Summary

Large metal commercial biscuit tin, with printed label on front and top.

Manufactured in the 1930s Melbourne by the Brockhoff Biscuit Company for use in storing biscuits in shops, at time when most biscuits were sold loose by weight rather than in packets. The Savoy name and imagery on the tin's label evoke the glamour and sophistication of the Savoy Hotel, located in the Strand in London, at the time considered one of most exclusive hotels in the world.

The tin was later used by Crawford Productions as set dressing in the Universal Store set in the drama series 'The Sullivans', which was filmed in Melbourne from 1976 to 1983. In the show the store was run by German migrants Hans and Lottie Kaufman and their daughter Anna, until the parents were interned as enemy aliens. Anna was saved from this fate by marrying John Sullivan. The store was often used in the show as a communal meeting place for various characters.

The label may have been refurbished during this time, to give the tin an `as new' appearance. The building used for The Universal Store's exterior still exists in Matlock Street, Canterbury.

Physical Description

Large rectangular commercial biscuit tin, made from pressed metal, with a hinged lid. There is a paper label on the top and the front which details the contents, and manufacturer details are stamped into the base.

Significance

This tin is significant due to its links to Melbourne biscuit manufacturer Brockhoffs, and to locally produced drama series The Sullivans.

Brockhoff's was established in North Melbourne in the 1860s by German migrant Adolf Brockhoff, as A. F. Brockhoff & Co. His son Frederick took over the company in the 1890s, renaming it the Brockhoff Biscuit Company. He lived almost to 100, and controlled the company until the 1930s, when his son Jack took over the business. Highly successful, he expanded the business to a large complex in Burwood. He eventually sold the company to Sydney biscuit manufacturer Arnotts in 1966, which continued making Brockhoff brands such as Teddy Bears, Shapes, Saladas and Savoy Crackers. He used the proceeds to fund the philanthropic trust The Brockhoff Foundation, which still exists today (2011.)

The Sullivans was an Australian drama television series produced by Crawford Productions for Channel 9, which ran from 1976 until 1983. The series told the story of an average middle-class Melbourne family and the effect World War II had on their lives, focusing on the home front and on several theatres of war, including Yugoslavia, Holland, Greece, the deserts of North Africa and the jungles of South-East Asia. It was a consistent ratings success in Australia, and also became popular in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand. 1114 episodes were produced and broadcast in over 45 countries around the world.

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