 1983, and the series was also screened to acclaim internationally. None of the main actors were known household names in Malaysia but at least three minor actors went on from The Sullivans to become big names in the international entertainment industry: Mel Gibson, Kylie Minoque and Sam Neill.

Thanks to YouTube, this clip includes the opening credit to The Sullivans. How I miss the theme music: