Sally Ann, The Salvation Army TV drama of the 70s
Sally Ann, The Salvation Army TV drama of the 70s
The Sally Ann TV series aired for eight episodes in 1979 and told the story of Salvation Army officers at a local citadel and hostel. Image: Renown Pictures.
The life and times of any Salvation Army officer is eventful. Relationships with community members, congregants and their family are dynamic, and even with an overarching sense of mission, no day looks the same.
Sally Ann was released on DVD in 2019 by Renown Pictures, 40 years after it aired on television.
You could say that it’s almost enough to create a soap opera filled with comedy and drama. Which is why, in 1979, Southern Television in the United Kingdom did just that. Titled Sally Ann, the short-lived series chronicled the life and times of corps officers Major Gibbs (Frank Mills) and Mrs Gibbs (Stephanie Cole) and their children Hannah (Julia Chambers) and Bramwell (Philip DaCosta).
While you certainly can’t fault the historical accuracy of the children’s names, the fact Mrs Gibbs is also a major seems to rate a mention. But I digress. Because over eight 60-minute episodes, writer Phil Redmond and producer/director Tristan De Vere Cole explore some of the nuances of a local Salvation Army expression. And with the addition of the local men’s hostel being in the Gibbs’ region, we also meet characters you probably recognise, albeit under different names, from your local corps. There is always the head of the local mission expression, and in Sally Ann, it is Major Cartwright (Gerald James) who runs the hostel, and he is joined by assistant Lieutenant Mary Barker (Carol Leader). Add in the elderly receptionist ‘Pike’ (Sam Kydd), who is known as an ‘ex-convict’, and you gather a pretty accurate portrait of the structure of a small Army expression.
The mission for Sally Ann was clear – the producers wanted to highlight the inner workings of local Salvationists. As the synopsis says, “The soldiers of The Salvation Army have been in battle for more than 100 years – fighting alcoholism and homelessness and striving to help the elderly, lonely and needy. This new drama series follows a group of Salvationists not only at work, but also at home where they face the same problems as any other family.”
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Screen grabs from Sally Ann show that Salvation Army officers were often portrayed in uniform. Images: Renown Pictures.
And the problems, or challenges, these Salvationists face hit close to home. There are disagreements between Salvation Army officers and expressions, dissension when the ‘officers’ kids’ consider leaving the church, and discernment needed when community members come in who are illiterate, alcoholic or without a home.
Familiar scenes appear when receptionist Kydd relates to community members who are entering the hostel due to his former experiences. We also see officers hand out the paper (presumably the War Cry) at the pub, and see their work finding a missing person. There are also a few hopefully less familiar situations that appear, particularly in episodes two and three, where a Major Cartwright, a former Navy Merchant, is accused of murder by a former colleague!
Unless you purchase Sally Ann on DVD (it was published by Renown Pictures in 2019), the exact content and public response to the series is difficult to find. However, it’s fair to say that the writer’s decision to grapple with real-life circumstances was applauded, especially considering it ran during the Sunday 6pm slot from 28 October to 16 December in 1979.
And while MemorableTV states, “Sally Ann turns out to be pretty inconsequential overall, the stories are generally quite slight and the playing is very soap-like”, it later rescinds on this saying, “Given that this went out in an early-evening Sunday night slot, it doesn’t pull its punches, both in terms of dialogue and situation. There’s a strong scene in the local pub when sailor Banjo lets rip about his feelings on religion when Mrs Major Gibbs is handing out pamphlets. In fact, there is quite a naturalistic feel about the series as a whole.”
Sadly, Sally Ann was cancelled after eight episodes, so we will never know if both the Gibbs children were commissioned as officers or if Major Gibbs and Major Cartwright were friends after receiving new appointments. However, this gem from 1979 reflects a society intrigued by a missional movement, who were known for their faith as much as their social work.
We’ll fire a volley at that!
The eight-episode DVD series can be purchased from Amazon: click here
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