Boney was a crime drama series following the cases of Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, part aboriginal, part white man, carrying out his investigations throughout Australia. The show created a bit of a stir through its use of blacking up the lead actor to play the half-caste Boney. In TV Week 14 August 1971 James Laurenson said of the problems that him (as a white man) playing Boney may cause "Boney is pretty fair, with blue eyes, He's travelled a lot and had a university education, white people in the city rarely pick him as having aboriginal blood, but when he is in the bush the Aboriginals and the bushmen can pick him."
Laurenson won a Logie for his performance in the episode Boney Meets the Daybreak Killer. Frank Hardy also won a Logie for best scriptwriter. Before filming Laurenson knew little about the Boney novels and had never even seen the Outback
Do You Remember Boney (Aust)?
Do You Remember Boney (Aust)?