Australian TV Plays: December 2022

Which TV plays would've made good films

Original TV plays

- Shadow of a Pale Horse

- Reunion Day

- The Devil Makes Sunday

- The Grey Nurse Said Nothing

- Reflections in Dark Glasses

- The Tape Recorder

- Light Me a Lucifer

- East of Christmas

- A Time to Speak

- Stormy Petrel

Which were based on plays that could've made good films? The Shifting Heart, One Day of the Year, The Tower, Lola Montez, Night of the Ding Dong, Slaughter of St Teresa's Day, Lady in Danger.

Visatone

Production company in the 1950s and 1960s.

Mentioned in 1956. K Sledge manager.

Macdonald and Henry acquire an interest in 1960 see here. EMI also had an interest see here.

In 1962 reported they were working on They Found a Cave see here.

In 1963 Sledge gives evidence at Vincent Committee see here. Also at that Committee, Chairman of Visatone I Brodie talks about plans to make When the Cross Called Over by Darcy Niland see here.

1963 they made film Sugar in Fiji which won an award see here.

NSW State Library has 1965 photo of show called Doc Henderson starring Brian James see here. Have no idea about this. More photos are here.

Sept 1963 Don Houghton tells Guild working on cop show.

AWG Oct 1963

Associated Rediffusion Co Pro

See also entries on The Right Thing, Stella, Concord of Sweet Sounds.

Unproducer Alan Seymour play set in Japan.

NAA Associated Rediffusion


NAA Associated RediffusionNAA Associated Rediffusion

NAA Associated Rediffusion

Jeff Underhill (1927-78)

Credits

*The Ballad of Angel's Alley (1958) - stage musical

*Night of the Ding Dong (1961)

*Alice in Wonderland (1962) - writer

*In Melbourne Tonight (1962-65) - writer

*The Noel Ferrier Show (1964) - writer

*The Small Wonder (1966) - writer

*Noises in Another Room (1972) - writer

Member of 1959 Writers' Workshop.

He was a regular writer on the Friday night edition of In Melbourne Tonight hosted by Noel Ferrier, who wrote in his memoirs that Underhill "possessed one of the most original talents for script writing I have ever encountered and I was extraordinarily luck to have him on the team. He wrote the entire show - no small effort on a weekly basis."

Sharkfishers by Colin Thiele (unmade)

Script was to have been done in 1959 by Ray Menmuir but not made. Neil hutchison told Will Sterling about it below.

NAA Neil Hutchison

Eric McCleery (1926-2004)

ABC director.

In 1957 Neil Hutchison said his "productions have so far been rather disappointing and who we feel might well be left to cut his teeth on simpler programmes before he undertakes any more drama."

McCleery was a staff director there - did Village Glee Club, Kindergarten Playtime, as well as drama like The Right Person. He transferred to talks in 1959 and I think emigrated to Canada in 1961. An obituary is here.

Credits

*Holiday in Biarritz (1957)

*The Right Person

Obit

ERIC JOHN MCCLEERY After being diagnosed with cancer only one month ago, Eric passed away on Sunday, July 18, 2004. Born in Melbourne, Australia on the 18th of September, 1926, he is survived by his loving wife of 31 years, Gail Einarson-McCleery O.F., Honorary Consul for Iceland, and by his two sons Andy and Cameron, from his first marriage to Joan (deceased 1971) and four grandchildren, Sean, Lauren, Christopher and Esther. He also leaves Joanne (Cam's wife) and in Australia his sister Lois, his niece Liana and nephew David, and in Vancouver Gail's daughter Lesley and her family. Eric was studying to become an aeronautical engineer but as World War II came to a close and the cold war began, he found a career in international broadcasting as a news announcer for Radio Australia. Eric then became a pioneer of Australian television being one of the first three producers at the Australian Broadcasting Commission in Melbourne. He produced and directed documentaries and variety programs for five years, notably live multi camera broadcasts of several plays. Arriving in Canada in 1961 with his first wife and two children, he joined the CBC and produced shows such as 'Let's Speak English', 'Country Calendar' and 'This Land'. At the CBC Eric was again a pioneer, producing CBC's cutting edge program 'Analog', the first business analysis and stock market program of its kind. Eric retired after 25 years of service. Although he was a Canadian citizen for almost forty years, Eric delighted in his Australian heritage and many of the friendships 'down under ' he kept throughout the years. During Eric's brief illness he received many visits, e-mails and calls from all around the world which cheered him greatly. He enjoyed wonderful memories. The family thanks the staff at St. Joseph's Health Centre, in particular Dr. Jon Blondal, and the caring staff and volunteers at St. Michael's Palliative Care Unit. Friends may call at Turner & Porter, Yorke Chapel, 2357 Bloor St. West, at Windermere, east of Jane subway from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 pm on Thursday, July 22. Service the following day, Friday, July 23, 2004 at Morningside-High Park Presbyterian Church, 4 Morningside Ave. Toronto at 2 p.m. Cremation and interment at a later date. Reception to follow in the church hall. In Eric's honour, flowers or donations to Morningside Presbyterian or The Icelandic National League of N.A. or the Canadian Cancer Society (Ontario chapter) would be gratefully accepted.

Published by The Globe and Mail on Jul. 20, 2004.

NAA William Sterling

Countdown at Woomera (13 June 1961)

Play on British TV. IMDB page is here. ITV play of the week. BFI page here.

Plot

In 1968 the European and British Commonwealth Space Federation are about to send a manned space craft to the moon.

Cast
*Neil McCallum as Robert McKerrell, the man going into space

*Sylvia Kay as Margaret Paisley, his girlfriend

*Patrick Barr as Gen. O’Connor, the Australian in charge of the program

*John Welsh as Sir Robert Trevelyan, the Cabinet minister

*Fred Abbott as Tracker
Ian Anderson

*Terence Bayler as Checker
*Michael Blakemore as Public Relations Officer
*Roger Clayton as Tracker
*Lorne Cossette
8Allan Cuthbertson as Supt. Steel
*Brian Dent as Tracker
*David Ryder as Checker
*Jeffrey Gardiner
*John Glyn-Jones as Dr Newton
*Ernest Hare
*Edward Harvey as Home Secretary
*John Herrington
*Robert Hewitt
*Lesley Jackson

*Annette Kerr
*Trevor Maskell
*John Matthews as Checker

*John Miller as Prime Minister
*Max Miradin
*Bobby R. Naidoo
*Ben Nightingale
*Edmund Otero
*Howard Pays
*John Read as Checker
*George Roubicek as Tracker
*Alister Smart as Checker
*Charles Stanley as Checker
*John Tate as Prof. Leighton
*Leon Thau as Checker
*Mira Tomek
*Maurice Travers as Checker
*Paul Williamson
*Alan Wilson
*Terence Woodfield

Director - Cyril Coke. Writer - Henry Bentinck

Producer

Writer Henry Bentick got the idea from looking at a woman gazing at the moon and wondering what it would be like for a girl whose boyfriend went to the moon. See here.