Mischief in the Air by Max Afford (1944)

 

 Plays by Max Afford

Premise

The action takes place in a Rex Broadcasting Studios, a station  owned by Larry Carlson, a former Australian soldier, and Clay Tuttle, an American serviceman. Larry manages the business while Clay writes scripts. Larry is engaged to Fern, a doctor. Larry and Clay need the interest of sponsors Mc McGuinness, a Scotsman and Mr Mandelberg, a Jewish new Australian, but problems arise when the former falls dead.  Fern figures out it was due to poison.

Other characters include novelist Mrs Van Leydon, studio supervisor Arnold Vickery, actor Clarence Parsons and his wife Muriel. Fern, Larry  and Clay decide to hide McGuinness' corpse until Mandelberg signs the deal.  But it turns out the dead person isn't McGuinness. It's McGuinness' brother a Commonwealth Investigations officer investigating foreign spies working at Woomera and broadcating in code. The trio decide to solve the case themselves.

While they are figuring out who poisoned Charles McGuinness (the killer used poisoned darks bought by Van Leydon a New Guina expert), the real McGuiness wants to arrive. Mandleberg loses his diamond ring. They think the agent is Vickery. Fern persuades Mandleberg to sign the contract. Then Charles McGunnis comes back to life. He was paralysed. They realise Vicket is innocent (Fern tells them they read the note in his pocket wrongly).

Fern, who becomes the lead, realises the killer is Van Leydon - she used a lipstick device as a blow pipe. Van Leydon is about to kill Fern but is disrupted by a murder mystery play that is on.

Thoughts on play: Okay. Fast. Good that the women characters, Fern and Val Leydon, had jobs. Depiction of Jewish businessmen. Dodgy plotting. It could be fun.

Complete text is here via Gutenberg or here via Austlit.  First performance with JC Williamsons although in an early session.  Done in conjunction with 2GB and Macquarie see here.

Ausstage is here. Austlit is here.

SMH review:

NEW AUSTRALIAN PLAY AT ROYAL
Smoother development of mystery and comedy make Max Afford’s “Mis- chief in the Air,” which was pioneered at the Theatre Royal last night, a more satisfying play than his “Lady in Danger.” In this latest play, which a capacity audience enjoyed, Mr. Afford is clearly over-sworn to intricacies of plot many of them neat and engaging rather than to plausibility of psychology In his characters. Mr. Afford makes the mistake of continuing his story too long after the real denouement so that there is complete anti-cllmax and no real “capping” at his final curtain. While the craftsmanship with which he has built up his suspense and a couple of most entertaining “red herrings” is admirable, it is also plain that the intricacy of his plotting has not left a great deal of theatre art to producer or cast. The producer, John Alden, would be wise not to allow his funny man, Edwin Finn, to be such a buffoon as to destroy the audience’s chances of taking him seriously at a time when he should be taken seriously. Mr. Finn’s prim, managerial character Is overdone; so, In rarer spots, is Edward Howell’s rather clever Jew. Alleen Britton and John Mccallum in the central roles are adequate, despite obvious limitation of gesture and expression to a standardised series of tricks.-L.B.

Daily Tele

TP anything was necessary for Max Afford to establish himself as an outstanding Australian playwright, he has produced it in his new comedy thriller, “Mischief in the Air,” current “five-thirty” show at the Royal. It is an ingenious, plausible tale, with smart, up-to-the-minute dialogue, suspense, continual surprise; a moment of horror. The story tells of the efforts of two discharged servicemen — one Australian, the other American — to establish a radio station, and the complications that ensue when an attempt is made to murder a National Security Officer sent to discover who is using the station to send messages to the Japanese. The cast is headed by pleasant- voiced John McCallum and attractive, competent Aileen Britton. Ed win Finn was more than excellent as the studio manager who is so upset by everything that he “wishes he had never left the ribbon counter.” Edward Howell was less happy as the “omen” — conscious sponsor — the type of refugee who, “given a door handle and a roller-blind, finishes up with a block of flats.” — N.K. ? 

Leslie Rees, Towards Australian Drama