Good Morning Mr Doubleday
| Good Morning Mr Doubleday | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Gerry Gallagher Katy Wild Kay Eklund[1] |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Ron Way[1] |
| Production company | Fremantle International[1] |
| Original release | |
| Release | 1969 – 1969 |
Good Morning Mr Doubleday is a black and white 1969 Australian TV sitcom set in a high school, which ran for 26 episodes.[1]
Synopsis
The series, based on US sitcom Mister Peepers, centres around science teacher Robinson Doubleday (Gerry Gallagher), his students and fellow teachers at Kannabri High School, in country Victoria.[2]
Cast
Main
- Gerry Gallagher as Robinson Doubleday (science teacher)[2]
- Katy Wild as Jenny Hamilton (home economics teacher)[2]
- Kay Eklund as Beryl Garney (English teacher)[2]
- William Hodge as Principal Bates[2]
- Allan Lander as Wes 'Tobe' Tobin (history teacher)[2]
- Robert Brockman as Walter Murdock (student)[2]
- Naomi Swart as Madeline Donetti (student)[2]
- Mary Hardy as Phyllis McTaggart[2]
Guests
- Barbara Brandon as Mrs Hamilton (1 episode)[2]
- Barry Creyton as Clarence (1 episode)[2]
- Carl Bleazby (2 episodes)
- David Atkins as Percival Allnutt (1 episode)[2]
- Dennis Miller as Charlie Wilson (1 episode)
- Diana McLean as Debbie (1 episode)
- James Smillie (1 episode)
- Joy Mitchell as Sandra Hunter (4 episodes)[2]
- Marion Edward (1 episode)
- Moira Carleton as Mrs Doubleday (1 episode)
- Owen Weingott (1 episode)
- Patsy King as Bridget O'Connor (1 episode)
- Tom Oliver (1 episode)[2]
- Tony Bazell as Mr Hamilton (2 episodes)[2]
- Ralph Baker as 'Deadly Earnest' (1 episode)[3]
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Back to School" | Unknown | Unknown | February 8, 1969 | |
|
Doubleday is so immersed in his work he doesn't seem to notice Jenny, the pretty young home science teacher. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Poor Butterfly" | Ron Way | Unknown | April 27, 1969 | |
|
Doubleday catches a rare butterfly while out in nature. A famous collector offers him a large sum of money to mount it. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Roneo Machine is Mightier than the Sword" | Ron Way | Unknown | February 16, 1969 | |
|
The principal discovers an article in the school newspaper criticising the administration. Doubleday, who believes in freedom of the press, refuses to remove the article, butting heads with his department. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "All You Need is an Honest Face" | Ron Way | TBA | TBA | |
|
Jenny goes on a date with her former boyfriend, Charlie, in a fancy sports car. Looking to impress her, Doubleday buys a big car from the local car dealer. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Debbie's Party" | Ron Way | Unknown | March 30, 1969 | |
|
Jenny feels threatened by the arrival of Mrs. Garney's niece Debbie, as she has much in common with Doubleday. Tobe and Doubleday and their partners are invited to a party for Debbie. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Bronze Bird" | Ron Way | Unknown | March 2, 1969 | |
|
Doubleday heads to Melbourne when he is honoured with the 'Bronze Bird' award for his research into the life of the sparrow. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Queen to Mate" | Ron Way | Unknown | April 5, 1969 | |
|
Doubleday and Tobe are representing Kannabri High in the annual chess tournament. The school has had a winning streak for 20 years, however, bad timing strikes as Tobe falls ill. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Coup de Presse" | Ron Way | Unknown | July 8, 1969 | |
|
Doubleday's engagement to Jenny is accidentally announced in by Buzz, the writer for the school newspaper. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "A Friend in Need" | Ron Way | Unknown | April 20, 1969 | |
|
When an old army friend comes to town, Doubleday finds his relationship with Jenny in jeopardy. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words" | Ron Way | Unknown | March 23, 1969 | |
|
Doubleday hires 'Clarence of Hollywood' to take a portrait of Jenny as a surprise. Meanwhile Jenny is visited by an ex, who has a surprise of his own for her. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Call of the Wild" | Ron Way | Unknown | March 16, 1969 | |
|
Jenny's parents invite Doubleday and Tobe to stay at their country home for a weekend of duck hunting. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "A Side Car Named Desire" | Ron Way | Unknown | May 25, 1969 | |
