A WALK DOWN E STREET
THIRTY YEARS ON, FORMER STARS RECALL WHAT WAS REALLY GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES
Looking back at television soap E Street, which turns 30 this year, is like stepping back into a very different time. So says former teen vixen turned music star and recent Real Housewives of Sydney reality diva, Melissa Tkautz.
“There had never been a show like it – it was groundbreaking, and so very cool and very hip,” she says. Melissa joined E Street 18 months after it launched in 1989, as teenage rebel Nikki Spencer.
“I was a complete newcomer,” the 45-year-old says. “One minute I was a devoted viewer watching it, and next I was on it. It was a whirlwind, and my happiest memories are of working with that amazing cast.”
Set in the inner-city suburb of Westside, the series centred on the issues faced by local doctor Elly Fielding (Penny Cook) and the people in her community. Over its fouryear run, E Street launched the careers of not only Melissa, but future Hollywood A-lister Simon Baker.
When the show did not instantly hit big, it underwent a major overhaul. Melissa, Marcus Graham and Toni Pearen were brought in to spice up proceedings, and – combined with dramatic tales of drug abuse, secret affairs and religious cults – ratings soared.
“Because we were in a later time slot than Neighbours and Home and Away, it allowed us to venture into more adult territory,” Bruce Samazan, 48, who played cop Max Simmons, recalls. “In that way, it was way ahead of its time.”
These days, Bruce has a successful career in the retiree real estate market.
One of the raciest storylines involved businesswoman Sheridan Sturgess (Kate Raison) and bad boy Stanley “Wheels” Kovac (Marcus) enjoying a steamy shower together.
“That was hilarious but not at all sexy filming it,” Kate laughs. “It was a case of two actors standing in a bucket while they
“BECAUSE WE WERE ON LATER IT ALLOWED US TO VENTURE INTO MORE ADULT TERRITORY”
poured water over us!”
Kate is still acting, currently touring in the play Two.
As Westside’s resident ‘superbitch’, Kate recalls Sheridan’s fashions helped establish the character. “It was all enormous shoulder pads in hot pink suits with short skirts, and my hair teased into a helmet style,” she says.
Of course, sometimes the show did push things a little too far, such as the notorious serial killer “Mr Bad” era, as well as a dream sequence which saw Max become a werewolf.
“The show went a little too full-on and they were pushing boundaries to the point there was no more stretching,” Bruce concedes.
After a roller-coaster four years, E Street’s last episode screened on May 20, 1993.
“For all the wild antics our characters got up to, I recall we were a well-behaved cast,” Melissa says.
“We might have been playing the cool kids, but we were all a bit geeky. We loved it!”