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to meet him. At first, things are a bit stressful as
Achilles gets the shotgun out and threatens to kill them when they arrive. They try convincing Achilles to come and play football for the Crows but Achilles is just too happy where he is and won't go anywhere. J.J and Wally aren't happy, so they decide that they are going to get Achilles to play by bribing his partner, Lil, with gifts and getting her to convince Achilles to try it out and play a few games. To start with convincing Lil, they tell her that she will get all sorts of nice things and they even give her a fur coat. They end up telling Achilles that the Williamses – Achilles' neighbors and worst enemies – think that he would never be able to play football in his life, so he decides that he will go and play for the Crows, only so he can show the Williamses that he can play and that he is better than them.
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bet if he doesn't do something to stop
Achilles from playing the grand final, so he rang up the Williamses and told them that Achilles had been saying lots of bad stuff about them and their farm. This then set the Williamses off, and they went to fight him. This plan by Wobbly had already been working excellently as he wanted to tire Achilles out before the big game so that he couldn't play. The fight between the Williamses and Achilles went on for three days straight, but Achilles was still pushing on strong for the grand final match.
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nothing. J.J and Wally start to get very stressed out and worried that he won't do anything, until J.J sends Wally out onto the field to see what was wrong with him and found out that it was partly because he was wearing football boots, which he much disliked, and partly because
Achilles can't play or kick when he's not angry. J.J then told Wally to send Lil out onto the field and make up a story about the Williamses so that he would get all angry and start to run and kick the ball around.
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Achilles doesn't want to play the game when he gets to the field on the big day, but luckily enough, Les
Williams heard on the radio who rang him up and told him all the lies – it was Wobbly Coates. This report got Achilles playing the game for a while and both the commentators and the
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Wally is trying to convince J.J that this player, Achilles Jones, can kick a wheat bag 10 yards. J.J doesn't believe Wally at first, but thinks that he has nothing to lose so they decide to go and meet
Achilles They drive all the way out to Manangatang, where this Achilles lives, and J.J finally gets
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J.J was getting very upset at Wally and told him on the phone to do anything to get someone, as he says, "I don't care if you have to rewrite the law books. That's what we put you through university for!" A little while later, Wally bursts into the room yelling and screaming. "J.Jā¦ I've got him! I've
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As the game nears the end, Achilles has to make a decision whether he is going to win the game or make them lose. He thinks about it and suddenly decides that he is going to get the score even, and then kicks the ball straight up into the commentary box where Wobbly Coates is sitting, and hopefully,
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Just before the season had begun, Wobbly Coates and J.J made a public bet on the radio over their yearly wages that the Crows wouldn't get into the championship grand final and win, as they haven't done for the past 30 years. Near the end of the season, Wobbly realises that he is going to lose this
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This keeps going on every week of the championship. Lil has to keep making up stories, and telling
Achilles that the Williamses said bad stuff about him when they actually didn't. This is the only way that they could get Achilles to actually get out there on the football field to run around and play
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Once
Achilles arrives in Melbourne, he is taught the rules of the game and does private training. He is kept private from the public as Wally and J.J want to make a big showcase on the first day of the football championship. In the first game of the championship, Achilles takes to the field but does
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said it "did not turn out to be the big laugh... it was on stage... it just... fizzled.... a reminder that a success on stage does not necessarily qualify for a production for TV and vice versa. Performances obviously needed polishing up... The production, in fact, called for more than the physical
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On the night before the big game, Les
Williams gave up and decided that he didn't want to fight anymore – this is when Achilles found out that his best mate, Milly the horse, had died back at home on the farm. Les and Achilles decide to come together inside and have a cup of tea and
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The coach of the Crows football team, J.J. Forbes, sends his assistant, Wally, out to find a new player for the big season championship which was to start in 2 weeks. J.J thought that they would never have a chance, as Wally couldn't seem to find anyone with some decent talent.
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The grand final game ends in a draw and is rescheduled to next week without the participation of the new team recruit, Achilles. He then decides that he is going to live back on the farm with Lil and spend a lot more time with her.
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got him! Oh, you've never seen anything like him, he's beautiful, he's a Greek god." At this point, J.J starts to think that Wally has gone mad and needs to see a psychiatrist.
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in a week. The play had its world premiere at
Russell St Theatre in Melbourne in 1963. Hopgood himself played Forbes, while Dennis Miller played Jones.
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it hits him and injures him. This decision was going to be his payback for all of the lies that he had told Les
Williams.
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transfer it was. This might have helped put over the 'home truths' of the play to the non-captive TV audience."
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944:. Vol. 55, no. 16, 543. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 11 January 1981. p. 10
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The play was presented again in 1988 with Hopgood reprising the role of Forbes. Jones was played by
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It was made into a TV mini-series and almost 250,000 copies of the script have been sold since.
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The play was very popular in its initial run and was filmed for Australian TV by
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decide that they are going to stop all of this nonsense between the two of them.
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The cast were substantially the same as for the original theatre production.
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needed a replacement. He asked Hopgood if he had any plays and Hopgood wrote
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crowd were going wild by this time because of his performance in the game.
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It is not clear if the production was broadcast in other cities.
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and Alan Hopgood, which was expected to run for months at the
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Australian rules football in Australian popular culture
630:. Scripts are at the National Film and Sound Archive.
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936:"ABC puts on another week of all-Australian programs"
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It was broadcast on 5 October 1963 the night of the
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623:The play was adapted into a TV series in 1974.
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821:Laurence Money, "Lunch with Alan Hopgood",
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16:1963 Australian play by Alan Hopgood
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486:Brian Harold as Television employee
151:Its primary subject is a fictional
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905:And the Big Men Fly record listing
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873:Televiewer (10 October 1963).
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796:. 10 October 1963. p. 12.
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708:Rosie Sturgess as Miss Turner
628:National Archives of Australia
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159:, which was founded in 1990).
144:is an Australia-based play by
1:
1367:The Balanced Particle Freeway
862:. 5 October 1963. p. 11.
844:. 3 October 1963. p. 32.
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720:Joan Letch as Miss Turnibread
693:Ivor Bowyer as Willy Williams
480:Leslie Wright as Les Williams
1394:Delta (Australian TV series)
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477:Paul Eddey as Wobbley Coates
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1644:Heinemann (publisher) books
1634:Australian television plays
1099:The Mystery of a Hansom Cab
1035:Tragedy in a Temporary Town
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696:Diane Lewis as Miss Terious
669:Barry McQueen as Harry Head
10:
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684:Jack Perry as Les Williams
263:The Man Who Came to Dinner
56:Australian Football League
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1215:The Winds of Green Monday
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1083:You, Too, Can Have a Body
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827:accessed 18 November 2014
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398:5 October 1963
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711:Noel Browne as Zanecchi
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296:It educated my two kids
1649:1960s Australian plays
1504:The Power, The Passion
1472:Locusts and Wild Honey
1335:The Professional Touch
1255:A Phoenix Too Frequent
879:The Age TV Supplemenet
705:Peter Aanensen as Alby
610:28 July 1974
298:, said Hopgood later.
272:Russell Street Theatre
1629:Works by Alan Hopgood
823:Sydney Morning Herald
765:"And the Big Men Fly"
1351:Burn the Butterflies
1319:I'm Damned if I Know
1271:Course for Collision
420:1963 VFL Grand Final
330:Play by Alan Hopgood
20:And The Big Men Fly
1545:Power Without Glory
1434:And the Big Men Fly
1426:Frank and Francesca
1359:A Wild Ass of a Man
1123:And the Big Men Fly
973:And the Big Men Fly
967:Website on the play
920:And the Big Men Fly
729:It led to a sequel
512:And the Big Men Fly
313:And the Big Men Fly
280:And the Big Men Fly
141:And the Big Men Fly
21:
1593:The Flying Doctors
1561:All the Green Year
1480:The Flying Doctors
1464:I Can Jump Puddles
1343:Trial of Ned Kelly
1303:The Shifting Heart
1182:TV productions of
1134:(1964) (TV series)
1075:Man in a Blue Vase
1067:No Picnic Tomorrow
1030:(1957) (TV series)
941:The Canberra Times
456:Elspeth Ballantyne
252:Production history
214:Elspeth Ballantyne
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1223:Otherwise Engaged
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1027:Lovely to Look At
895:, AFTRS 1993 p 60
690:as Peter Williams
642:as Achilles Jones
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552:Original language
544:Country of origin
452:as Achilles Jones
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361:Original language
353:Country of origin
184:the actual game.