|
When Doubleday buys a motorbike and sidecar, he invites Tobe and new teacher Phylis for a trip to the country. After the bike ends up in a creek, they spend the night in a haunted house. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "High Pressure" | Ron Way | Unknown | May 4, 1969 | |
|
When Doubleday and Tobe undertake another job selling books door to door, they discover Principal Bates is one of the residents. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "Never Say Goodbye" | Ron Way | Unknown | June 15, 1969 | |
|
Due to a miscommunication, Miss McTaggart resigns, and chaos ensues when the students go on strike. | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "Once in a Lifetime" | Ron Way | Unknown | April 26, 1969 | |
|
When Tobe second guesses proposing to Sandra, Doubleday convinces him to actually pop the question. | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | "Tobes' Apartment" | Ron Way | Unknown | May 18, 1969 | |
|
Tobe rents an apartment without viewing it first, and Doubleday has to turn a nightmare into a dream. | ||||||
| 17 | 17 | "It Fits Where it Touches" | Ron Way | Unknown | June 1, 1969 | |
|
When the area superintendent makes his first trip to the school, Doubleday tries to persuade him that the school requires a new building. | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "Party Piece" | Ron Way | Unknown | May 24, 1969 | |
|
Doubleday and Tobe are set to perform a minstrel act at the Annual Teachers Dinner. When the wrong costumes arrive, Phylis comes to the rescue with a family heirloom. | ||||||
| 19 | 19 | "Peek-a-Boo" | Ron Way | Unknown | June 24, 1969 | |
|
An argument threatens to derail Tobe and Sandra's wedding. Doubleday and Mr. Hamilton agree to babysit for Miss McTaggart's nephew. | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | "Espanoza's Never Wrong" | Ron Way | Unknown | June 14, 1969 | |
|
Astrology predict a bad day for Doubleday. When a TV producer visits the school with the possibility of filming a documentary, things go awry. | ||||||
| 21 | 21 | "It's an Ill Wind" | Ron Way | Unknown | July 22, 1969 | |
|
A blizzard suddenly hits Kannabri. Miss McTaggart and Tobe make a surprise debut on TV. | ||||||
| 22 | 22 | "Vive La Discipline" | Ron Way | Unknown | July 15, 1969 | |
|
Bates assigns Doubleday to welcome the new French teacher, who attracts the attention of all the male staff. Unimpressed, Jenny and Miss McTaggart take matters into their own hands. | ||||||
| 23 | 23 | "Quick, Quick, Slow" | Unknown | Unknown | July 29, 1969 | |
|
Doubleday and Tobe try to teach Miss McTaggart to dance when they attend the school dance. | ||||||
| 24 | 24 | "The Best Laid Plans" | Robert Weekes | Unknown | August 12, 1969 | |
|
Tobe designs a home as a surprise for his fiancé. Doubleday and Miss McTaggart come to the rescue when he forgets to include any windows or doors. | ||||||
| 25 | 25 | "Who'll Pay the Piper" | Robert Weekes | Unknown | August 26, 1969 | |
|
A week before his wedding, Tobe receives a car repair bill, which may have to see him forfeit his honeymoon. | ||||||
| 26 | 26 | "Something Old Something New" | Robert Weekes | Unknown | August 2, 1969 | |
|
Doubleday discovers getting married it's very complicated, when he is best man at Toby's wedding. After the wedding, Doubleday proposes to Jenny. | ||||||
Production
The series was shot entirely on video, using the newly-developed ‘Back-Pack’ portable camera.[2]
Exterior shots were filmed on location in the town of Kyneton in Victoria, while interior scenes were shot at the ATV-0 (later, Network 10) studios in Melbourne.[2] Scenes from episode 12 were filmed at Hanging Rock.[3]
Release
The series began airing during primetime weekend slots, but due to low ratings, it was eventually moved to weeknights after 9pm.[2]
Reception
Ron McLean, who wrote several scripts, called the series "appalling."[4]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Mr. Doubleday and others". The Age. 9 January 1969. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Good Morning, Mr Doubleday". nostalgiacentral.com. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- 1 2 "VIDEO | Good Morning Mr Doubleday. EP. 12, A Side Car Named Desire". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ Vagg, Stephen (5 December 2021). "Forgotten Australian TV Writers: Ron McLean". FilmInk.
External links
Category: