Australian TV Plays: September 2021

Australian Pantomimes

It's own genre of Australian drama.

List of some here by Denzil Howsom

*Princess Joybelle (Dec 1957) GTV-9 - st Diane Thorington, Happy Hammond, Ron Blaskett and Gerry Gee, Bernard the Magician (Alf Gertler), Stan Stafford, Eric Pearce - w Denzil Howson

*Sleigh Bells (Oct 1958)

*Merry Make Believe (1959) GTV-9

*Beauty and the Beast (29 June 1959) (HSV-7) w Bruce Wishart - cast inc Beris Sullivan, Noel Tovey - 12 x 8 mins, part of Young Seven

*Story of Good Will (24 Dec 1959 Syd ABN -ds Bill Bain sst members of Thursday Children TV Club - first TV pantomime in Australia - another article is here

*Dick Whittington (1960) GTV-9

*The Magic Mirror (Dec 1961 Melb) - starring Patty McGrath - article here and here

*Aladdin (25 Dec 1961 Brisbane)

*The Golden Princess (1962) GTV9 - Frank Wilson, Patty McGrath

*Pirates of Penzance (Sept 1962)

* Alice in Wonderland (15 Dec 1962 Syd) - w Jeff Underhill d Noel Ferrier - st Chips Rafferty - part of BP Super Show - see here - review here and here

*Aladdin (22 Dec 1962 Syd TCN-9) - shot in Adelaide - d Alan Kent w Hal Turner - review is here

*Red Riding Hood (Oct 1963 BTQ-7)

*Dick Whittington (Oct 1963 Brisbanr)

*Mari Ann (25 Dec 1963 Syd TCN-9, GTV-9_ Patti McGrath, Gerry Gee - Denzil Howson - article here

*Jack and the Beanstalk (1964)

*Dick Whittington (19 Dec 1965 Syd TCN-9_

*Hans Christian Anderson (29 Nov 1969 Syd TCN-9) - st Patrick Wymark (just before he died) - part of BP Super Show - article is here

Also kids shows had filmed segments like The Adventures of Gerry Gee (1957-62)

Magic Circle Club (23 Jan 1965-67)

Filmed ATV-0 studios. On 0-10 Network See here.

Adventure Island

There was a panto TV series Adventure Island. Ran 11 September 1967 to 22 December 1972 on the ABC. 1140 x 30 minute episodes. Pantomime.

Article on it here and here. Sample ep is here.

The Story of Peter Grey (2 July 1962)

TV series that ran for 156 episodes. Each ep ran for 15 mins. It was produced by ATN-7. It was made in 1961 but not shown in Sydney until 1962.

Premise

Peter Grey is a clergyman appointed to a new parish. He is married to neurotic Brenda. He forms a friendship with his predecessor, Rev Henry Marner and the latter's daughter Jane.

Cast

James Condon as Peter Grey
Diana Perryman as Jane Marner
Don Crosby as a doctor
Stewart Ginn
Lou Vernon as Rev Henry Marner
Lynne Murphy as Brenda Grey
Gordon Chater
Walter Sullivan as Tony Beaumont
Thelma Scott

Production

In 1959, the Seven Network (ATN7) announced they would produce three new television series, two 30-minute dramas and a 15-minute "woman's program". The 15 minute show was The Story of Peter Grey produced in the same style as there previous endeavor Autumn Affair which ended on 20 October 1959. Peter Grey was to be shown three times a week and run for 12 months^.

(The first of the 30-minute dramas was to be called The World of Marius Crump, the story of the devil in the disguise of a charming, whimsical character who wins or loses a soul in each episode, similar to Damn Yankees. Each episode was to be a self-contained story, but Mr Crump will be the central character every week. The series would be written by Richard Lane. It never became an on-going series. Nor did the other 30-minute drama.)

It was announced in June 1960.

Peter Grey was shot on videotape at ATN-7's studios in Epping, New South Wales. By 4 July 1960 the first four episodes had been taped.

It was being filmed in February 1961.

By August 1961 it was reportedly halfway through filming.

Brian Wright told Susan Lever "Just after that, we did another serial after that written by Kay Keen, The Story of Peter Gray. I had a little bit more budget. It was a little bit more polished. I wouldn’t say it was any better, but it took us through another year. "

Brett Porter produced. Hetold the Vincent Committee:

I had a cast for a quarter hour serial. So badly were they in need of practice, that I noticed an improvement beyond all recognition after twelve episodes. By the end of the first twelve episodes, the rehearsal time we had been allocated would have been more than sufficient because they were now so adept. Of course, we spent a great deal of time on the newcomers, particularly the younger ones. Had we remained only with the stalwart permanent members of the cast, our rehearsal time would have been more than sufficient. That is unusual in Australia.

Broadcast

It started showing in Melbourne on 26 May 1964 along with Autumn Affair. It sharted in Canberra on 3 Feb 1964.

Reception

A review from the Bulletin is here from 1962.

One by one, the radio stations have been dropping their perennial day time serials, and many a husband must have noticed a brightening in his wife’s eyes as the drug was withdrawn and contact with reality at least partly es tablished again. Recovery is never com plete, of course. Years, even months of addiction to noble Doctors, saintly but disturbed Reverends, unappreciative Husbands, dreadful Other Women, dan gerous Cads, meddling Mothers and all the rest of the stock characters of the soap operas inevitably placed the victim beyond any cure known to medicine, including Dr Paul’s and Mary Living stone’s, M.D. But it seemed certain that a new gen eration of young married women would be allowed to grow, tall and straight, with no taint of the daytime-serial malady women who had never heard Episode 89,672 of When A Girl Marries. That was how it seemed. It was far too much to expect. Apparently there is supposed to be an inherent yearning for this particular junk, and as The Un touchables has taught us, where there are potential junkies there will always be suppliers. So we have The Story of Peter Grey. In fact, Perth viewers have had it for some time, in two 4 p.m. doses a week. Sydney viewers had the fix offered to them only last week, but the takers will get five daily 3.30 p.m. shots from ATN and become mainstem addicts, unless their husbands are alerted to take drastic action.

Peter Grey is a clergyman, played by James Condon, and as played by James Condon he is an obvious psychoneurotic. He has a wife (Lynne Murphy) who be longs in the same ward. They have just moved to a new parish from a place called Merton Falls, where Something Happened. There are two versions. A girl took a shine to the Rev. Peter, who broke her heart, and then she tried to do A Dreadful Thing. Or else his insanely jealous wife drove an innocent girl to the brink of Taking Her Own Life. His wife eternally complains of headaches and neglects the house, which becomes a mess through which the Rev. wanders looking pained and impotent. She says she loves him, but in a con versation that traces the concentric circles of schizophrenia, she reveals much plotting to make him leave the ministry, study Law, and become rich and famous like Daddy before he Lost Everything. A couple of absent villains named Mother and rich Aunt Susan are sketched in. Muttering, “I just want peace,” he walks outside to stand among the tombstones somehow adjacent tf is Sydney suburban church, lifts his ;e skywards, of all things, and asks is he worthy, or has he Failed. End of Episode 2. Are you still with me, gentlemen? Next day your wives met a blind old minister (Lou Vernon), his daughter (Diana Perryman) who is Good and looks after him, and the local doctor (Stewart Ginn) who is Daughter’s hopeless suitor. The old minister and the doctor reveal that both have received Poison Pen Letters about What Happened at Merton Falls. On the flimsy pretext that the old minister had forgotten to hand over a couple of vital keys, Daughter and Doc amble over to the vicarage to sticky beak, and find Peter standing melan choly in a littered room. Peter and Daughter look at one another, and Something Dawns. There’s a click, Peter stiffens and then goes to the foot of the stairs. All three look upstairs, hold ing their breaths. End of Episode 3. End of my tolerance of this filmed soap opera which perpetuates all of the abor tions of human reality, dignity, sense and good taste which the old audio ‘drips’ committed.

I understand that Peter Grey will be followed by others of its kind. The only hope for a ‘clean’ generation of house wives is that evening television will have made most of them far too sophisticated for this mid-Victorian nonsense. DON BASS

Frank Roberts mentions it briefly in a 1965 piece.

