Cash Harmon Television

Cash Harmon Television was an Australian television production company based in Crows Nest, New South Wales, operating from the late 1960s until 1977. Their most famous product was top-rated evening sex and sin soap opera Number 96 for the 0-10 Network, the forerunner of Network Ten, which ran from 1972 until 1977.

Company history

Cash Harmon Television was created after the dissolution of Sydney-based TV production company "NLT Productions", that was founded by entertainer Bobby Limb with Jack Neary and Les Tinker by two former NLT producers, Englishman Don Cash (1910-1973) and American Bill Harmon (born in 1915 Poughkeepsie, New York-died 1981) Harmon had arrived in Australia in 1961 with his wife Del and children Mark and Paul. Both had previously worked in the United States and England, Cash began his career producing stage shows and training films for the Royal Air Force during World War II, and producing such films as The Lavender Hill Mob and Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, before emigrating to the United States and taking up citizenship, whilst working for both the NBC and American Broadcasting Corporation, whilst Harmon had worked producing on Broadway and television in his native US, before coming to Australia and producing in Sydney such shows for entertainers Bobby Limb, Barry Crocker, Dave Allen and Don Lane, having both had much experience in the television industry, they had been brought to Australia by NLT. Cash Harmon Television used a regular team of writers on its projects including David Sale, Johnny Whyte, Lynn Foster, Ken Shadie and Eleanor Witcombe.[1]

After Cash and Harmon left NLT, after working together on films Squeeze a Flower and Wake in Fright, the newly formed Cash-Harmon company first made popular situation comedy series The Group (1971) for ATN7, written by future Number 96 writer David Sale, and also featured many of the actors who would go on to appear in Number 96.[2]In 1972, they responded to the Ten Network's request by Ian Holmes for an Australian equivalent to British series Coronation Street a popular 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, in an evening timeslot and was an instant hit.

Don Cash became ill in November 1972 and died in January the following year.[3] The company continued under the same name with wife Nancy Sales Cash now serving as co-producer. It 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.[4] 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.[5]

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.[6]

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.[4]

Several former employees later collaborated on another serial when the 0-10 Network was re-launched as Network Ten, and although well financed, Arcade in 1980 was a critical failure and abruptly cancelled after 30 episode, although 50 episodes had originally been produced.

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. 'Number 96 Man Dies' Sydney Morning Herald 28 January 1973 p. 74
  4. Moran, Albert. Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series, Allen & Unwin, 1993. ISBN 0-642-18462-3 p 515-6
  5. Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps, Pluto Press Australia, 2004. ISBN 1-86403-191-3 p 91
  6. Moran, Albert. Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series, Allen & Unwin, 1993. ISBN 0-642-18462-3 p 471
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