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Squad Cars

Topics: police, drama, cops, detective, otr

SQUAD CARS

WRITERS: ADRIAN STEED, BEV PIERCE, ANTHONY FRIDJON,
LOUIS IFE, COLIN FISH

PRODUCER: COLIN FISH, LOUIS IFE
DIRECTOR: DAVID GOODEN

STUDIO: SONOVISION STUDIOS, JOHANNESBURG FOR SPRINGBOK RADIO

STARRING: GORDON MULHOLLAND, HAL ORLANDINI, DIANE APPLEBY, ANNABEL LINDER
DIANE STUART, DANA NIEHAUS, GRAHAM ARMITAGE, NIC DE JAGGER
TONY JAY, PATRICK MYNHARDT, GABRIEL BAYMAN, ANTHONY FRIDJON
LOUIS IFE, COLIN FISH, CLIVE SCOTT, DALE CUTTS, MICHAEL MAYER
MEL MILLER, TROMP TERRE'BLANCHE, BRIAN O'SHAUGNESSY & others.

NARRATION: HUGH ROUSE , ADRIAN STEED , MALCOLM GOODING

FIRST EPISODE B/C: 29/06/1968

Probably one of the most popular radio programmes ever broadcast in South Africa. Week by week
a dramatised story of the South African Police at work would unfold. The series originally went out for
broadcast on Sunday evenings. After 6 months the programme moved to it's familiar Friday night
7H30pm slot on Springbok Radio, . Because of the popularity of the
Friday night western series' on South African television at the same time slot as "Squad Cars", the
series moved to 8H30pm when the series came to an
end. Two attempts were made to take the series to the screen. In 1974 a film called "Flying Squad"
went onto the South African film circuit, followed in 1978 with a Television series called "Big City
Heat". Neither of these shows were great successes, the masses still prefered to listen to the original
on radio.

A total of 23 episodes are at present doing the rounds with old time radio collectors. These episodes
were originally recorded by John Wright, a South African Radio Fan, who sent recordings on reel to
a friend in the United States & 4 episodes that were made available by the daughter of the late David
Gooden, Beverley. Episodes came from a collector in Germany, however this was
only a drop in the bucket. The reels donated by the late Neil Gesson saved most of them. Neil very
loyaly recorded over 700 episodes on reel to reel tape. These episodes will shortly be transferred to
a digital format and restored. Copies of the restored episodes will be donated to the SABC Sound
Archives for national preservation. As with many South African series', collectors renamed most of
the episodes. The possibility that all 823 episodes have survived is looking better as no comparisons
have been made to the renamed episodes, this will only be done once the transfer of the reel to reel
tapes is done.

EPISODES MADE: 823 Including a "Pilot Episode", never broadcast
EPISODES ARCHIVED: 778

Addeddate: 2011-02-24 12:32:34

Boxid: OL100020613

External_metadata_update: 2019-03-29T03:46:47Z

Identifier: SquadCars

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Reviews

Reviewer: RickAfo - - May 23, 2020
Subject: What an Absolute delight

Stumbling across this collection of Squad Cars episodes was one of the most delightful things to happen to me this year. The nostalgia it brought back was intense, memories of crowding around the radio on a Friday evening with my brother, mom and dad waiting for the latest episode. I still believe to this day that my children missed out on a wonderful childhood with Springbok radio - back then Television didnt exist in South Africa, and listening to the words and sound effects coming from the radio was magical. Its amazing to think that nothing more than words and sounds could draw such vivid pictures in our imagination. If only I could find some of the other Springbok shows that made my childhood - Jet Jungle, The Mind of Tracy Dark, High Adventure, Telefun Time, Test the Team, The Men from The Ministry, the Pip Friedman show ... and so many more.

Reviewer: Rev_Brad - - June 25, 2017
Subject: Hard hitting South African radio drama at its best...