Ratings

The series had an average rating of 1-3 in Melbourne (Autumn Affair was 13).

Fairfax

Delia Williams

One of my favourite actors from this period. I wonder what happened to her?

According to IMDB she was born 5 Feb 1930. She was born in London but grew up in Wales and considered herself Welsh.

Williams studied at the Old Vic School when only 17. She appeared in the Old Vic season in 1950. She toured Europe with them appearing in Hamlet, She Stoops to Conquer, and Love's Labour Lost.

She had two years experience on West End, appearing in the revue Penny Plain'. She did a lot of modelling.

August 1956 report she was going to leave London, where she'd been modelling, and go travelling. She said Australia was the country she most wanted to visit. She spent 10 months in South Africa, working in radio and modelling.

She arrived in Australia in July 1957 - within two weeks had three radio and one TV booking.

She toured the country in an Australia Council production of Dial M for Murder - after which she was ill for seven months.

Credits

*The Second Show (May 1949) - Old Vic student show

*She Stoops to Conquer (Oct 1949) - stage (with Michael Redgrave)

*Old Vic Tour - Hamlet, She Stoops to Conquer, Loves Labor Lost - Hamlet performed Elsinore

*Penny Plain (May 1951 - 1953)- two years revue

*Paradise Place (Aug 1957) - radio serial

*The Brontes (Aug 1957) -radio serial

*Days without End (Aug 1957) - radio

*Dial M for Murder (Oct 1957) - on stage - she disliked acting on stage but agreed to go on a tour of this play throughout Australia

*My Lord Cardinal (May 1958) - radio

*Quality Street (Sept 1958) - read poetry

*The Moon and Sixpence (Dec 1958) - radio

*The Seagull (22 April 1959) - TV - as Nina

*Hamlet (13 June 1959) - TV - as Ophelia

*Point of Departure (Aug 1959) - radio

*Home at Seven (Sept 1959) - radio

*Remember Bluey (Oct 1959) - radio play

*Wuthering Heights (28 Oct 1959) - TV - as Cathy

*Richard II (Nov 1959) - radio

*Stormy Petrel (9 May 1960) - TV series - as Mary Bligh

*Whiplash - "Rider on the Hill", "Fire Rock" (1960) - TV series

*The Outcasts (May 1961) - TV series - as Mary Bligh

*The Loquat Tree (Nov 1961) - radio

Then she... vanishes.

The NFSA says she appeared in a 1960 documentary called Birthright. "The more that women begin to share the experiences of giving birth, the stronger grows the anger at the way that men, and the medical profession have taken childbirth out of women's hands to control and manipulate this most basic fact of life's experiences."

It appears she got married in December 1960 to Peter Gatti which stage Delia's father John had died. Delia and Peter had a son on July 27, 1961 - so... shotgun marriage? In 1966 Delia Gatti was mentioned as an entrant in a poetry competition. No idea what happened to her.

ABC Weekly 17 Sept 1958

Western Mail 30 Nov 1956

SMH 11 Dec 1960

Frank Roberts

What do we know about the worst TV critic in Australia?

From searches he seems to have started writing for The Bulletin in Sydney.

Reviews

*The Bulletin Bards - 14 April 1962

*Say When - 5 May 1962

*Lola Montez - 19 May 1962

*The Teeth of the Wind - 26 May 1962

*The BP Super Show, The Patriots, The Hobby Horse - 9 June 1962

*Suspect - 16 June 1962

*The Critics - 23 June 1962

*The Johnny O'Keefe Show - 30 June 1962

*The One Day of the Year/The Forbidden Rite - 28 July 1962

*She'll Be Right - 18 Aug 1962

*Sandy Stone - 25 Aug 1962

*The Graham Kennedy Show -25 Aug 1962

* Manhaul, The Criminals - 15 Sept 1962

*Sing Sing Sing - 29 Sept 1962

*The Runner/Fury in Petticoats - 3 Nov 1962

*Jonah - 10 Nov 1962 - quite positive

*Review of 1962 in TV comments on Australian shows (mostly variety) - 29 Dec 1962

