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Clip description
Commanding Officer Lieutenant David Keating (Andrew McFarlane) and Lieutenant Charles Fisher (Robert Coleby) have their nerves stretched by the presence of journalist Jenny Smith (Jacki Weaver) on board HMAS Ambush. Just when they need to impress, the crew make clumsy work of some routine target practice.
Curator’s notes
Jacki Weaver brings a formidable presence to her role here as a whip-smart journalist. Her character holds her own in a battle of wits with Lieutenant Fisher, pointedly dropping her knowledge about the equipment on the ship when he seems to be patronising her (‘Yes, I know a .50 Browning machine gun when I see one’). She also cleverly subverts the stereotype of the woman using charm to get what she wants when she dismisses Fisher with, ‘Are you doing male charm on me, Lieutenant? You must be the cute one.’ It’s a far cry from the daffy blonde roles that helped make Weaver’s name in films like Stork (1971). She seems to relish the opportunity to play against type, delivering her lines with precision and edge. Tony Morphett gives the dialogue wit, and there is an easy rapport between actors McFarlane and Coleby as the CO and his lieutenant.
Patrol Boat’s vision of navy life is not always adventure-driven. The show is prepared to present navy work with humour, as it does here, letting us see officers stumble while carrying out tasks. Their foibles help make characters like Buffer, Keating and Fisher likeable. The insight into navy life also adds to the novelty of the series, as does the filming on a navy vessel. Shooting on location on film, as in this scene, avoids the cramped and artificially-lit studios used to film other TV dramas at the time.