I was introduced to SC via an OTR internet radio station, and after hearing just one episode, made it my duty to track down and listen to as many as I could find. It compares easily to UK 70s dramas, such as The Sweeney, The Professionals etc, but nothing on UK radio has this much "punch in the gut" effect. I'm impressed that Springbok Radio managed to create a series tackling so many hard-as-nails issues and get away with it. Of course, the lack of TV in SA until 1976 meant that radio was the only medium for material that other countries were broadcasting in post-watershed slots, but I have always found, and continue to find, that you can make anything, *anything*, work on radio with a small budget and listener imagination. Okay, the series has a few dated references (cops disguising themselves as hippys to find drug dealers which means stilted use of hip jargon), but the reality of the series grabs you and never lets go. I shall keep hunting episodes until there are no more to find. It's simply that damn good. The quality of the show has drawn me into other SA dark alleys, such as Sounds of Darkness, Peter Troy, 33 Half Moon Street etc, but these are more flop in the face with a wet dishrag entertainment than the punch in the gut of Squad Cars. I heartily recommend this series even for OTR fans who are overwhelmed by the amount of hard boiled detective series from the US - not that I would ever insult the likes of Sam Spade, Rick Diamond, Philip Marlowe and the like - it's just a change to hear a different take on the cop show from another part of the world.

Reviewer: MoviesRme - - March 1, 2017
Subject: excellent

Really enjoy this show, but I am interested to know the copyright status on SA shows, this one in particular, I find it hard to find much information on copyright for SA and Australian radio shows, So any any information would be appreciated, thanks guys

Reviewer: Seano34 - - November 23, 2015
Subject: Awesome

This has brought back such fond memories. As a child we used to all gather in the lounge at 19h30 with our pillows and lay in front of the hifi speakers for the next episode. This was before TV was launched in South Africa. The series "Jet Jungle" and "The mind of Tracey Dark" were also favorites at the time. Thanks for sharing this.

Regards
Sean Olivier

Reviewer: HowdyDave - - October 23, 2015
Subject: OUTSTANDING! but...

This is an outstanding police procedural OTR program from South Africa.

I only wish that they would occasionally rotate the order of the episodes. I have the first 2 or 3 practically memorized!

Reviewer: RedRockSA - - July 14, 2012
Subject: Brilliant memories!

For some time now I've been telling my kids about the days when there was no TV & how we used to listen faithfully to our favourite radio shows! I'd mimic the opening narratives such as "They prowl the empty streets at night .........these are the men of - Squad Cars!"

All of which meant nothing to them of course - having no comparison & no understanding of life without TV, mobile phones & movie houses with ushers using torches & upper balconies!

So when I came across this my screams of delight drew the entire family around to see what exactly I was on about, we gathered around my laptop & began to listen, using our imaginations once more to flesh out the scenes & characters!

After a few episodes the women, my wife & daughter called it a night leaving my 13 year old son & I to continue listening - eventually I began to suspect my son was humouring me with his presence & feeling tired I stopped an episode halfway through & began preparing for bed. Boy did I get it from him! What was I doing - why had I stopped, what about the rest of it!

I happily sat back down next to my son & we continued to imagine the rest of the episode, every now & then going over why the scenery in our minds differed and what had made us create these differences - it was a mirror image of when I was 13 & my dad was still alive!!

Thank you!

Reviewer: umfaan - - July 13, 2012
Subject: What a great find...

I recall lying at the foot of my parents bed with my Mom and Dad, sister and brother - all of us listening intently to Squad Cars every Friday night. No TV in those days and I believe the radio stories built better imaginations in our minds than kids today get with TV, DVD's Video Games and the like. Maybe I'm just an old fart.

Also, in the late 1980's I worked in a recording studio which was located on the premises where SonoVision once used to have a Studio. SonoVision recorded most (all?) of the "Squad Cars" and "The Eyes of Tracy Dark" series for the SABC. During a clean-up one day we found boxes of reel-to-reel tapes (maybe hundreds of tapes) of both these series. Young and foolish at the time, I asked my boss what to do with the old 1/4" tapes and guess what - "Chuck them out.", he said. Chuck them I did - possibly a loss to the world of the Archive? Indeed, but who was to know?

Reviewer: M0ELS - - July 12, 2012
Subject: Thanks

Its brought back a tonne of memories of me lying on the floor infrint of an old pye radio gram listening to springbok radio. Its hsould never had been shut down....There is nothing out there to compare it it with......

Reviewer: Christopher02 - - September 22, 2011
Subject: Christopher02

Not so much a review but a Link to the Episode List from South African Radio by order of Broadcast:

http://www.springbokradio.com/SRPSLOGSQUADCARS.html

This may help you in filling out missing episode dates for shows listed.

I have owned a Set of these programs for a few years and find the entire show very exciting to listen to. Very fast paced action with outcomes of cases profiled.......

Reviewer: belvinp.narclejac - - September 21, 2011
Subject: Thanks!

Really fascinating program. Thanks for sharing it - looking forward to more!

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