Australian TV Plays: Mine Own Executioner (20 April 1960)

After a burst of Australian material the ABC went back to more road-tested story sources: an adaptation of a much-filmed British novel. There was a 1947 British feature film.

Premise

Psychiatrist Felix Milne (Brian James) is treating a schizophrenic ex-war pilot Adam Lucian . Felix and his wife Pat are incompatible, but he is attracted to Barbara, wife of Peter Edge, who are friends of the Milnes.

Adam has made two attempts to kill his wife, who begs Felix to treat her husband.

Cast

Brian James as Felix Milne
June Brunell as Pat Milne
Edward Brayshaw as Adam Lucian
Beverley Phillips as Barbara
Roland Renshaw as Peter Edge
Marcella Burgoyne as Molly Lucian
Wynne Roberts
Kurt Ludescher
Edward Howell
Campbell Copelin
Kendrick Hudson
James Lynch
Lloyd Cunnington

Original Novel

Nigel Balchin's novel was published in 1945. A complete copy is here.

Other adaptations

It was turned into a heavily publicised 1947 British film starring Burgess Meredith and produced by Alex Korda.

I think psychiatry was very cool at the time.

The play was performed on Australian radio in 1952 and in 1954 and in 1956.

It was adapted by BBC radio in 1951 with Rex Rienits doing the adaptation - maybe he suggested it be done. The BBC did it for TV in 1959.

Production

This was shot in Melbourne under the direction of Will Sterling.

The ABC were going to film Mine Own Executioner as the first play of the year. But they could not get the rights (they did manage to film it later) so Kerr had to wrote a play in a short period of time. This became Heart Attack. Brian James disliked that script and dropped out to be replaced by John Morgan.

The ABC obviously cleared up the rights to Executioner later.

Japanese soldiers were played by Malayan students studying in Australia under the Colombo Plan. They were reluctant to beat up Brayshaw according to TV Times. "You're being too gentle," he told them.

Sterling said the play was more adult than ususal fare calling it "real AO stuff. Apart from this interrogation scene, there are some pretty frank love scenes and discussions of some problems that aren't often mentioned on TV."

The ABC version was substantially the same as the BBC version said TV Times with the added variety of several filmed inserts.

Reception

The Australian Woman's Weekly called it "the best live TV drama yet."

The Age said the production was a "waste of time" claiming the script was "dated".

TV Times said "the chief fault with this adaptation lies with its scrappiness."