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92:Publication place
87:2nd Edition: 1988
85:1st Edition: 1963
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1553:Lucinda Brayford
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881:. p. 3.
878:
875:"Teletopics"
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790:"Teletopics"
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773:. Retrieved
769:the original
759:
730:
728:
715:Sue McIntosh
673:Colin McEwan
666:as Jack Drew
652:Frank Wilson
625:
622:
586:Running time
539:Keith Wilkes
530:Alan Hopgood
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438:Alan Hopgood
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413:Nine Network
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374:Running time
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290:Shane Connor
287:
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268:Frank Thring
261:
256:In 1963 the
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233:Alan Hopgood
229:Brian Harold
208:Cast (stage)
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163:Plot summary
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146:Alan Hopgood
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38:Alan Hopgood
1601:Ratbag Hero
1519:Bush Patrol
1279:Slow Poison
1199:On Approval
1139:Wicked City
1091:The Concert
1043:The Big Day
1015:Rod Kinnear
646:Diane Craig
563:of episodes
536:Directed by
460:Diane Craig
339:Rod Kinnear
335:Directed by
276:John Sumner
65:Sport plays
1624:1963 plays
1618:Categories
1529:Miniseries
1247:Plain Jane
856:"TV Guide"
838:"TV Guide"
808:"AusStage"
775:2016-12-23
751:References
717:as Hostess
688:Terry Gill
614:1974-07-28
571:Production
526:Written by
402:1963-10-05
369:Production
226:Paul Eddey
1515:(1990ā92)
1488:Studio 86
1413:(1970ā77)
1378:TV series
658:Reg Evans
547:Australia
491:Reception
444:Paul Karo
356:Australia
238:Paul Karo
105:Paperback
95:Australia
74:Heinemann
70:Publisher
1410:Bellbird
1191:TV plays
978:AusStage
739:See also
735:(1981).
576:Producer
345:Starring
327:Based on
132:29319909
44:Language
1448:Catspaw
1402:Dynasty
1115:Manhaul
860:The Age
842:The Age
794:The Age
612: (
607:Release
599:Network
589:30 mins
555:English
400: (
395:Release
387:Network
377:90 mins
364:English
103:Print (
52:Subject
47:English
1604:(1991)
1596:(1985)
1588:(1985)
1580:(1984)
1572:(1981)
1564:(1981)
1556:(1980)
1548:(1976)
1540:(1974)
1537:Marion
1521:(1996)
1512:Cluedo
1507:(1989)
1499:(1989)
1491:(1986)
1483:(1986)
1475:(1980)
1467:(1980)
1459:(1978)
1451:(1978)
1443:(1975)
1437:(1974)
1429:(1973)
1421:(1970)
1405:(1969)
1397:(1969)
1389:(1969)
1370:(1997)
1362:(1980)
1354:(1979)
1346:(1977)
1338:(1976)
1330:(1972)
1322:(1972)
1314:(1969)
1306:(1968)
1298:(1968)
1295:Salome
1290:(1967)
1282:(1967)
1274:(1967)
1266:(1966)
1258:(1966)
1250:(1966)
1242:(1965)
1234:(1965)
1226:(1965)
1218:(1965)
1210:(1964)
1202:(1964)
1142:(1973)
1126:(1963)
1118:(1962)
1110:(1962)
1102:(1961)
1094:(1961)
1086:(1960)
1078:(1960)
1070:(1960)
1062:(1959)
1054:(1959)
1046:(1959)
1038:(1959)
948:13 May
725:Sequel
648:as Lil
521:comedy
462:as Lil
322:comedy
34:Author
518:Genre
390:GTV-9
319:Genre
266:with
62:Genre
1441:Rush
1059:Rope
1051:Ruth
950:2019
634:Cast
495:The
432:Cast
126:OCLC
113:ISBN
976:at
922:at
907:at
602:ABC
561:No.
497:Age
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