TV Week
29th March 1997
Playing a cop turned dry cleaner has left Marcus …
MARCUS GRAHAM might be the start of the show but it’s very much a team effort on the set of Good Guys Bad Guys.
The 13-part Nine Network series revolves around Marcus’ character, Elvis, an ex-cop who runs a dry cleaning business. But when it comes to washing and iorning, Elvis is no-where to be seen.
There’s a joke among the cast that Elvis Maginnis does nothing in the dry cleaning business – he’s too busy solving crime. And if he runs out of clothes to wear, he just takes some of the racks in the store,” Marcus says.
“All the real work is left for (dry-cleaning employees) Stella and Ruben.”
Alison Whyte, best known for her role as Emma in Frontline, plays Stella Kinsella who runs Elvis’ dry cleaning business. A forthright and self-sufficient women, it’s obvious she has feelings for Elvis but doesn’t act on them.
Allison says she had to have lessons in dry-cleaning to learn about all the equipment.
“The problem is I’ve already forgotten it all,” she says.
Marcus adds: “She steam-cleaned an actor’s hand one day. He was supposed to pull his hand out of the press and he didn’t in time,”
It’s hard to get a work in as Marcus, Allison and newcomer, Travis McMahon (Who plays Ruben), show TV WEEK around the Good Guys Bad Guys set.
The show has attracted a huge list of guest stars including Red Symons, Sophie Lee, Nadine Garner and Mabda Szubanski.
While bad shirt and hat days have helped the cast bond and made the job more relaxed, all everyone talks about is Marcus’ huge workload. With the show having been written especially for him by Simpson Le Meaurier, Marcus is required in almost every scene, making his work days up to 14 hours long. He also does all his own stunts.
“I’ve only had one of two scenes off a week and every ay’s at least a 12-hour day,” he says.
“How can you have a life when you shoot 12-14 hours a day and you want to get a few workouts in the gym, learn your Lines and get some sleep?
“There’s no time. We need to invent a 36-hour day and then I can have a life.
“The result of all that is, because it becomes so hard to get a personal life together, you end up being very protective of it.
“I’ve started looking at laundry mats, which is really weird.
“I was coming to work today and I looked at about two. It’s starting to really take overly life. I think I need a holiday.”
Weathergirl’s stormy relationship
It’s a case of art imitating life when it comes to love for Marcus Grahams character in Good Guys Bad Guys.
Just as there’s been no shoratage of beautiful women in the sexy star’s life, Elvis Maginnis attracts quite a harem.
Jane Hall is one of the first to fall for the charismatic ex-cop when she plays Allie Andrews, a Sultry weather presenters determined to go places in TV.
“Allie meets Elvis and is immediately attracted to him, but she soon tires of him because he has nothing to do with television and can’t help her career,” Jane says. “Elvis seems to be indifferent to the attentions of women, which makes us want him even more.”
Jane, host of the Nine Network show Weddings, says she doesn’t share Allie’s ruthless ambition when it comes to her career. “Absolutely not, I’m very happy to work towards a good position in the industry and given another 20 years, I might achieve that.”
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