Australian TV Plays: My Brother Jack (21 August 1965)

Adaptation of the classic novel. 10 eps x 30 mins.

Premise

The story of two brothers from a working class family in 1930s Melbourne.

Cast

*Ed Devereaux as Jack
*Nick Tate as Davey
*Chris Christensen as Dad Meredith
*Marion Johns as Mum Meredith
Original novel

The novel was published in 1964. Here is a long piece in The Monthly about it. Here's a 2014 radio doco on the ABC about it.

There's an appreciation in The Guardian here. George Johnston wrote it on the island of Hydra in Greece.

In April 1965 the novel won the Miles Franklin Award. The book was regarded as a classic almost straight away. There seems to be a hunger for the Great Australian novel and this fitted that bill.

The judges said in their report, “This is a strong, honest novel. It gains robustness from its conventional technique, particularly where the author avails himself of the well-tried devices of contrast and reflection. Its characters are convincing. In style it is straightforward and bold. Its language is crystal-clear. “The idiom is that of the Australian people whose lives have been con- temporaneous with its author’s. All who are familiar with Mr. Johnston’s earlier work will agree that this novel is his best.”

The novel was selected from 15 other entries: Summer by Peter Cowan Sundry Debtors by John McGhee, The Price of an Orphan by Patricia Carlon, The Livin’ is Easy by John Tranter, Man in ihe Jungle by David Rowbotham, Distant Land by Judtih Waten, The Place at Whitton by Thomas Keneally, Weave a Circle by John Patrick, It’s This Way by Dan Reidy, Brother Captain by Alan Chester. Shadow Mountain by Lola Irish. The Illegitimates by Raymond Aitchison, The Year of the Angry Rabbit by Russell Braddon, Black Lightning by Dymphna Cusack, and The Sun Breaks Through by Frank O’Grady.

The AustLit page is here.

Johnston would die in 1970, a year after Clift. His obit is here.

An oral history with Clift is here.

Other adaptations

It was filmed again in 2001 for two 90 minute episodes. The story incorporated more of the novel. A teaching kit for that is here.

Production

Colin Dean recalls (to Graham Shirley in 2004) that Ed Devereaux was a friend of Rex Rienits and lived in London. The actor sent Dean a letter asking if the director was interested in casting him. Dean knew Storry Walton was casting My Brother Jack and passed the letter on to him.

It was shot in Sydney with location work done in Melbourne (where it was set). There was some location work done in Sydney. See here. For instance the Johnston house in Elsternwick was discovered in Campsie.

Johnston's wife Charmain Clift did the adaptation. Johnston was offered the chance to do it but struggled so handed it over to Clift. He said" “I couldn’t face it myself I had just finished the book, and in its original form it was completely unsuitable for TV. It is an introspective book of Davey’s thoughts about his brother Jack. These had to be translated into action. “Charmian has done a wonderful job. She should get all the praise.”

She later said about it:

I am a novice at writing for television. Until I came back to this country eleven months ago I’d not even seen television, except once or twice in the English countryside on a set that was probably the original model and should properly have been in the Science Museum. So that when I was landed with the job of adapting my husband’s novel for the little box, I plunged into books by the experts, frantically scrabbling for guidance, or at least a set of rules to go by. What happened in the end was that I sat down and visualised the television screen and wrote down on paper what I wanted to happen on it, what I wanted to see, what I wanted to hear...groups and splittings of people, according to the dramatic situation that I wanted to emphasise; quietnesses, and intensities.... So, what I did eventually was to take the portion of the book I found most significant, the years of the Depression, and to cram into this as much of the earlier part of the book and as mucl^of the later part as I could without overloading it. ... What I have tried to do, what I hope I have done, is to stick to the truth of the book, the essence of it,
and present it in terms more dramatically suitable to that little viewing screen than long chapters of narrative. I’ve done it with love and care and thought and as much understanding as I have.

According to the Bulletin the budget was 16,000 pounds.

Design - John Montgomery. Based on novel by George Johnston. Adapted for television by Charmain Clift. Music composed by Herbert Marks. Played by the augmented ABC Dance Band. Technical producer - John Garton. Film director - Gil Brealey. Designer - Jack Montgomery. Produced by Storry Walton.

Cameramen - Samuel Chung, Peter Knevitt, Peter Vendrell. Vision mixer - Clve Gardner. Audio - Noel Cantrill. Film sequences cameraman - Bill Grimmond, Frank Parnell. Sound recordist - John Heath. Editor- Arthur Southgate. Staging supervision - Stan Woolveridge. Wardrobe - Rosalind Wood. Make up supervision - Joan Minor. Script assistant - Frances Carr-Boyd.

Episode Guide

Episode 1 (21 Aug 1965) - In 1932 Melbourne, Davey Meredith lives with his parents and his brother Jack. Davy works in a factory but wants to be a writer; he also attends art classes. Jack gets in a fight with a coworker, Dud, and loses his job but gets a date. GS Chris Christensen (Dad Meredith), Marion Johns (Mum Meredith), Stewart Ginn (Vern), John Armstrong (Stubby), Tom Farley (Joe Denton), Richard Meikle (Dud Rosevear), David Copping (Sam Burlington), Tessa Mallos (Jess), Alison Bauldt (Winnie), Fran McGrath, Lucia Duschenski, John Craig, Herbert Logan, Peter Sumner, Carol Ann Aylett, Bill Bennett, Kenric Hudson, Horst Burgfried.

