Australian TV Plays: Black Limelight (15 July 1959)

Shot in Melbourne. Based on some play by someone called Gordon Sherry. Hutchison called it "a corny old piece".

Broadcast in Sydney on 22 July 1959.

Premise

A married man, Peter, is suspected of murdering his mistress, Lily. His wife Mary fights to clear his name. She discovers his lawyer friend is the killer.

In her suburban cottage. Mary Charrington is besieged by press and police. A month ago, a young woman called Lily James was murdered in a seaside cottage and the main suspect was her lover, Mary's husband Peter. Peter has disappeared and the police are searching for him.

It is believed that the man who killed Lily is the famous Dorest killer, who murders children when the moon is full. Could Peter be the killer.

Mary fights to clear her husband's name.

Cast

Patricia Kennedy as Mary Charrington
Bruce Beeby as Peter Charrington
Diana Bell
Moira Carleton
Frank Gatliff as lawyer friend
Ken Goodlet
Laurie Lange
Joy Mitchell
Beverley Phillips as the girlfriend
Nevil Thurgood

Original play

Was by someone called Gordon Sherry (IMDB says this is a pseudonym for HB Sheridan).

It had a run on Broadway in Nov 1936. It ran for 64 performances.

It was performed in the West End in April 1937. A review is here which calls it a "workmanlike tragedy". It was a hit and ran for more than 400 performances at one theatre and transferred to another one in May 1938. This production starred Margaret Rawlings who is profiled here in 1952 for ABC Weekly.

The playwright was British and this article says the idea was to do a simultaneous debut in London and New York. This article here calls Sherry an "arrant bohemian" and says he did all sort of things before his play including being an actor. In 1939 he wrote a play about a nudist camp called The Bare Idea. He was 54 years old then. Another article about him is here.

It was performed on stage in Melbourne and Sydney (at the Minerva) in 1939 see here.

Other Adaptations

It was turned into a 1938 British film with Raymond Massey.

It was filmed for TV by the BBC in 1952 (a review is here), again in Britain in 1956 (for Armchair Theatre), and again in 1962 (for the BBC).

It was adapted for ABC radio by Max Afford. There was a version in 1943, 1944. Ray Menmuir directed a version of this script in 1954. Patricia Kennedy appeared in a 1958 version, also from Afford's script.

There was a version for Maquarie Network in 1947. There was a version in 1949, not sure if ABC or commercial.

Production

It was made in Melbourne with William Sterling directing.

A bathing scene was shot at Canadian Bay. It also included scenes shot in North Balwyn.

Patricia Kennedy had a five minute monologue which was reportedly the longest speech up to that moment on Melbourne TV drama.

Reception

The TV critic from The Sydney Morning Herald thought that "Patricia Kennedy's remarkable dramatic strength in the big leading role did much to minimise the gimmicky construction of thriller plot and some lack of incisive editing" and that "William Sterling's production was, in most places, worthy of the material."

The critic from The Age said "there wasn't a great deal to enthuse about... Channel 2 can and will do more significant dramas.

LITV called it "absorbing" (see below).