Come in Spinner

Based on the classic 1951 novel by Dymphna Cusack and Florence James, this 1990 Australian TV production follows three employees (and their respective woes) of a posh Sydney beauty salon during World War II. Claire (Lisa Harrow) is newly pregnant and dealing with a boyfriend who has yet to jettison his spouse; Deb (Kerry Armstrong) has an older lover who wants to marry her despite the fact she's a wife and mother; and Guinea (Rebecca Gibney) is a free spirit who is bothered by a persistent ex-beau. The drama is overripe with conflict, including the harsh division between the privileged and the struggling working class, the tensions between Australian servicemen and their boisterous American counterparts in Sydney's nightlife, women's new assertiveness, and the constant state of turmoil and loss created by wartime. However, the miniseries lacks the power of the novel (which created major controversy in its day), diluting the source's emotional maelstrom into a tepid swirl of soapy, often predictable melodrama. On top of that, the ensemble cast sometimes seem to be playing the material as a tongue-in-cheek lark instead of a serious consideration of Sydney's moral climate in that era. To its credit, however, Come in Spinner does boast handsome production design. Optional, at best. (P. Hall)