C/o The Bartons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids c/o The Bartons |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's drama |
| Created by | Jocelyn Moorhouse |
| Based on | The Siege of the Bartons' Bathroom (1986 short film) |
| Written by | Jocelyn Moorhouse P. J. Hogan Noel Robinson (writer) Shane Brennan Greg Millin |
| Starring | Olivia Harkin Matt Day Frankie J. Holden |
| Composer(s) | Royce Craven Bryan Patterson |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Noel Price |
| Producer(s) | Jenifer Hooks |
| Running time | 12 x 25 minutes |
| Distributor | Revcom Television (international release) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC Television |
| Picture format | 4:3 standard definition (PAL B) |
| Original release | 29 February – 17 March 1988 |
C/o The Bartons is an exciting Australian TV show made for kids and young teens. It was also known as Care of The Bartons or simply The Bartons in some countries. This drama series first aired in Australia in 1988.
| Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
Discovering C/o The Bartons
How the Show Began
This TV series was inspired by a short film called The Siege of Barton's Bathroom. Filmmaker Jocelyn Moorhouse created it in 1986. She got the idea from something that happened when she was young. She even named the Barton boys after her housemates!
From Film to TV Series
The ABC network was looking for new children's shows. Jocelyn Moorhouse sent them her short film. A producer named Jenifer Hooks saw it and loved it. She asked Jocelyn to turn it into a full TV series. The very first episode of the show is a remake of that original short film.
Meet the Barton Family
What the Show is About
C/o The Bartons shows the everyday life of an Australian family. We see everything through the eyes of Elly Barton, who is eleven years old. Elly is the only girl among four children. She often feels like her parents and brothers don't understand her.
Elly's Challenges and Growth
Elly loves to escape to her special old tree in the backyard. It's her peaceful place. Sometimes, Elly can be a bit bossy or even mean to other kids. This includes her best friend, Anita. These actions often lead Elly into tricky situations. A big part of the show is watching Elly learn from her mistakes. She grows and becomes kinder to others. The show doesn't always tell you the lesson directly. It lets you think about it yourself!
New Friends and Characters
The TV series introduced new characters. One important new friend was Anita McPherson. This character was based on Jocelyn Moorhouse's real-life childhood best friend.
Who's Who in the Cast
- Olivia Harkin – Elly Barton
- Michael O'Reilly – Anthony Barton
- Matt Day – Paul Barton
- Ben Toovey – Douglas Barton
- Frankie J. Holden – Robert Barton
- Jennifer Jarman-Walker – Clare Barton
- Rosemary Smith – Anita McPherson
- Robert Essex – Mister (Laurie) Jensen
- Maureen Edwards – Miss Julia "India" Snoller
- Alan Lovett – Mister Snoller
- Frank Webb – "Skinner" Davies
- Natasha Kenneally – Susan Davies
- Christian Pellone – Vince Capaletti
Making the Series
Filming Locations
Filming for C/o The Bartons happened from March to August in 1987. The show is set in a made-up suburb called Banksiawood. This suburb is supposed to be in a big Australian city. In real life, most of the show was filmed around Glen Waverley. This is a large suburb east of Melbourne.
Real-Life Places in the Show
- You can see the city centre, library, and Monash City Council hall in the episode Mr. Snoller's Black Bag. A scene from that episode was even filmed inside the library.
- The girls in the Banksiawood Girl Guides in Beautiful Beetroot were real Girl Guides from Glen Waverley.
- The mall in the episode Suspected is the Century City Walk mall. The cinema in that episode is the Village Cinema inside that mall.
Who Wrote the Stories?
Jocelyn Moorhouse wrote almost half of the scripts for the series. Other writers also contributed. These included Noel Robinson, Shane Brennan, Greg Millin, and P. J. Hogan. P. J. Hogan is Jocelyn Moorhouse's husband. He later directed the famous Australian film Muriel's Wedding.
When Did It Air?
C/o The Bartons had twelve episodes. They aired between February 29 and March 17, 1988. The show was part of The Afternoon Show in Australia. It only aired once in Australia on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Television. After that, the series was sold to several TV networks in Europe.
