Behind the Scenes Gossip - Prisoner (1979) Discussion

[–] lucy_lawless_fan 18 years ago

i heard that Val Lehman ( Bea Smith ) fell out with co-stars Elspeth Ballantyne ( Meg Morris ) & Reylene Pearce ( Phyllis Hunt ) not sure weather its true? also heard that Val ( Bea) & Sheila Florance ( Lizzie Birdsworth) didn't hit off straight away but became friends in the end

any one else shed any light on these storys??????????????

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[–] karras666 18 years ago

I heard that both Val (Bea) and Sheila (Lizzie) were great friends even before they appeared in prisoner, but whether this was true or not i have no way of knowing. Also it is rumoured that Val was getting paid more for her work in Prisoner than the rest of the cast and almost all of them resented this and she had very few friends. Val and The Freak were supposed to have formed a friendship though.

Eeny meeny macker acker um pum packer acker, eeny meeny macker acker um pum push.

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[–] PanicPop 17 years ago

I met Val Lehman at a function and she admitted she didn't like Elspeth Ballantyne.

I heard a story that the actresses who lived a certain distance away from the studio were given a travel allowance. Val claimed that allowance even after she moved more closer to the studio. Elspeth Ballantyne found out and told on her. This of course, did not endear Elspeth to Val.

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[–] riverwalk 12 years ago

It's funny how all the posts refer to salaries the cast received as i saw several interviews with the cast who mentioned the salary problems.I saw the actress carol burns[frankie] in an interview and she said she quit as the pay was terrible and the workload began to increase as the network started making more eps when the show became a hit.She said she asked to be shot as she did not want to be lured back later.Why she did'nt ask for more money or the bosses did'nt give her more is beyond me considering she was a big fan favourite.

Though she may have regretted this as the show progressed because i read an online interview with bea smith who claimed she walked away from a job that had her as australia's highest tv actress as she felt the character had ran its course.She said the bosses tried to scare her out of leaving by telling her work would be scarce and she could be replaced yet they tried to get her back several times after.Frankie was the initial star of the show and had she stayed on I'm sure her pay pack would have been as big[if not bigger] than Bea's.

I saw another interview with the actress that played marilyn mason[magaret laurence] and the chrissie woman and magaret laurence said when she was there[the 1st 16 eps] the actors got really badly paid.The actress who played chrissie said the same though she was'snt really in the early days and only came in much later.She said the pay was really bad too. Thus i'd say the salaries are the biggest problems and evidently caused the most disputes that occured behind the scenes.

Other controversial things[according to imdb trivia] was the decision of the new producer in 81 to axe vera vinegar tits.The show got quite a backlash for that move from angered fans.Plus the actress who played Marilyn Mason[maraget laurence] angered the actresses who played bea smith and vera after she left the show by comments she made about the show while promoting it in the usa.Val lehan hit back by saying 'I am unhappy that an actress can condemn a series just because she is unhappy with her own character.' Laurence however complained she was misquoted.

I don't think the network or any1 involved with the show ever banked on prisoner being the massive global hit it became and becoming an international cult classic.It was only intended for a 16 ep run initially.

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[–] Nglas 12 years ago

the actress who played Chrissie(Amanda Muggleton) was in Prisoner as early as episodes 3 and 4. She played a large role in the first riot.

I also heard about the bad blood between Elzbeth and Val, due to Elzbeth being the snitch of Grundy. (the studio behind Prisoner) She would report to the bosses who was saying what until the cast caught on and shunned her. Why do you think she was the only actress on the show for its entire run?

"I don't do scared." -Yvonne Atkins

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[–] riverwalk 12 years ago

''the actress who played Chrissie(Amanda Muggleton) was in Prisoner as early as episodes 3 and 4.''

yea but then she left and didn't come back to like a good bit later then remember, her words in the interview was 'we got nothing when we were making it'.

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[–] oranges99 12 years ago

I never knew that Vinegar Tits was axed by the new producer. That was a terrible move to get rid of such a big and loved character. I remember the very first time Vera was called 'Vinegar Tits'. I just burst out laughing! I think it's just the best ever nick-name in a show.

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[–] Mr_Gordo 12 years ago

There is an interview with Fiona Spence (Vera Bennett) on the DVDs. She said she left on her own accord because she had been doing it for too long. She asked to quit, and they wrote her off. And she said in hind-sight, she wished she'd asked for time off. That is straight from the horsed mouth on the dvds.

But anyway, both Val and Elspeth were not well liked. Elspeth has been covered, but also, when the show finished, she renounced any obligation to fans. She went to London to do some catch ups, but only for a short time, she did no follow ups here in Australia and to this day she refuses to have anything to do with the show.

Val, well, when the call came out for auditions for the show, the theatre industry in Melbourne were all excited. Everyone thought that Collette Man (Dooreen) was going to get the lead, but Val was a nobody in the industry and she got it, and no-one even knew she auditioned. Betty Bobbitt (Judy Bryant) also auditioned for Bea.

Val has a photographic memory, so she would read her lines a few minutes before action. She would always be late, and never socialise with the rest. She would make everyone wait for her. She had a superiority complex on set the whole time. That information is widely known.

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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] riverwalk 12 years ago

ok well, I was just using imdb trivia.

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[–] Lothar_Quint 11 years ago

Almost every show had behind the scenes drama.

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[–] 11 years ago

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