*Light Me a Lucifer - 5 Jan 1963

*Alcheringa, Prelude to Harvest - 2 Feb 1963

*Flowering Cherry - 2 March 1963

*The Pageant of Nationhood - 16 March 1963

*The Best of Kennedy - 30 March 1963

*Victoria Regina - 6 April 1963

*The Prisoner - 11 May 1963

*Portrait of a Star - 1 June 1963

*Ballad for One Gun - 27 July 1963

*The Hungry Ones, A Piece of Ribbon - 3 Aug 1963

*Vacancy on Vaughan Street - 17 Aug 1963

*The Right Thing - 19 Oct 1963

*Consider Your Verdict - 16 Nov 1963

*The Gianaconda Smile, I Have Been Here Before, Man for All Seasons - 8 Feb 1964

*The Home Front - 15 Feb 1964

*Barley Charley - 23 May 1964 - comments on Guild 22 Aug 1964 response by Guild 12 Sept 1964

* Autumn Affair, Story of Peter Gray - 9 Jan 1965

*Homicide - 27 March 1965

* Magic Boomerang, Oz film industry - 22 May 1965

* 66 and All That - 19 March 1966

* The Ray Taylor Show, Mavis Bramson - 26 March 1966

* Homicide - 28 May 1966

* Australian Playhouse Wall to Wall - 4 June 1966

* My Name's McGooley - 3 Sept 1966

*Nice n Jucy - 10 Dec 1966

*Review of TV in 1966 takes swipes at Australian Playhouse - 29 Dec 1966

* Mavis Bramston Show - 25 Feb 1967

*Kain - 29 April 1967

* My Name's McGooley - 20 May 1967

* McGooley, bags Australian Playhouse - 24 June 1967

* You Can't See Round Corners - 15 July 1967

* One Man's World - 29 July 1967

* The Brass Guitar, Ride on Big Dipper - 16 Sept 1967

* Review of TV for the year include swipes at Australian Playhouse and Mavis - 23 Dec 1967

*Homicide - 7 Feb 1970

In the late 1960s he seemed to be taken off TV and did more book reviews.

His fiction

*The Hard Ring of Authority - 24 Feb 1962

* It Could Be You - 3 March 1962

Productions for Schools

In 1957 ITV began schools telecasts.

They began in Victoria in February 1958. In February 1959 this covered all grades.

*Twelfth Night (1961)

* Macbeth (1961)

*Julius Caesar (1961)

*King Lear (1967) - filmed in Adelaide

TV Times 20 July 1961

TV Times 7 Sept 1961

Operas Broadcast by ABC

1) The Telephone (20 Dec 1956) - w Menotti d George Tevare - 1st opera by ABC

2) Amahl and the Night Visitors (25 Dec 1957) - d Christopher Muir - 2nd opera by ABC

3) Pagliaci (28 May 1958) -d Peter Page - poster here

*Fidelio (3 Oct 1958) w Beethoven d Christopher Muir - listing here - broadcast of Trust opera not official

4) Prima Donna (28 Jan 1959) w Arthur Benjamin d Alan Burke - his first opera

5) Cavalleria rusticana (12 June 1959) d Alan Burke - 4th opera from ABC in Sydney? - review here

6) Rita (3 Sept 1959) d Alan Burke st Joe Jenkins

7) The Marriage of Figaro (17 Feb 1960) w Menotti d Alan Burke - the sixth opera broadcast live from the ABC in Sydney and the first two-hour one done live in Australia - review here

8) The Bartered Bride (27 July 1960) d Christopher Muir - clip is here - ad is here

9) The Medium (31 Aug 1960) d Alan Burke

10) Even Unto Bethlehem (25 Dec 1960) - d Peter Page - review here

11) Albert Herring (1959) - w Benjamin Britten d Christopher Muir

12) Il Sergalio The Abduction from the Seraglio (22 Feb 1961) w Mozart d Alan Burke - ad here - review here

13) The Secret of Susannah (17 May 1961) - d Christopher Muir

14) La Boheme (22 June 1961) d Alan Burke st Alistair Duncan (lip synch) - ad here - review here

