THE PYJAMA GAME

2004 and a mini series is proposed:

WORLD MINI SERIES CRICKET

there's one Aussie sporting episode that has ALL the ingredients to make a top shelf mini series. This guaranteed Big Event Presentation is screaming out for a screen run. It's virtually hanging out the car window and drooling on motorcyclists at the lights: World Series Cricket.

(Includes casting.)

2011 and do I get royalties?

Nine picks up rights to Kerry Packer cricket drama

Nine has swooped for the rights to Southern Star’s dramatisation of the Kerry Packer story after the first two outings – focusing on the launch of Cleo magazine – were a success for ABC1 on Sunday and Monday night.

“The mini-series tells how a young Kerry Packer took on the cricket establishment to set up a rebel competition with the world’s best players, who abandoned their loyalty to their national teams to join the breakaway competition. It will recount Packer’s court battles to get World Series Cricket up and running, the secret player signings, and the way he got around the ban on using Australia’s hallowed Test arenas.

“Despite poor crowds and low television ratings at first, a brave new world of sports broadcasting had begun, ushering in the era of one-day cricket played under lights.”

Comments

[Tony]

Did you know that the musical, The Pyjama Game, is also about workers' protesting for more money?

[Tony]

Well, blow me down with an item of sleepwear. Great minds think alike:

Nine grabs Packer sequel from ABC

Nine broadcast the competitions and owns the footage and associated programs and promotional material.

It has a long association with some of the key players, including the present-day commentators Richie Benaud, Tony Greig and Ian Chappell.

Its co-operation is seen as critical to the sequel, known at the moment as The Pajama Game.

Mind you, TPG is the obvious name.

[Professor Rosseforp]

I recently saw a production of The Pajama Game, and up until that time had not realised it was about industrial relations. Lots of good songs in it.
The recent ABC series received popular acclaim, but not from me.
Dare I say it, that with Channel 9's involvement, the coloured clothing game will be totally whitewashed.
I do hope they include a scene where the ACB is winning the ratings war with its test series, has huge crowds whilst WSC is played to empty grounds -- and yet the ACB capitulates and hands the lot over to Kerry Packer for a mess of potage. That would be interesting to see why the ACB caved in to Packer.

[Tony]

Put your last red cent on a white wash.

The 1978/79 Ashes was a significant factor in the ACB giving into Packer. There was no way Aussie cricket was going to allow our second (third?) best side to keep getting spiflicated by the Poms; especially when the Poms had a full side (probably because they had more professionals who could afford to knock back Packer's offers). Is it wrong of me to ignore Tony Grieg? I mean, he's not really a Pom.

For a lot of WSC I was in the Pilbara and only had ABC, so I watched the Test cricket. I was in Melbourne for the First Test against India in 1977 and watched that on ABC in preference to the First Supertest against the WSC West Indies at VFL Park on Nine.

My salient memory from that First Supertest is the empty stadium. I also remember reading somewhere that whenever the Australian WSC players were in the dressing room they spent all their time watching the Test against India on the ABC, although that may be apocryphal.

[theoldbatsman]

Throw the casting info up when you get it - who's gonna play Tony Greig??

[Tony]

TOB, production starts next year, so I don't yet know who will play Tawny. My own suggestions are:

Richard Roxburgh as Richie Benaud.

I'm informed we must invoke the Bill Hunter Clause. Therefore Big Bill will play either Big Kerry or Big Bill O'Rielly.

Bruce Spence as Tony Grieg.

Michael Gambon as John Arlott, or maybe Gambon as Philip "Psoriasis" Marlow as Peter McFarlane. Ooooh, harsh.

Paul Hogan as John Cornell.

Denise Drysdale as Delvene Delaney.

Ian Chappell as Greg Chappell.

Burt "Cato" Kwouk from The Pink Panther could play Umpire Douglas Sang Hue.

Gary Cosier will play Tony Cosier.

Morgan Freeman as Clive Lloyd.

Steve Bucknor as Morgan Freeman. Or is it the other way around?

Plenty of room for Michael Caton, Geoffrey Rush, Dave from the Sullivans needs a gig and I'd like to see Gary Sweet as David Hookes' jaw.

I'm going to get this project off the ground, pitch it to Hector Crawford's grandkids and what with the rabbits and fences, Factual Phil Noyce can direct. For the "authenticity" don't you know.

More suggestions in the comments.

[Professor Rosseforp]

I'm thinking Tom Conti as Mike Brearley.
The guy who played Kerry Packer in "Paper chase" should definitely be dropped for the WSC days. Jack Brabham to play Colin Cowdrey.
I think Bill Hunter should play a spectator who is dead loyal to the establishment, because he sees WSC as "not strictly ballroom". However, he is won over to the WSC camp and delivers a heartwarming homily to his grandson at the SCG as they watch a reunited game.

[Lou]

Bill Hunter's arse can play Tony Grieg.

[Professor Rosseforp]

I just looked at that supertest scoreboard -- who'd have thunk that the much maligned (by me) Ray Bright actually topped the Aussie batting averages with 85? Although in a fairly low-scoring match he took 1 for 115.
I had forgotten, but prior to this match, the place where I worked was asked by World Series Cricket if the ICC had legal rights over the use of the term "test match".

[theoldbatsman]

Gambon as Arlott - inspired!

Surely Cleese as Tawny, doing the voiceover fro the present day...