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ABIGAIL: “I WAS NAKED” |
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- Some heated 1970s press and publicity for the soap opera sex symbol - |
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It was late December 1971 and a prim and pert young blonde named Abigail was in a long queue at the North Sydney offices of TV Producers Cash Harmon. Out of work and desperate, the pretty, English-born young actress was at the casting session for a new series to be set in a block of flats. “I was pretty nervous - which is unlike me - when I walked into Bill Harmon’s office but he was such a dear man. He put me straight at ease. I read the part of Bev for him and he told me to report to the TEN studios at North Ryde for a screen test. I was over the moon. The next day he told me I was in.” [1] NUMBER
96
An
overjoyed Abigail and her live-in boyfriend Mark Hashfield
celebrated with a bottle of Bodega. After the series - Number
96 - hit the
screens Abigail quickly emerged as Australia’s hottest new star with her
delicate blond beauty and teasing portrayal of the scantily-clad virginal
sex-kitten. Mark Hashfield himself would soon be
cast in Number 96 as well, playing Alan Cotterell,
boyfriend of Bev’s flatmate
Janie. A comparitively nondescript character in the
show, Alan had a triumphant departure when it was finally discovered that he
was in fact the dreaded knicker snipper
who had raided Bev’s underwear drawer, and who had
hid under Georgina Carter’s bed in order to reach out and snatch the freshly
discarded panties the undressing hippie had just wriggled out of. Mark and
Abigail first met when they appeared opposite one another in the play There’s A Girl in my Soup in Perth. Hashfield
admits he initially judged his co-star as unintelligent, but later learned
that she was actually a clever girl who was studying civil engineering, with
the acting role just a part-time job to earn some extra pocket money. [2] On their meeting their initial
reactions were of mutual dislike. While Hashfield
thought Abigail was just a dumb blonde Abigail’s view of him was even less
complimentary. “I thought him rude and I used to go home and complain. He
might be a good actor, I thought, but he is such a horrible person.” Hashfield explained that soon after this is their views
changed drastically. “I was so amazed when I saw that she could act, and
after we started working together we clicked. We had an immediate rapport.
From the start there was this tremendous understanding, which is so rare in
this business. Abbie has a wonderful flair for
comedy and we could change lines and the other one would know instantly what
was going on. It was extraordinary and very strange and wonderful.” As the
play toured Queensland, the romance developed. [3] In March
1973 TV Week magazine reported that Hashfield
had recently become Abigail’s business manager. Of her instant stardom
through her Number 96 role Hashfield
claimed that he takes it “all in his stride. I knew she always had the
capabilities and that it was just a matter of time before they came out.” At
the time Hashfield expressed the opinion that
Abigail’s Number 96 character Bev was
“rather flat and dull” and that the role did not give her the full scope to
display her acting capabilities. The TV Week article reported that Abigail
agreed with this evaluation, but that she was quick to admit she was
tremendously grateful for the recognition the show brought her. The report
also revealed Hashfield’s opinion that another
thing he and Abigail have in common is a powerful temper, though according to
Abigail “his is 10 times worse than mine.” [4] In March
1973 TV Week reported that Abigail had been formally
terminated by the makers of the show and would finish work on the serial on
20 April 1973. Due to the stockpile of pre-taped episodes her final
appearance would go to air three weeks after that. [5] To cover the absence Bev was written out of the storyline by travelling abroad. By June 1973 Bev - and Abigail - were back on
the show. However Abigail’s return lasted just seven episodes - Abigail
departed again and her role abruptly recast, with Victoria Raymond coming in
as the new Bev. TV Week later summed-up Abigail’s
departure, reporting that she resigned and was sacked, in that order, after
the latest disagreement with the show’s producer Bill Harmon. [6] Abigail
expressed the opinion that the recasting of Bev was
doomed to failure. “They should have got rid of her altogether and replaced
her with a different character. You can’t just change actresses overnight and
get away with it. Vicki doesn’t sound like me and she doesn’t look like me.
