Come In Spinner is an historical drama in two parts which premiered on Australian television (ABC) in 1990.
This drama focuses on three women and their lives in Sydney during one fateful week in October 1944 (shortly before the end of World War II).
Here is some basic information about it:
** Directed by Robert Marchand
** Screenplay written by Lissa Benyon & Nick Enright
** Based on a novel by Dymphna Cusack & Florence James
** Released on DVD in 2005
** Run time: 110 + 106 minutes = 216 minutes
The cast includes the following:
The first group
** Lisa Harrow as Claire Jeffries
** Kerry Armstrong as Deborah “Deb” Forrest
** Rebecca Gibney as Guinea “Gin” Malone (aka Peg)
** Gary Day as Nigel Carstairs – with Claire
** Rhys McConnichie as Angus McFarland – with Deb
** Jay Hackett as Kim Scott – Guinea’s ex-boyfriend
** Justine Clark as Monica “Monnie” Malone – Guinea’s sister
** Susan Lyons as Dallas McIntyre – Deb’s sister
** Kerry Walker as Mrs Molesworth – in charge of the beauty salon
The second group
** Martin Vaughn as Mr Johnson (aka Blue) – the elevator man
** Gary Sweet as Jack Forrest – Deb’s husband
** Donald Morris as Donald McDonald
** Grace Knight as Lola – a singer
** Tim McKenzie as Lefty – a pilot
** Gillian Jones as Mrs Malone – Guinea’s mother
** Brian Harrison as Mr Malone – Guinea’s father
** Randall Berger as Major Lew “Alfalfa” Alfrickson – US Army
** Sonia Todd as Helen McFarland – daughter of Angus
** Bryan Marshall as Colonel Byron Maddox – US Army
** Linden Wilkinson as Barbara Carstairs – Nigel’s wife
As stated above, this drama is based on a novel by Dymphna Cusack (1902-1981) & Florence James (1902-1993). The manuscript (completed shortly after the end of the war) was so controversial that it could not be published in full.
The publisher was afraid some scenes and some topics were too realistic and therefore not fit to print. An abridged version was published in 1951. A second edition of the novel (the original manuscript) was published in 1987:
Come in Spinner
The miniseries made for television is based on the complete version.
As stated above, this is a historical drama, a fictional story placed in a historical context.
In this case, the context is Australia in October 1944. Most scenes are set in Sydney, but a few scenes are set in the countryside not far from the city.
What about the title?
What does it mean?
The title is a reference to an Australian game of gambling called Two Up.
“Come in Spinner” is the call given by the game manager when all bets are placed and the coins are ready to be tossed into the air.
The game is played in a scene that is set in the elevator of the South Pacific Hotel.
Since the elevator is stuck between two floors, the people who are trapped inside have nothing to do for a while, so they start a round of Two Up.
I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. This is why I am not going to say much about what happens in this drama. I will only tell you how the story begins.
The three main characters – Claire, Deb and Guinea – work in the beauty salon called Marie Antoinette in the South Pacific Hotel, a five-star hotel in Sydney.
The three main characters are not rich, but their customers are rich (and sometimes very demanding). In this drama, we follow Claire, Deb and Guinea and the people around them during one fateful week in October 1944.
Claire, who is single, has an affair with Nigel who is a married man.
It seems he has promised her that he will leave his wife (Barbara) and marry her (Claire), but he is waiting for the right moment, which never seems to come!
Deb, who is married, has an affair with Angus, who is a widower.
Angus wants Deb to leave her husband Jack who is in the army, but she cannot seem to make up her mind: should she be loyal to Jack who is her husband or should she listen to her heart and follow Angus?
Guinea, who is also known as Gin or Peg, is single when we first see her.
She had a relationship with Kim, who is a pilot in the Australian Air Force, but they broke up some time ago. When the story begins, he suddenly shows up in Sydney. He is on leave and wants to get back with his former girlfriend.
While attending a hi-so party, Peg meets Byron Maddox who is a colonel in the US Army. He wants to marry Peg and take her to the US when the war is over. What is she going to do? Choose the former boyfriend or the new man in her life or something else?
This is how the story begins and this is where my presentation ends.
If you want to know what happens to Claire, Deb and Peg, you will have to watch the drama (or read the book) all the way to the end.
What do reviewers say about it?
On IMDb it has a rating of 78 per cent.
There are four user reviews on IMDb
Here are the headlines and the ratings offered:
70 percent = Nice adaption of the novel
80 percent = Excellent portrayal of great book
80 percent = Impressive WW2 drama from a woman’s point
100 percent = A brilliant adaption of a true Australian classic!
On Amazon there is at the moment only one rating of this product. This rating offers five stars which corresponds to a rating of 100 percent
In my opinion, the rating on IMDb is too low, while the rating on Amazon is appropriate.
Why do I say so?
I have four reasons:
# 1. The script is well-written
# 2. The actors play their roles well
# 3. The story is captivating, dramatic and often highly emotional
# 4. While fictional, the story is placed in a historical context which seems to be realistic
The drama takes place during the war, but we are not at the front. This is the home front. We have civilians and people who are in the military. Some are rich and some are poor.
Since this story takes place during a world war, the military characters come from several nations: Australia, the UK and the US.
Some of the problems that the characters must face are connected with the time in which they live. In the 1940s, it was a shameful to get a divorce. Abortion was illegal.
Today, more than fifty years later, some of the problems the characters had to face in 1944 would not be so serious or perhaps they would not be so complicated.
Come in Spinner is a historical drama about life in Australia in the 1940s.
If you like historical dramas, this product is definitely something for you.
It is highly recommended.
PS. This item is marked as region 4 (Australia), but the discs run without any problems on my European laptop, which is from region 2, when I use a program called VLC Media Player.
*****
Come in Spinner
A novel
by Dymphna Cusack and Florence James
(First version published 1951)
(Second version published 1987)
*****
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