And the Big Men Fly

... at least as I remember it. I too was eleven years old in 1974, and although I lived in a Rugby League state and played soccer, this was my favorite TV show. "Boy from the bush makes the big time". And yes my opinion may be severely distorted by nostalgia, but there's got to be a reason I still google for the show every few years hoping to show my American born son a bit of Australiana. Minus 2 stars because the acting wasn't stellar even for the time. I mean.. if an eleven year old can spot the flaws it can't be great. And the plot may have been a bit thin. But all in all it's an Aussie Classic and I still hope to stumble across it someday.

I also saw this series as a boy and have told countless stories to my children about this wonderful time in Australian comedy. With all the sadness and problems in our world wouldn't it be great to see Achiles Jones and the crew Re discovered. When you see (or remember) something this vividly along with The Aunty Jack series and Flash Nick from Jindavic ,how could the ABC not re run and show our culture to all. If you look at the credits and actors in these shows ,it is amazing to see where they ended up. Please ABC give us another look.The joy of watching another wheat bag being punted,the fun of Graeme Bond roaring every week "ill rip your bloody arms off" The spawning ground of Norman Gunston ,Its got to be worth at least a try.

Please bear in mind that it's over 30 years since I've seen this, and I was eleven at the time.

The series centers on a farm worker with unbelievable natural football (Australian rules) skills. A talent scout accidentally spots him kicking a bale of hay about 50 feet. He is quickly snapped up by a VFL team (which became the AFL, which is roughly the equivalent of the NFL in the US), and to be blunt, I don't remember much more than that, except that I thought it was great when I was eleven years old, and so did most of my mates.

This comes from a period of Australian comedy that produced other shows like 'Kingswood Country' (later to become 'Commodore Country') and saw the tail end of the Grahame Bond/Aunty Jack series, like 'Flash Nick from Jindavik' and 'Woolongong the Brave', and before Australian comedy deteriorated into tedious stand-up comedy shows.

I suspect this show will remain lost forever, which is a shame. It just might be as much fun as I remember.