Australian TV Plays: Duke in Darkness (10 Oct 1957)

This was based on a play by Patrick Hamilton. According to the ABC advertising it was the ninth live play shot in Melbourne.

It's one of Hamilton's lesser known works. He was popular with the ABC drama department around this time - they also filmed Rope and The Governess.

Premise

In 1580, during the French Civil Wars, the Duke of Latteraine has been imprisoned in the Chateau Lamorre for 15 years, together with his servant, Gribaud. The Duke has feigned blindness in the hope that it will aid his eventual escape.

As the two men play a tense game of chess, it becomes evident that confinement has caused Gribaud to lose his reason.

They are visited by an erstwhile friend named Voulain, now in the service of the enemy, who tries to persuade the Duke that he is still loyal to him. Voulain sets out a daring plan of escape.

The Duke must decide whether he can be trusted—and determine what to do with a loyal, mad companion who could be the plan's undoing.

Cast

Brian James as the Duke
Walter Brown
Syd Conabere
Lisle Jones
John Morgan
Philip Stainton

Original Play

The play had its origins in an idea by Hamilton in 1928 about Napoleon on St Helena. He changed it to 16th century France. It was a historical melodrama. Napoleon became the Duke of Latterine imprisoned for fifteen years.

Based on an episode in the French civil wars of 1580, it takes place entirely in the chateau where the E)uke of Laterraine has been imprisoned by his enemy, the Duke of Lamorre, for fifteen years. Vfith only an half-crazed servant, Gnbaud, as companion, he is simulating blindness to cover his plot to escape; and he effects this escape, in the end, by an ingenious trick with the aid of his keeper, Voulain, a spy from his own people. Voulain s unavailing attempts to convince the Duke that he is not trying to trap him on the question of his blindness, but is truly an emissary from the rising people, give the first scene the effect of a game of chess, a matching of wit against wit; and indeed the chessboard on which the Duke constantly plays with Gribaud provides a symbol of the action throughout. Gribaud’s increasing madness, his crazed hatred of the Duke alternating with natural affection in his moments of lucidity, provide the play with its principal motif of suspense! here there is constant danger of treachery, and in the end the poor servant, against the good Duke’s will, has to be sacrificed in the cause of liberty. There was a real human perception in the Duke’s clinging to this pathetic creature, the sharer of his long imprison¬ ment, and his death was a moving moment of the play. So, too, was the Duke’s hesitation at the last when the doors stood wide for his escape: “I cannot go — this is my home — I have lived here for fifteen years. ...”

The play debuted in London in 1942. The production starred Michael Redgrave, who also directed, which is pretty cool. It was published in 1943. Redgrave wrote in his memoirs "meanwhile Linnit had other plans for me: a play by Patrick Hamilton, The Duke in Darkness, a costume melodrama, with a bravura part for Leslie Banks as the Duke and for me as his tailor, Gribaud. I enjoyed playing the tailor and, best of all, I could take real satisfaction in the production. Yet this play, too, despite our good notices, failed. Perhaps it was too sombre for its time."

It had a run on Broadway in 1944. Raymond Burr was in the cast! It ran for 24 performances.

It wasn't as successful as other Hamilton plays. Read about it in a biography of the author here.

Other versions

The play was filmed by the BBC in 1948. The BBC stamp of approval! No archival copy of this production is known to exist. The BBC filmed it in 1958.

It was filmed by Canadian TV in 1953 and 1954.

BBC radio adapted it in 1944, 1947 and 1950.

The play was revived in London in 2013.

It was performed on commercial Australian radio in 1946 and in 1955. It was performed on stage in Melbourne in 1953.

Production

It was shot in Melbourne and aired in Sydney on 13 November 1957. It went for 60 minutes.

John Peters designed the set and Chris Muir directed.

James Carhatt did the adaptation - I don't know a lot about him.

The NAA have a script. Not oneline but details here. They have some information about the play - not sure what it is. See here. They may have a radio script. See here.