Viewers are going to be confused when one night they see me as Bev and the next night Vicki appears as the same
character. Besides that the viewers know the colour
of my flesh but they don’t know the colour of
Vicki’s.” Abigail also explained that she felt Bev’s
days might be numbered because, in the story, she returns from her six-week
break with an American husband. “Bill Harmon told me when Number 96
started that the day Bev got married was the day
she would have to be written out of the show. When he rehired me after my
recent sojourn I asked him if Bev’s marriage meant
that I’d soon be leaving again. He said ‘No, you’re no longer just a sex
symbol you’re an actress and you’ll be able to carry the part.’ That struck
me as funny. I’d been trying to convince him of that ever since I’d started
with the show.” At the time Abigail expressed a desire to shake off the Bev Houghton image. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ashamed
of what I’ve done but it’s so easy to show off your body without showing your
talent. From now on I’m going to go out and show off my talent. I’m going to
convince everyone that I can act and that I’m not just a body.” [7] Meanwhile
Abigail’s replacement Victoria Raymond happily told TV Week
“I’ve never had to worry about my bust line, so I don’t mind competing with
Abigail in that department. But as far as my portrayal of Bev
Houghton is concerned, I hope viewers accept the change in actresses without
making other comparisons. I don’t want to feel like a ghost walking in
Abigail’s shoes because I’m certainly not trying to be like Abigail.” [8] CALL
ME ABIGAIL
“Incredible
as it may seem, Bev Houghton never had a ... sorry,
took a lover ... in 96,” explained Abigail after leaving the
serial. “She got into some incredible scrapes, but when she left the series
she was virgo intacta. I
received heaps of letters condemning me for being a wicked woman, yet I
displayed nothing more than a brief glimpse of my boobs or a flash of my
naked backside in the two-and-a-half [sic] years I was with the show.” [9] Abigail’s
1973 autobiography continued this playful, sexy, tone in describing Abigail’s
activities. Published at the height of her fame, Call Me
Abigail sold 15,000 copies in two weeks. Setting the tone for the
literary triumph was the text’s opening line “I was naked.” As well as
detailing the intimate aspects of her personal life, the book also featured
authentic poetry by Abigail, along with a pictorial centre-spread of
snap-shots variously captioned “stripping for Number
96”, “stripped for Number 96”,
“who left the door open?”, and the squeaky clean “rub-a-dub-dub”. [10] Soon
after the book’s release Abigail explained her literary ambitions for TV Week.
“Call Me Abigail is already a best seller and I
hope to start on my second book soon. I’m going to take more time with the
next one, which will be a critical look at the TV and entertainment industry
in Australia. The third one is going to be about women’s lib. I’ve got very
strong views on it - I hate it. And the fourth one will be a book of poems.” [11] POETRY BY ABIGAILWhen I was a child I used to see Poem reproduced in [12]. NUMBER 96 CO-STARS RESPONDBefore Call Me Abigail even appeared there had been intense speculation that Abigail would be highly critical of Number 96 and her former co-stars in the series. Actor Candy Raymond, who had been added to the series as the new sex symbol during Abigail’s final weeks on the show and had performed many nude scenes for the series, quickly produced her own spoof, entitled Call Me Candy. Intended as perhaps a single piece for newspaper publication, Raymond explained that her article was a fun way to “put the picture straight.” Raymond said it was not written through bitchiness, although she felt that Abigail was doing a disservice to show business by writing the book. [13] The style of Raymond’s piece satirised the through-the-keyhole approach of Call Me Abigail. According to TV Week the general manager of TEN10 where Number 96 was produced had read Call Me Candy and approved it for publication. Candy Raymond explained her motivation for writing the article was to provide some balance. “I don’t think Abigail’s book should be taken seriously and I have written this spoof to give balance. I don’t think the acting game is a glamorous, sexy world and I have attempted to bring things back to earth. A lot of people in Number 96 were concerned about what Abby wrote, but I think it should be laughed at. Among the cast members I am probably the best one to do it. What I have written makes light of her book and the cast has certainly got a giggle out of it. It hasn’t been done maliciously. I really think it is a pity Abby has written this book. In recent years people have begun viewing sex in a new straightforward light and to write about it as she has is, I think, a step backward. It is disservice. Once a person finds fame, as everyone in Number 96 