A comedy based on a 1936 radio play by W. Graeme-Holder... a New Zealander! For me this falls into the "why the hell did they make this instead of something with local appeal" category. But at least he was a Kiwi.
It was broadcast live in Sydney on 23 April 1957 and shown in Melbourne on 24 May.
PremiseThe hour is midnight and two gentlemen, John and James, are burgling the London flat of Madeleine
Bloom, a wealthy actor from Australia who is fulfilling an engagement in London. They are interrupted by a lady who accuses them
of trespass. They attempt to bluff their way out but this becomes more difficult when a patrolling constable appears.
"The Wraith" is the name of a mysterious burglar.
Cast- Leonard Bullen - John
- Normal Cull - James
- Joan Lord - Lady
Original play
Graeme Holder (1890-1945) who wrote the original play was an
Englishman who emigrated to New Zealand. So it was written by a Kiwi. In 1927 he was living in NZ. In May 1939 he was living in Wellington. Apparently winning a competition enabled him to write full time.
He
died in 1945. His obit is here. Very few New Zealand authors were adapted for Australian television. Bruce Stewart, I guess.
It was performed on Australian radio 2BL (ABC station) in 1936 (another link here), in Adelaide in 1937. Paul O'Loughlin directed a radio version in 1939. NZ papers in 1937 republished a letter from an Aussie criticising the Australian radio production. Their own cultural cringe?
Other adaptations
The play was performed on BBC radio in October 1939 and in Jan 1939. It was performed on radio in the US in 1939 and Canada that year. The Canadian production was directed by John Cairns, an Australian on loan to the CBC. They did an ABC-CBC exchange program see here.
But was it New Zealand first? It played on NZ radio in January 1939.
ProductionIt was shot in Sydney. Early work from director Will Sterling.
The NAA has a photo of the production (not online). See here. Neil Hutchison disliked it - see below.
Designer - Desmonde Dowling. Producer - William Sterling. Staging supervisor - Peter Owen.
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ABC Weekly 20 April 1957 p 33
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SMH 23 April 1957 p 7
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