Australian TV Plays: As You Are (4 June 1958)

Shot in Melbourne. From a play by Hugh Mills and Wells Root.

It aired in Sydney on 30 July.

The cast included George Ogilvie who later became a noted theatre director and made a film films including co directing Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

Premise

Fred Pearson, an underwear salesman from northern England, goes to the big city where he meets a con man, Largos, who sells him useless yarn. When he returns to this store and has samples made up, the underwear is transparent. The management refuses to buy yard from him and he loses his job. Just as the hire purchase firm is removing his furniture the yarn becomes valuable and with the help of his wife Lydia the situation is saved.

Cast

Paul Bacon as Fred Pearson
Georgina Batterham as Lydia Pearson
Agnes Dobson as Emma Pearson
George Ogilvie as Arnold Pearson
Fred Parslow as Gerald Dawson
Laurier Lange as Edward Dawson
Tony Roberts as Mr Patridge
Tony Brown as Chetwynd
Ria Tohler as Miss Fowler
Campbell Copelin as Mr Nelson
Max Bruch as Mr Largos
Ivan Pander and Ron Pinnel as removal men

Original Play

It was based on a play by Hugh Mills and Wells Root. Mills was British and Root was American. They were reported as collaborating on a version of The Beloved Vagabond in 1935.

They collaborated on the play As You Are which was called an "Aldwych farce" and had its debut in London in 1940. The Guardian called it "a neat little comedy". The Observer called it an "unscrupulous comedy". It ran for 98 performances.

Other adaptations

This play was filmed as a George Formby movie, Turned Out Nice Again, in 1941.

It was also adapted for British TV in 1948 (the BBC). Royston Morley directed that. Maybe that's why it was done in Australia - he recommended it.

The play was published in 1950.

Production

The play starred Paul Bacon an English actor living in Australia. Chris Muir directed. Sets by John Peters. Floor manager Gordon Petrie.

The NAA have a (non online) copy of the script see here.