has, I think he or she has a great responsibility. They have got to use it honestly and with integrity.” [14] Raymond explained her spoof followed Abigail’s storyline and sometimes used her highly descriptive adjectives - but with a twist. “When she talks fancifully about her nude scenes and her affairs I have made mine appear mundane.” Raymond also parodied Abigail’s vivid descriptions of performing nude scenes for Number 96. “There’s nothing greatly exciting about doing a nude scene under the stark lights of a television studio and certainly the production people don’t show any reaction to them. Abby talks of ‘eyes gazing lewdly in the dark’ at her when she did nude scenes. The fact is the lighting technicians and sound people in a studio are too busy doing their own jobs to worry about anything like that. They’re blasé about it. Saying something like that is embarrassing to the whole crew. People will think they are some sort of perverted voyeurs when in fact all they are doing is their jobs.” Raymond also revealed her thoughts on Abigail’s motives behind the book. “She is going to make a fortune - and good luck to her. I don’t know if she really believes what she has written. A lot of it is probably theatricality, I don’t know. I do know that if I had my name on something like that I would be highly embarrassed. I just think of all those Abby fans, those impressionable 15-year-old girls, who are reading what she has written. What sort of lives are they going to mould for themselves. Little girls the world over have real lives to live. I would hope they would take pride in living them as real women. And I hate to think of little boys growing up and thinking they have to buy Dom Perignon champagne. I’d like to stress I am not being bitchy in what I have written. It’s an incredibly good business move for Abby to have written this book, but I just think it should be put in perspective.” [15] In the event when Call Me Abigail was published it was found that, despite speculation to the contrary, it contained little criticism of Number 96. However, the day after being dropped from the serial for the final time Abigail spoke out against the show, claiming that the conditions under which actors and technicians worked were appalling, the salaries the actors received abominable. Dressing rooms were “filthy” she claimed, and schedules so tight actors were often pulling on clothes as they rushed to the set to record a scene. She also alleged there were rarely proper closed sets for the taping of nude scenes and that executives treated actors with little respect, stating that “I am glad it is all over.” [16] After the comments appeared the actors had a series of staff meetings about the allegations made by their departed colleague, branding them unfair and grossly exaggerated. They all said they did not want to make any personal criticism of Abigail and refused to answer questions about her. They did, however, refute the criticism she made about working conditions on the show. Cast members Bunney Brooke, Joe Hasham and Jeff Kevin, all spoke of the generally friendly atmosphere on the set. [17] Bunney Brooke said she thought it was marvellous to work on the production that had no star system. She felt that, though specifics weren’t widely discussed, cast members seemed happy with their salaries. “I do know that everybody is happy with what they are getting,” Brooke said. The criticism of the state of the dressing rooms was labelled ridiculous, and Brooke explained that the Number 96 dressing rooms were equal to the best in Australia, and spotlessly clean. There were other productions Brooke had worked on, she explained, where the conditions in this respect were far inferior. The large, shared “quick change” rooms beside the Number 96 set were also described as being “entirely adequate.” Joe Hasham admitted the criticisms had been hurtful to all who worked on Number 96, and he expressed the opinion that the conditions working on the series were the best provided by any television station in Australia. There were four reading rooms allowing actors to study their scripts. Makeup facilities were adequate with three make-up experts available, and there were three wardrobe mistresses and a hairdresser assigned to the show. Morning tea was brought on to the set, and meal breaks were strictly adhered to. Hasham explained that naturally there was some pressure connected to working on such a busy production. “But if you cannot take that pressure you simply should not be in the business,” he said. Hasham also rejected Abigail’s allegation that sets were not closed for nude and semi-nude scenes. “The producers are most particular about this. The only people on the set are the actors taking part in that particular scene and the crew.” Jeff Kevin reiterated the general tone of these comments reporting that conditions were “far and away” the best he had worked under. “They are ten times better than