15) Il Tabaro (26 July 1961) - d Christopher Muir

16) Samson and Delilah (22 Nov 1961) - d Peter Page - review here

17) Don Pasquale (31 Jan 1962) d Alan Burke - review here

18) Land of Smiles (1962) - st Alistair Duncan d Bill Bain - the ABC's first operetta

19) The Prodigal Son (1962) d Christopher Muir

20) Madame Butterly (19 Sept 1962) d Peter Page st Ric Hutton - review is here

21) The Ambitious Servant Girl (7 Nov 1962) d Christopher Muir st June Bronhill -ad is here21) later Madame Butterfly

22) The Devil Take Her by Arthur Benjamin - (12 Dec 1962) - artice here - first opera directed Robert Allnut - Australian opera in a way (by an Australian)

23) The Consul (12 Dec 1962) - d Christopher Muir - ad here

24) Bastienne and Bastine (3 April 1963) w Mozart d Christopher Muir - ad is here - repeat 18 Jan 1966

25) The Pearl Fishe(3 April 1963) w George Bizet d William Sterling - st. Rosalind Keene, Edward Brayshaw - 25th opera produced by ABC on TV, Sterling's 46th prod for ABC - sold a lot overseas rs (29 May 1963) - - 25th opera from ABC

26) Hansel and Gretel (13 Oct 1963) - d Peter Page st Jackie Weaver - poster here

27) Fishers Ghost (22 Sept 1963) - Australian! The only one - d Robert Allnut

28) Simon Boccanegra (13 Oct 1963) d Christpher Muir - ad here

29) Martha (22 March 1964) - d Christopher Muir st Norman Kaye - ad is here

30) Manon (29 April 1964 Syd and 10 June 1964) - d Peter Page

31) Tosca (10 June 1964) - d Robert Allnut st Diana Perryman

32) Peter Grimes (1964) - d Christopher Muir - review is here

33) I Pagliacci (3 Feb 1965) - d Peter Page

34) Cinderella (May 1965) - d Robert Allnut

35) School for Fathers (30 June 1965) - d Oscar Whitbread

36)Louise (16 June 1965) - d Peter Page - poster here - review here

37) A Christmas Play (22 Dec 1965) - d Brian Faull

38) Gypsy Baron (2 March 1966) - w Johann Strauss

39) Amelia Goes to the Ball (25 May 1966) - w Menotti d Peter Page - ad here

40) Maestro A Capella

41) L'Heure Espagnole (May 1966?) d Chris Muir?

42) Die Fledermas (28 Apri 1967) - preview here

43) Madam Butterfly (19 April 1967) - d Peter Page - new production - review here

44) Carmen (24 Jan 1968) - d Peter Page st Ron Graham - see article here

45) The Dialogue of the Carmelites (NB Did this become Tosca?) Tosca (7 Feb 1968) - with Diana Perryman see here

46) Duke Bluebeard's castle by Barttok (27 Feb 1970) - article here,

47)The Human Voice by Poulenec (6 Mar 1970) - article here

48) Fall of the House of Usher by Aussie Larry Sitsky (13 March 1970) - article here - d Brian Bell - an Austrlaian piece

49) The Marriage Contract by Rossini (20 March 1970)

50) May 1970 aired 50th Schwamba the Bagpiper - a list of the 50 is here.

1. The Telephone
2. Amahl and Night Visitors
3. I Paliacci (1)
4. I Pagliacci (2)
5. Prima Donna
6. Cavalleria Rusticana
7. Rita
8. Marriage of Figaro
9. Medium
10. Bartered Bride
11. Even Unto Bethlehem
12. Albert Herring
13. Il Seraglio
14. La Boheme
15. Samson and Delilah
16. Il Tabarro
17. Secret of Susannah
18. Don Pasquale
19. Land of Smiles
20. L’Enfant Prodigue
21. Madame Butterfly I
22. Madame Butterfly II
23. La Sera Padrona
24. The Devil Take Her
25. The Consul
26. The Pearlfishers
27. Bastien and Bastienne
28. Hansel and Gretel
29. Fishers Ghost
30. Simone Boccanegra
31. Martha
32. Manon
33. Tosca
34. Peter Grimes
35. Cinderelle
36. School for Fathers
37. Louise
38. A Christmas Play
39. The Gypsy Baron
40. Amelia goes to the Ball
41. Maestro A Capella
42. L’Heure Espagnole
43. Die Fledermaus
44. Carmen
45. Dialogues of the Carmelites
46. La Voix Huimaine
47. Marriage Contract
48. Duke Bluebeards’s Castle
49. Fall of the House of Usher
50. Schwanda the Bagpiper

