Hector's Bunyip (1986)

The Australian Hector's Bunyip concerns the misadventures of impoverished inventor Robert Coleby. As if his money problems weren't enough, Hector is being hectored by land developer Brian Moll and child-welfare officer Joan Sydney. The latter antagonist wants to claim Hector's foster child and place the kid in an orphanage. But salvation comes in the most unlikely fashion. First telecast in the US on PBS' Wonderworks series, the 60-minute Hector's Bunyip debuted January 31, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi