Australian TV Plays: Off Centre (28 Feb 1962)

Play by John Elliot.

Premise

Joe Hunter is an eccentric air engineer. The action is set in an aircraft hanger and hops back and forth in time.

Cast

* Nigel Lovell as Joe Hunter

* Cherrie Butlin as his daughter in law Mavis

* Lynne Murphy

* Colin Croft

Original TV play

It was written by John Elliot (1918-97) a British writer. It was originally shot for the BBC in 1961.

Production

According to the ABC report of 1961-62 it was shot that year in Sydney.

Cheri Butlin was the daughter of Billy Butlin. She moved to Australia three years earlier to make it in showbusiness on her own merits. She had lost a job as host of a childrens show a few months earlier and said "the chance to play the lead in this play was a real morale booster."

I'm not sure who directed it. Graham Shirley interviewing Colin Dean in 2004 asks him about it but Dean doesn't remember anything about it. Maybe he did. Dean says "Mystery, that's a mystery. Absolutely. No recall. Nobody can tell me what it's about. There's, your list doesn't say what it does. No, it doesn't know. I mean, it wouldn't be too difficult to find out. But but at this stage, I don't have those details."

I think it was directed by Colin Dean. (Memos confirm).

Reception

The Sydney Morning Herald said "a shaky script was supported by an equally equivocal presentation."

I'm not sure if it ever aired in Melbourne.