SS Saloon on Dr Blake mysteries...PBS

Our favorite on Thursday nite here in Mexifornia, the “Dr. Blake mystery series” has the owner of the newspaper and big-time citizen in Ballarat, Aus. driving a beautiful black SS Saloon, rather spiritedly around the city. We visited Ballarat in 2013 and really enjoyed the olde homes, architecture and a very cosmopolitan city. Toured the mines, etc.
The series is produced by Australian production co. along with “Miss Fisher’s murder mysteries” also filmed in and around Ballarat and other locations…again great production values and great acting from OZ.

That’s my car , For legal an insurance reasons it was driven by an ex police driver for the opening scene. John Wood the "owner "in the Series had a black Mk IV himself so drove it in some shots

I thought that opening scene was pretty good The police driver said afterwards that he was surprised an old car handled ; stopped and went so well.
It also appears in I think the last episode of the series playing just now, and in a telemovie of the series for release next year.
There’an awful lot of sitting and waiting in film making . but they feed you well.
The Hispano [ from memory] in Miss Fishers MM is owned by a VSCCA club member
Oddly the locations appear to be in logical proximity , but in practice can be many miles part. In the opening scene the car approaching is filmed d in Ballarats back streets but when it pulls up, it’s ínto a drive in Kew about a mile from here , and about 60 miles from Ballarat
Dr Blake’s house is in reality about 1/2 mile from here.

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You can say that again! I earned my 1st motorcycle as an actor when I was 14. I wanted to become a professional actor, but to remain even slightly sane, have during relationships and avoid becoming a drug or alcohol addict, I decided when I was 15, to do something else. :smiley:

Cheers,

Pekka T. - 647194
Fin.

Ps. I am traveling (Padua, Italy) so I can’t post photos right now, maybe later!

Ah, I can envisage it now: the tall, strapping Finnish lad, pony tail flying in the wind…:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Wuh boy…

My wife is a crime show fiend, and, naturally, she knew of it!!

What is Dr. Blake’s white car, in the first episode, and what is the young hoods’ red car?

EDIT: figured out the red car: Ford Zephyr.

That’s a fantastic Hispano-Suiza, and near as I could see the actress was actually driving it, or at least rolling down hill at the wheel.
I thought I detected some American cars for the police and lesser actors. Was there a US sales presence in Australia in the 1920s?

They pay to fix any damage to the cars: a friend had his TR3 used in “Diner,” where it sustained a little damage when they turned it on its side.

Maybe you angle for a bit part as an old codger? :grinning:

btw, the “Miss Fisher” actress is very easy on the eye to a mature gent such as myself

The white car driven by Dr Blake in the old series wasa 20 HP Standard about 1935/6 Basically the same engine as used on SS1s along with afair bit of other mechanicals They had replaced the engine withe Holden 6 cylinder for the series[ They’d bought the car . I asked what had happened to the original engine, but it had been lost

I think the Hispano is Bob Kings , but may have that wrong The Fisher series is around inner Melbourne . She’s sweet but I fell there’s too much ham in the acting. My wife used to read the books before it became a TV series.

I never had ay concerns with the car, they are very careful
The last one I did wass et in a 50s car yard [ the scne that is, so a range of vanguard utes, Old Holdens etc.

Yes if there 's an old codger , or geezer part I’d just have to act naturally.

here’s a couple of pics of it taken 50 odd years after Dr Blake

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Bravo, hope they pay well/by the day as they do here in the US.
Best, JW

Watching the tele last night and the car appeared again in the last episode of this season and will be on again in the telemovie next week.
Then… no i can’t say, it would spoil the mystery.