Serge Lazareff, Gus Mercurio and Penne Hackforth-Jones
Cash and Company and its sequel, Tandarra, were Australian made period adventure series broadcast by ITV (London Weekend and Anglia) in the mid-1970s. Both series were produced by the Seven Network (an Australian commercial television franchise) with financial support from the Australian Film Commission.
Sam Cash (Serge Lazareff) and Joe Brady (Gus Mercurio) are likeable bushrangers in the 1850s Victorian goldfields, always staying one step ahead of the mounted troopers who behave more like a rival crime gang than Her Majesty’s police. Tandarra Homestead is their hideout and base, the farm owned and run by widow Jessica Johnson (Penne Hackforth-Jones), who is not averse to the occasional criminal escapade herself, and who is more than equal to the lads in courage, shooting and riding.
With the departure of Serge Lazareff after the first series, the show’s continuation was in doubt, but the casting of Gerard Kennedy, a multi-award-winning and hugely popular star of Australian television at the time, enabled the second series, Tandarra, to be commissioned.
Gerard Kennedy (left) as former bounty hunter, Ryler
The series has generally aged well (unlike the quality of the print currently streaming) - the acting is natural and understated, the action and horsemanship convincing, there's great chemistry between the main cast, and it’s all done with an underlying sense of humour.
Penne Hackforth-Jones (Jessica Johnson) was born in Connecticut, USA, in 1949, but grew up in Australia. She was active in Australian television and film from 1969 to 2013, and wrote an acclaimed biography of her great-grandmother, the novelist Barbara Baynton. Penne Hackforth-Jones passed away in 2013, aged 64. In her obituary, the Sydney Morning Herald wrote; 'Like most fine actors, Penne Hackforth-Jones left her vanity at home whenever she went to work'.
Serge Lazareff (Sam Cash) passed away in 2021, aged 77. He had a great career as an actor, mainly on Australian television, then became an equally in-demand scriptwriter and editor.
Gus Mercurio (Joe Brady), born in Milwaukee, USA, was a former US Marine, boxer, and boxing referee who became a hugely popular actor in Australia. He passed away in 2010, aged 82.
The last surviving member of the principal cast was Gerard Kennedy (Ryler), who passed away in April 2025, aged 93. Kennedy was one of the most popular actors on Australian television in the 1970s, thanks largely to his portrayal of Detective Frank Banner in the legendary Melbourne-based police drama, Division 4.
Gerard Kennedy in Division 4, for which he won multiple awards as most popular actor on Australian television.
Notable directors who worked on Cash and Company and Tandarra include Simon Wincer, whose credits encompass just about every successful Australian television series from the early 70s onwards, and feature films including Free Willy, and George Miller, whose credits include the Mad Max franchise and Babe. The series producer (and director of several episodes) was Russell Hagg (1938-2022), whose credits include art direction on Clockwork Orange.