Episode Guide
| Nr. | Title | Director | Written by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Siege of the Bartons' Bathroom | Richard Sarell | Jocelyn Moorhouse |
| Mr. Jensen wants to cut down the tree in the Bartons' backyard. Elly loves her tree and locks herself in the bathroom to stop him. No one is going to touch her tree! | |||
| 2 | The Barton League of Bird Lovers | Peter R. Dodds | Jocelyn Moorhouse |
| Elly and Anita start a club for bird lovers. They have a disagreement, and Anita leaves to start her own rival club. | |||
| 3 | Half-time | Richard Sarell | Paul J. Hogan |
| Paul finally gets to play in a big football game. But he feels football isn't for him and sneaks away. Meanwhile, Anita finds out that Vince Capaletti likes Susan Davies, not her. | |||
| 4 | Mr. Snoller's Black Bag | Mandy Smith | Noel Robinson |
| Elly thinks there's a big secret in Banksiawood. She suspects Mr. Snoller. What's in his black bag? Who is Miss India, and why does she keep saying "Shere Khan"? | |||
| 5 | Three Little Pigs | Richard Sarell | Greg Millin |
| Someone painted "pig" on Mr. Jensen's garbage can. It's in red, Miss India's favorite color. Mr. Jensen suspects her, but Elly knows Miss India didn't do it. | |||
| 6 | The Great Billycart Aid Race | Richard Sarell | Shane Brennan |
| Elly hears Bob Geldof's call to help end world hunger. She organizes a billycart race to raise money. The whole Barton family joins in. Who will win the race? | |||
| 7 | Position Vacant | Mandy Smith | Noel Robinson |
| Elly thinks Miss India should get a job to save money for her trip to India. There's a job at the fire station that Elly thinks is perfect. But Elly's own mom also applied for the job! Who will get it? | |||
| 8 | Musical Rooms | Mandy Smith | Greg Millin |
| Paul and Anthony are always fighting. Their parents decide Anthony should get his own room. This means everyone has to switch rooms. Elly finds out Paul smokes and takes his cigarettes. Paul gets back at her by taking her diary. | |||
| 9 | Beautiful Beetroot | Mandy Smith | Jocelyn Moorhouse |
| Anita finally convinces Elly to join the Girl Guides by talking about how fun camp is. But camp is not what Elly expected. The group leader, Vivienne, seems to have it in for Elly and Anita. And everyone has to eat lots of beetroot! | |||
| 10 | Bartons on the Beach | Peter R. Dodds | Jocelyn Moorhouse |
| Elly and Anita burn Anthony's magazine. Anthony thinks Paul took it. A day at the beach gets crazy. Clare wants matching swimsuits. A boy likes Elly. Paul and Anita get lost. Anthony tries to impress a girl who says she's a mermaid. | |||
| 11 | Suspected | Peter R. Dodds | Paul J. Hogan |
| Anthony thinks Paul isn't "manly" enough. He worries this will hurt his own reputation. He makes Paul take a masculinity test, but Paul fails. Anthony decides Paul needs a girlfriend. Elly has a problem too: she passes all four points of the masculinity test! Anita has ideas to make Elly more feminine. | |||
| 12 | Bye Bye Bartons | Richard Sarell | Jocelyn Moorhouse |
| Robert gets a better job offer, but it means the family has to move far away. The kids are upset because they love their Banksiawood home. Robert and Clare don't listen to their pleas. Elly is sad about leaving Anita and her beloved tree. Mr. Jensen even says he'll try to cut down her tree after she moves. Anita finally tells Paul she likes him, but he doesn't seem to notice. | |||
The C/o The Bartons Book
A Book Based on the Show
Jocelyn Moorhouse also wrote a children's book called C/o The Bartons. The book's story uses ideas from several episodes of the TV series. Sometimes, different episode storylines are combined into one. For example, the stories from Half-Time and Musical Rooms happen right after each other in the book. This makes the boys' fight about Paul's football actions, not about studying.
Deeper Stories and Differences
The book helps you understand the characters' thoughts and feelings much more deeply than the TV show could. It also makes some scenes more exciting. There are small differences between the book and the show. In the book, Elly is twelve years old, but in the show, she's eleven. The book also confirms that Banksiawood is part of Melbourne.
Book Details
The front cover of the book has a photo of Matt Day and Olivia Harkin. The back cover shows a group photo of the cast on billycarts. This picture was taken while filming The Great Billycart Aid Race. The book was published by Puffin Books on March 30, 1989. Its ISBN is 9780140342574. The publisher wanted a second book, but it was never released.
The Original Short Film
The First Version
The short film that inspired the TV series and book had a different cast. Frankie J. Holden is the only actor who appeared in both the film and the series. Some actors in the film included Rebekah Elmaloglou as Elly, Brendan Cowell as Paul, and Max Phipps as Mister Jensen.
Where to Watch It
This original short film has never been released for sale. You can't buy it on DVD or other home media.
About Olivia Harkin
Elly Barton's Actress
Olivia Harkin was 11 years old when she was chosen to play Elly in 1987. Before C/o The Bartons, she was in an episode of the TV series Kaboodle in 1986. In 1992, she had a guest role in the Australian police drama Phoenix. After that, she focused on acting in plays. She did appear in a small role in a short film called Lucy's Heart in 2005.
Olivia's Stage Roles
Here are some of the stage roles Olivia Harkin has played:
- Chicago (February 20, 2003, Erindale Theatre, Wanniassa, ACT)
- Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (May 2, 2003, Theatre 3, Acton, ACT)
- Fiddler on the Roof (February 19, 2004, Erindale Theatre, Wanniassa, ACT)