Age 21 May 1970

Ballets broadcast by ABC

** G'day Digger!** (11 Feb 1958) - m John Antill d Peter Page -first complete Australian ballet broadcast by ABC

*Voyager 1958)

** The Soldier's Tale (4 March 1959) - d William Sterling st. Robert Helpmann, Edward Brayshaw

** Giselle (8 April 1959) - d Chris Muir - ad here

* Ballet Studio (1959) - d Chris Muir
** The Nutcracker (6 April 1960) - d Chris Muir - filmed Melbourne
* Coppelia (1960) - d Chris Muir
* Sylvia (8 March 1961) - d Chris Muir
* Caranval (1961) - d Chris Muir

*Snowy (1961)

*The Tell Tale Heart (1961) - d Alan Burke

*Wakooka (1962) music John Antill

*Four O'Clock in the Afternoon (1962)

*Brolga (1962)

*The Beach Inspector and the Mermaid (1962)

*The Forbidden Rite** (17 July 1962) - d William Sterling m Robert Hughes - first ballet written for Australian TV

**The Sentimental Bloke (14 April 1963)

*Woodara (1963)

*Euroka (1963)

*Roundelay *(1964)

*L'amour Enchantee (1962) (The Lake)

*Suite Classical et Diabolique (1963)

* The Spider’s Banquet (3 July 1963) - d Chris Muir - ad is here
* One in Five (1963) - d Chris Muir - article here
** Robert Pomie Ballet (Oct 1963) - d Chris Muir - series of different ballets inc The New Horizon, The Fir Tree

* Hans Christian Anderson (25 Dec 1963) - d Chris Muir

*Once Upon a Whim (29 July 1964) - d Brian Faull - ad is here

* The Bloodless Sand (18 Oct 1964) - d Chris Muir

*The Mermaid (25 Dec 1964) - d Brian Faull

*The Display (1964)

*Dreaming Time Legends ** (4 Feb 1965) d Peter Page m John Anthill cheoreography Beth Dean
*The Illusionist (1965) - d Brian Faull - article here
* Seven Deadly Sins (1965) - d Chris Muir

Euroka

Brolga: A Dance of Time

*Ilyria (1966)

*The night is a Sorceress (1 July 1966) - d: Brian Faull - review here

*The Diplay (7 Dec 1966) - d Brian Faull w: Robert Helpmann - article here

*Die Fladermaus (April 1967) - d Brian Faull
* She** (29 Dec 1967) - d Chris Muir - set in an Antarctic base

Article on them here

ABC Ballets 1956-66 65 ballets, 50 overseas, 15 local

Abandoned film - Return Journey (1961)

Australian film about the Burke and Wills expedition. It was directed by William Sterling and written and produced by John Sherman.

Cast

* Edward Brayshaw as Wills

* Peter Carver as Burke

* Syd Conabere as King

* David Mitchell as Gray

Production

John Sherman originally submitted the script to the ABC who rejected it.

In 1961 filming began with a cast of four and a crew including Sterling and cameraman Gerry Vandenberg. Filming took place near Alice Springs. They had $12,000 in funds. The plan was to film it on 16 mm and blow it up to 35mm. Associate producer - Jack Russell.

Filming was difficult - there was trouble with the camera, colour stock and sound track.

The filmmakers did not have enough money to complete the feature film so it was recut as a documentary.

Crew. Associate producer - Jack Russell. Continuity - Nancy Yeates. Production assistant - Nevil Thurgood.

In 1966, when John Sherman died, Colin Bennett claimed he had seen three different versions and said the best was a 30 minute documentary version. However at that stage the film had not yet been released.