Matlock Police is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network between 1970 and 1975.
The series was the 0-10 Network's attempt to come up with a police show to rival Homicide and Division 4. Matlock Police was different from its Melbourne-based predecessors by being set in a small country town, the fictional Matlock, Victoria. Series writers had a reference manual giving full details of the town’s geography, amenities, social structure, etc., as well as that of the surrounding area - neighbouring towns included Wilga, Chinaman's Creek, Possum's Creek and Burrabri, and there was an offshoot of the Great Dividing Range called the Candowies. The town's colourful history included the local Aboriginal tribe, the town founder, a gold rush, a bushranger and a town patriarchy. About the only landmark the Matlock district lacked for dramatic purposes was a beach.
Episodes
Cast
Season 1
1. Twenty Six Hours
1h
25th Feb 1971
Matlock's town matriarch, Grace Falconer, is brutally attacked and robbed. Suspects include a group of hippies who become involved in town affairs when a local girl's horse is shot, two yobbos on a hunting trip who are found trespassing, and a handyman recently sacked by Mrs. Falconer - who refuses to account for his movements on the night in question.
2. The Big Gun
1h
4th Mar 1971
Local tough guy Brownie Merkle becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a man and the disappearance of another when he suddenly begins paying his debts, and Det. Sgt. Maddern finds his attention diverted from his marital problems.
3. Goodbye Tuesday
1h
11th Mar 1971
The search for a trio of prison escapees, Carol Price, Judy Bennett and Bob Pollard, endangers many lives when searchers and escapees alike are caught in a bushfire.
4. End Of The Season
1h
18th Mar 1971
5. Something After Death
1h
25th Mar 1971
6. One Good Turn
1h
1st Apr 1971
7. A Bit Of Freedom
1h
8th Apr 1971
8. Cast A Black Shadow
1h
15th Apr 1971
9. Cradle Song
1h
22nd Apr 1971
10. Rhythm And Blues
1h
29th Apr 1971
11. Pressure Point
1h
6th May 1971
12. The Outsiders
1h
13th May 1971
13. The Word Is Progress
1h
20th May 1971
14. The Crunch
1h
25th May 1971
15. Tightrope
1h
3rd Jun 1971
16. Heroes Day
1h
10th Jun 1971
17. The Hunting Ground
1h
17th Jun 1971
18. A Second Opinion
1h
24th Jun 1971
19. Hideaway
1h
1st Jul 1971
20. The Price of Anger
1h
8th Jul 1971
21. The Gypsies
1h
15th Jul 1971
22. Cross Purposes
1h
22nd Jul 1971
23. Early One Morning
1h
29th Jul 1971
24. Olsen's Ghost
1h
5th Aug 1971
25. Escape To Nowhere
1h
12th Aug 1971
26. A Case of Neglect
1h
19th Aug 1971
27. Millbank Nugget
1h
26th Aug 1971
28. The Loner
1h
2nd Sep 1971
A mysterious hermit, has lived in a shack outside Matlock for seven months. Suddenly, his past and present catch up with him, when he is terrorised by three local youths. When one is accidentally blinded, Chip Richardson burns down Herman's shack and later blames him for the accident. Herman takes off in panic and the police mount an intensive search for him.
29. The Milk And Honey Man
1h
2nd Sep 1971
30. No Way Out
1h
16th Sep 1971
A motel robbery and the death of a young police constable in a car accident lead to the revelation of several Matlock townspeople's personal conflicts.
31. Still Life
1h
23rd Sep 1971
Matlock police investigate a complaint of carnal knowledge involving an itinerant artist and a young girl, but the accused has his own way of extricating himself from the situation.
32. Smoke Screen
1h
30th Sep 1971
The Matlock saw-millers are a tough breed, but the builders of a new dam claim to be even tougher, A series of ugly incidents lead the two groups towards a violent showdown.
33. The Champ
1h
7th Oct 1971
A broken down ex-heavyweight boxer, Dan Regan, is in Matlock on a sinister assignment. Unforseen events cause Regan's past, present and future to meet head-on in the biggest battle of his career.
34. Jimmy Woodser
1h
14th Oct 1971
An important businessman, Eric Schneider, wants to set up a deal with a Matlock company. However, when he is arrested for assaulting a young girl, public feelings rise up against Det. Curtis who may have made a serious mistake. Schneider, with his lawyer Harrison, puts his money and his pressure in the right places to beat the charge.
35. Compassionate Leave
1h
21st Oct 1971
When Johnny Marcelli returns from the Vietnam war on compassionate leave, he is told that his father has committed suicide. He refuses to believe it and sets out to solve the mystery.
36. The End of the Road
1h
28th Oct 1971
The investigation of a series of wool thefts in the Matlock District uncover the problems of one of the suspects, and provide some surprises for the police - especially Cont. Hogan.
37. A Piece of Cake
1h
4th Nov 1971
Ron Grey, an ex-Spitfire pilot embarks on a dubious mission as a courier to gain some quick money, because he only has a few years of active life lift - he is a chronic diabetic who keeps coma and semi-blindness at bay with insulin shots. While flying a light aircraft with his girlfriend Betty Holmes, the plane strikes trouble and they have to crash land in the Candowie Rangers. When the plane is found by a police search party, they discover that Gray and Holmes both fled into the bush.
38. The Foreigners
1h
11th Nov 1971
A feud among some Albanian immigrants in Matlock starts to get out of hand, and police are soon investigating an attempted murder.
39. Give A Man A Gun
1h
11th Nov 1971
40. Any More at Home Like You
1h
25th Nov 1971
When salesman Frank Ross finds himself in serious financial difficulties, he takes an illegal way out and starts an unexpected chain of events that bring surprise to the Matlock police.