Australian TV Plays: Chance of a Ghost (26 Feb 1958)

Royston Morley's second production in Australia, following Point of Return.

The most interesting thing about this for me is the involvement of James Carhatt, an American living in Sydney at the time. There were one or two of these - Phil Albright was one.

So technically it was an "Australian" play, just very American in style. This was common on Australian radio at the time.

Premise

On New Year's Eve, a party of Americans have a celebrations at a penthouse where 20 years before a musical comedy star had been killed. One member of the party, Serena, becomes interested in the story. She becomes so obsessed she is "possessed" by the spirit of the dead woman and begins to look and behave like her.

Cast

Bert Bertram as Friend
Jacqueline Knott as Serena
Moray Powell
Walter Sullivan

Background

The idea for the plot came from a murder committed at the Medical Arts Building in New York. "For years afterwards no one would rent the place and it became known as the haunted penthouse," said James Carhartt who turned it into a radio play with Nicholas Winter.

Carhartt and Winter were Americans, who had written something called Finger Your Neck (an episode of Assignment Foreign Legion). They also wrote "Letter of Introduction" for Matinee Theatre in the US.

They arrived in Australia in March 1957. Finger Your Neck aired on Australian radio in June 1957.

The radio play of Chance of a Ghost aired in June 1957 by which time Winter had returned to the US but Carhatt decided to stay here for another year, living in Sydney.

Carhatt adapted the play for Australian television. It was his first venture into Australian TV. Rights cost 65 pounds.

James Carhatt was also known as James Carhardt, according to IMDB.

While in Australia, Carhatt wrote for Australian radio. He interviewed teenagers for a play called Chicken according to the Herald in July 1957. This seems to be about the car game of "chicken".

He later wrote radio plays Operation Moon Satellite (1958), Poor Harry (1958), The Man from MI5 (1959), and Mr and Mrs (1960). I think he may have died in 1964.

Radio Version

The play was performed on Australian radio in 1957. Moya O'Sullivan had her first acting role.

Production

It was Jacqueline Knott's first TV leading role. It was filmed in Sydney. Royston Morley directed.

Aired in Melbourne 28 March.

The NAA have photos, see here but not online. They also have a script see here. But not online.