Ep 2 (28 Aug 1965) - Davey goes missing and Jack goes looking for him. He tracks him down to the artists studio and meets Jack's arty friends. Jack gets a job at the pub. GS June Thody (Sheila), Chris Christensen (Dad Meredith), Marion Johns (Mum Meredith), David Copping (Sam Burlington), Tessa Mallos (Jess), Gordon Glewirght (Bostock), George Alcock, Kirsty Child, Louise Duval, Ursula Marton, Jane Stewart, William Baptist, Tony Bonner, Guy le Claire, Douglas Hall, Brian Harold, Jeffrey Hodgson, Nat Leveson, Charles Little, Kurt Ludescher, Barry Ross, John Salter, Leslie Platt, Ian Westbrook.

Ep 3 - (4 Sept 1965) Jack goes on a date. Davey sells an article. His artist friend Sam is wanted for murder. GS Chris Christensen (Dad Meredith), Marion Johns (Mum Meredith), Tom Farley (Joe Denton), David Copping (Sam Burlington), Tessa Mallos (Jess), Ronald Morse (CJ Brewster), Judith Roberts, John Craig, Ken Hacker, William Wall.

Ep 4 - (11 Sepr 1965) Jack tries to figure out what happened with the murder. Sam says he didn't do it. GS Chris Christensen (Dad Meredith), Marion Johns (Mum Meredith), Tom Farley (Joe Denton), David Copping (Sam Burlington), John Llewellyn (Detective Sgt), Alison Bauldt (Winnie), Roly Barlee (YMCA Clerk), Edward Nelson (detective)

Ep 5 - (18 Sept 1965) Jack has a fistfight. Davey's boss encourages him to try writing. Jack marries Sheila. Davey goes to work as a journo. Jack marries Sheila. GS Chris Christensen (Dad Meredith), Marion Johns (Mum Meredith), June Thody (Sheila), Rosalind Seagreave (Helen), Ronald Morse (CJ Brewster), John Gregg (Gavin Turley), Tom Farley (Joe Denton), Richard Meikle (Dud Rosevear), Gordon Glenwright (Bostock), Ailsa Carpenter, Tony Allen, Mike Barnacoat, Vincent Gil, Eddie Marsh, Con Shanahan, Dudley Stapleton, Vaughan Tracey.

Ep 6 - (25 Sept 1965) Jack struggles to earn money. Davey has a relationship with a young woman, Helen, who is left wing. Jack and Sheila leave. GS Chris Christensen (Dad Meredith), Marion Johns (Mum Meredith), June Thody (Sheila), Rosalind Seagreave (Helen), Stewart Ginn (Vern), Richard Meikle (Dud Rosevear), Kay Eklund (Landlady), Bettina Smeaton, Bill Anderson, Alan Graham, Robert Haddow, Frank Lloyd, Des McKenzie, Donald Reed, Ron Shand, Ossie Wenban.

Ep 7 - (2 Oct 1965) Davey becomes a successful journalist. Jack leaves Australia to find work and eventually comes home. Sheila falls pregnant. GS Chris Christensen (Dad Meredith), Marion Johns (Mum Meredith), June Thody (Sheila), Rosalind Seagreave (Helen), Stewart Ginn (Vern), John Armstrong (Stubby), Ronald Morse (CJ Brewster), John Gregg (Gavin Turley), Michael Bowei, David Yorston, Judith Fisher, Victory Haggith, Chuck Kehoe, Yvonne Matthew, Stan Polonsky, Richard Pusey, Paul Weingott.

Ep 8 - (9 Oct 1965) Jack recovers.Sheila gives birth. Helen meets Davey's family and she has an argument with Jack. Helen and Jack get married. GS Chris Christensen (Dad Meredith), Marion Johns (Mum Meredith), June Thody (Sheila), Rosalind Seagreave (Helen), Stewart Ginn (Vern), John Armstrong (Stubby), John Gregg (Gavin Turley), Deryck Barnes (doctor), Carla Cristan. Reg Collins, Craig Israel.

Ep 9 - (16 Oct 1965) Jack gets promoted but struggles to deal with it. Davey and Helen are established in high society but Davey is uncomfortable with it. War breaks out. GS Chris Christensen (Dad Meredith), Marion Johns (Mum Meredith), June Thody (Sheila), Rosalind Seagreave (Helen),Ronald Morse (CJ Brewster), John Gregg (Davind Turley), Jeanie Drynan (Sandra Solomons), Stuart Finch (Wally Solomons), Muriel Hopkins (Mrs Brester), Barbara Rogers (Miss Kirkwell), John Huson (Mr Treadwell), Ted Hopkins (Mr Philand), Carmen Duncan, Irene Harper, Max Phipps, Kevin Colebrook, Douglas Kelly.

Ep 10 (23 Oct 1965) Jack enlists, even though he could get out of service. Davey does articles on the war and visits Jack in camp. GS Chris Christensen (Dad Meredith), Marion Johns (Mum Meredith), June Thody (Sheila), Rosalind Seagreave (Helen), Stewart Ginn (Vern), John Armstrong (Stubby), Ronald Morse (CJ Brewster), John Gregg (Gavin Turley), Jeanie Drynan (Sandra Solomons), Stuart Finch (Wally Solomons), Des Rolfe, Carla Cristan, Sandra Gleeson, Bill Anderson, Vere Fulwood, Ted Hopkins, Michael Michelson, Peter Noble, Terry Reynolds-Gill, Alan Walker.

Reception

The Age said of the first episode "I was not greatly impressed". The SMH called it "a magnificent job"

Francis Stewart, a Labor MP, said ". I congratulate the Australian Broadcasting Commission on its presentation of " My» «Brother» «Jack ". This programme, written and produced in Australia, is up to world standards. I would like to see the commercial television stations devote more of their time, money and energy to Australian programmes and the use of Australian actors and producers."