those I have seen at any other station.” Kevin admitted that there was occasionally some friction on the set, but that this rarely developed into any “hassle.” [18] All three stars also commended the attitudes of the executives of the TEN10 station where the series was made, and of production company Cash Harmon. Bunney Brooke said that they made time to discuss any problems or concerns of the cast, no matter how trivial. Joe Hasham said the executive staff went to extraordinary lengths to ensure the smooth running of the production and were always prepared to listen to - and usually act upon - the suggestions made by cast members. Hasham described the recent occurrence where he felt a particular word in his script was wrong for the situation. “We sat down and talked about it for 20 minutes. They saw my point of view and we changed it to another word.” Jeff Kevin summed up the co-operative nature of the production. “In this show everyone pulls together - cast, crew, producers, executives - because we want to do the best possible job.” [19] Some months later cast members (and real-life couple) Bunney Brooke and Pat McDonald put a comic spin on the entire episode. They explained to TV Week that they were penning a sizzling exposé about the characters they play on the serial - but that it was all “just for fun”. Titled Call Me, Please, the planned book was clearly intended as a parody of Abigail’s controversial tome. When asked for her opinion on Abigail’s effort, Pat McDonald was reluctant to answer. “Do I have to answer that? It’s such a lovely afternoon I don’t want to spoil it,” she said. McDonald explained their book was planned as just a “giggle at ourselves really. It’s just a mad, mad spoof. A lot of fun.” McDonald said it would be illustrated by mock-up “sexy” photographs of the two. “The photos are a riot. Sort of wrinkly sex symbols. There is one of us reclining on a bed wearing nothing but bed socks. And another coming out of the shower with toothpaste all over my face. The last thing in the world I want is to take myself seriously. And I hope nobody will take this book seriously either, although you can never tell.” TV Week reported that Channel Ten executives and producer Bill Harmon had given their approval to Brooke and McDonald to write the book - despite all the controversy that Abigail’s effort had generated. [20] Unfortunately both Call Me Candy and Call Me, Please seem to have been lost to history. Call Me Abigail resurfaces on eBay every now and again, generating seriously high prices. AFTER
NUMBER 96
After her
sudden departure from Number 96 in June 1973 Abigail enjoyed fame
and notoriety, and had a top-ten hit song with her sexy recording of Je T’Aime while seeking other acting jobs. In a
television interview Abigail revealed her approach to her dramatic
performances. “I just feel sensual about things. I feel sensitive and
sensual. I think, if you feel that you can
project... sex”. Casting directors clearly felt the same way and Abigail found
herself typecast as a sex kitten in several sex comedy films. The serious
acting jobs the actor sought seemed out of reach. Her
reputation for lateness and on-set tantrums during her run in Number 96
certainly would not have helped, and Hashfield
himself admitted that “one of Abigail’s greatest problems is that she has no
sense of time, I have to be behind her all the time.” However Hashfield insisted that though she had in fact been late
to makeup a couple of times, Abigail always made it to the set by the time
taping was due to begin, “she never held up the floor,” he said. Hashfield admitted she could be temperamental. “She can
be a bit difficult at times. She tends to jump in immediately when her pride
is hurt. But on the stage she is a real professional. She lets nothing
interfere with her work.” [21] Too bad
most of that work seemed to focus on only her sexy image. Abigail played a
sexy pre-credits cameo in 1973 sex comedy hit Alvin
Purple, and returned
in its 1974 sequel, Alvin Rides Again. In this second film she played a
fag smoking, northern English tart in charge of the road side diner where
Alvin calls in for a cup of tea. Her brief scene calls for her to literally
bust out of her poorly constructed apparel, and to then engage in sexual
intercourse with Alvin as a stream of Jaffas
cascade onto their bodies. Kinky. Also in
1974 Abigail could be seen unpeeling her costume twice nightly in the
burlesque comedy The Legend of San Peel. The sleazy reputation of the
play’s venue, The Barrel Theatre which was a well-known strip palace in
Sydney’s King’s Cross, made it an odd place to arrange a sometimes nude
acting job for one’s girlfriend. Hashfield admitted
that “the money is excellent. And there was nothing else really good to put
her into at the time. Anyway it’s better than her sitting around on her
bottom.” Hashfield explained some of his management
tasks for TV Week. “I’m the driving force behind Abigail.
Laziness is her worst characteristic. She’s still undisciplined. So I’ve got
to be behind her all the time pushing. Perhaps at times I’m even too tough on
her. I push her to the limits. But then I’ve never seen a true star survive
yet, without complete dedication.” [22] The next
few years would see further film appearances for Abigail, but the nature of her
roles would not improve significantly. In the 1976 comedy feature Eliza Fraser Abigail provides another brief cameo, appearing in a bedroom scene
where the sheet is whipped off the bed to reveal the star’s famed breasts.
This, her single scene in the film, features just a handful of lines and is
played as the opening credits are flashed over the top. She then appeared in
the Phil Avalon surfer-flick Summer City (1977), in which she tackled the
challenging role of “Woman in Pub”. In a dramatic departure, Abigail remained
fully clothed throughout her brief scene in this film - albeit in a very
low-cut asset-revealing yellow dress. Her character was intended as a rough
sort who has led a very hard life, so they put her in an unflattering black
wig and did a very hard make-up job on her. [23] Around this time she also
returned to singing, unleashing the new single Biting My Nails - which flopped. She also made
the occasional appearance as a panelist on popular game show Graham Kennedy’s Blankety
Blanks. OTHER
SOAP ROLES
Abigail
seems to have had more success in the genre in which she first found fame -
television soap operas. Though her roles in Class of ‘75 and The
Young Doctors
were hardly long-running dramatic triumphs but rather guest roles designed to
capitalise on her sexy image, they were at least
meatier than her quick-flash-of-breast movie bit-parts in dismal sex
comedies. In Number 96 her character Bev
was a sexy, scantily clad virgin afraid of sex, and with these subsequent
roles there was again a twist to the character she played. In Class of ‘75 she spent much of her time disguised as a prim and plain senior
mistress. In The Young Doctors she was a smartly dressed super
efficient secretary with a rather brusque demeanour.
In her first The Young Doctors stint her character Hilary
Templeton worked for a celebrity patient of the Albert Memorial Hospital. In
her second stint Hilary now organised the finances and business activities of pop
music promoter Milt Baxter, who managed singer Georgie
Saint (Mark Hembrow) who was in for treatment at
the hospital. Milt was played by Abigail’s real-life boyfriend and manager
Mark Hashfield. In 1977
Abigail described to TV Week her return to The Young Doctors for the second short stint, reporting that “quite apart from the fact
that it is giving me and others like me regular work at a time when so many
actors are out of work, it is a well-produced series and a lot of fun to do,
and it is obvious that television audiences are loving the show judging from
the ratings it is getting all round the country. Both Mark and I are happy to
be doing it and are thoroughly enjoying the work - but it is only for a short
time and then I’m going back to the theatre where an actor really learns the
craft. After all, there’s really not that much television production locally
and one has to work in the theatre or not at all quite often.” TV Week
reported that after her second stint with The Young
Doctors, Abigail
would act on the stage in Wild Oats, and would continue singing on a
casual basis with Sydney rock band Squeeze. Of this last mentioned engagement Abigail
explained that “that has been a lot of fun to do. Obviously I don’t really
consider myself a singer but people like to see me perform on stage so-why
not?” The article also reports that Abigail planned to travel to Hollywood in
late 1977 to try and pursue a career there. [24] History
shows that these plans
for Hollywood stardom came to nothing, and Abigail would soon enter into
another quiet period. After several years out of the television limelight she
made yet another big return to Australian TV, and in the mid-1980s she
enjoyed perhaps her greatest role, that of Caroline in Sons
and Daughters.
Though that melodramatic soap saga was arguably past its peak by the time of
Caroline’s arrival in early 1985, the character remains one of the show’s greatest
assets during its final few years. Abigail stayed with the series until it
was cancelled in 1987. Even into the 1990s Abigail would be called upon to
spice-up waning soaps with a hint of sex, and in Chances she would appear as a television
sex therapist named Bambi Chute. |
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Originally uploaded February 2001 Last updated 13 November 2008 |
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