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The Champion - Yankee Soldier
Television (Full Length Episode) – 1989
Writer Maurice Gee’s experiences growing up in West Auckland during World War II were the basis for this home front drama expertly realised by the producer/director team of Ginette McDonald and Peter Sharp. Twelve-year-old Rex Pascoe (Milan Borich — future singer in the band Pluto) is a war-obsessed schoolboy worried about his father’s black-market dealings. Meanwhile, American soldiers are making their presence felt but not all of their attitudes are welcome. The locals’ prejudices are about to be tested by the arrival of a GI to stay with Rex’s family.
The champion doesn’t have such a strong storyline. This is much more a story of character than incident, which is why I think it will appeal to older children.– Maurice Gee in The Listener, 7 October 1989, page 29
Key Cast & Crew
See all 32 credits
Acknowledgements
NZ On Screen acknowledges the talent and creatives for allowing NZ On Screen to reproduce this title on this website.
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