see also:
Z-Cars

“Z Cars” 1964

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Mike Minchin

Recently (April 2015) Facebook’s “Memories of Television Centre” has featured a posting  by Adrian Godfrey of a photo taken on the set of “Z-Cars” in 1964. I have a similar picture.

The two shots (were there more?) were taken by one of our managers (don’t ask me who) as an illustration of one of the things that Tech Ops did (and I’m sure there were other operations photographed).  I received my copy years later when a later generation of Camera Managers were clearing out their cupboard.  I assume that Adrian’s left TC from the same source.  The actors were Dame Wendy Hillier and Brian Blessed, and I am now fairly certain that the cameramen were
1. ? (foreground or oof left),
2. Chris Glass (through the door, right) and
3. Me, Mike Minchin, central.

I am fairly certain that that session in TC4 was on the 17th and 18th November 1964, and the director was Shaun Sutton – Series Producer, reverting to Directing because of the standing of the guest star.  The date and the show I am sure about – and someone has checked from other sources.   The show was virtually a 2-hander between Brian and Wendy.

Memory says, again I’m fairly certain, that it was this episode, that at one point Shaun had planned for three cameras to pass down a narrow defile during a film insert to get to the next scene.  The defile had a photo-blow-up on one side and the window of the drawing-room set we were about to shot on the other.  The scene consisted of Dame Wendy passing round the room picking up items recalling her memories.  On the live transmission only two of the cameras made it to the set.  Just before the cut to the scene I hissed to the other man (was it Chris? can’t remember): “…You hold her in Mid shot and I’ll go for the close-ups of what she’s looking at.” So we and the Vision Mixer busked the scene, and I doubt that anyone outside the studio were aware that something had gone wrong.  That was also the episode where Dame Wendy picked up a glass (or similar) rather clumsily and it broke.  She cut herself quite badly and was whisked away to Surgery, and did the rest of the play wearing a bandage.

I joined Crew 6 as acting Cam 3 in mid September 1964, and over the next 2 months did all of “Z Cars” with them, mostly in TC3.  This was the only Z-Cars where I did Cam 3 in TC4.  I now ask who was Sen.Cam of Crew 6 at the time?

Dave Mundy

I know this is 3 years later and doesn’t give the complete camera crew:

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Mike Minchin

This sound crew list from 1967 has what I believe is the clue to who the Crew 6 Senior Cameraman was in 1964 : Dave Thompson.  That tickles my memory.  So the photos I sent you (probably) "feature" Dave, Me and Chris Glass.  Later I always claimed
that doing those 9 (or so) live Zeds were what taught me how to do my job.

Z Cars Signature Tune

For all those who have the "Z-Cars Theme" etched on their brains… or pressed into vinyl…

From the:

17:39Saturday 30 May 2015

"… THE man behind two of the most iconic TV themes of all times, “Z-Cars” and “The Onedin Line”, has died at the age of 87.

Born in Bakehouse Close, off the Royal Mile, the son of Jock Keating, a local bookmaker, John “Johnny” Keating would go on to be one of the Capital’s best respected musicians, songwriters and arrangers … "

David Brunt, Ian Hillson

It should, perhaps, be pointed out that it was Fritz Spiegl and his wife Bridget Fry who did the theme for “Z Cars”, with Bridget getting a composer credit.  It reached number 33 in the pop charts in March 1962.

See (Bill Rogers)  http://tradingaswdr.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/johnny-keating.html

Johnny Keating just did a record cover version, riding on the back of the success of the series.  Keating’s version rose to number 5 the following month – and cost the 14-year-old  Ian Hillson six shillings and fourpence in his local record shop.

From the Bill Rogers website:  "…For over 40 years, Johnny Keating’s version of the Z-Cars tune has played Everton FC onto the pitch at Goodison Park…"

Hugh Sheppard

The theme is certainly etched on my brain, having worked on Zs from ep.1 (January 1962) until circa episode.120 (Summer 1964): Cable-clearer to Camera 3.  

The first cutting (from the Edinburgh News) showed Judi Dench from “Made for Each Other”  Sept.1963 with the full theme music (albeit with the later Ford Zodiac).

What’s so co-incidental is that on Saturday on BBC-2 at 22.35, “The Many Faces of Judi Dench”  had a different clip from the same episode. (But NOT the shot I can still recall from the viewfinder of Ms. Dench in tight jeans being taken back to the Newtown Cop-shop…)