Curly on the Rack: Difference between revisions
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'''''Curly on the Rack''''' is a 1958 Australian play by [[Ru Pullan]] set in [[Rabaul]] after World War II. |
'''''Curly on the Rack''''' is a 1958 Australian play by [[Ru Pullan]] set in [[Rabaul]] after World War II. |
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Pullan was an experienced radio writer. The play came about from a discussion Pullan had with a friend about treasure left behind in the war.<ref>{{Cite magazine|magazine=ABC Weekly|title= Talkabout|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1435956393|date=21 May 1958|page=47}}</ref> |
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It was presented by the [[Elizabethan Theatre Trust]] at a time when production of Australian plays was rare.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51941028 |title=Rush for show she won't see. |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] | date=9 July 1958 |accessdate=24 May 2015 |page=31 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> |
It was presented by the [[Elizabethan Theatre Trust]] at a time when production of Australian plays was rare.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51941028 |title=Rush for show she won't see. |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] | date=9 July 1958 |accessdate=24 May 2015 |page=31 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> |
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==Plot== |
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After World War Two, two brothers, the tough Max and the gentler Harry, live in Rabaul with their sister Pet, salvaging war time equipment. Their truck driver, Curly, waits for his opportunity to recover £10,000 he planted on a nearby island during the Japanese invasion along with a fellow soldier called Scobie. Scobie arrives, having lost both his legs during the war, demanding his half of the money. Smith, a philosophical drunk, comments on the action. |
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==Cast of Original Production== |
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*Stewart Ginn as Scobie |
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*John Gray as Smith |
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*Coralie Neville as Pet Finton |
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*Max Osbiston as Harry |
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*[[Grant Taylor (Australian actor)|Grant Taylor]] as Max Finton |
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*[[Ken Wayne]] as Harry Finton |
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*Owen Weingott as Tim, a ship's captain |
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==Reception== |
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Reviewing the original production, ''The Bulletin'' said "the dramatic cliches and tortuous contrivings that go with resolving the situations are rather less than bearable, and the scene wherein Scobie recovers his manhood and Max reveals his yellow streak must be one of the most preposterous bits of hoo-ha served to an audience for many a day."<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=The Bulletin|page=24|date=10 September 1958|title= SUNDRY SHOWS TALKIES THEATRE MUSIC ART |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-702819977 }}</ref> |
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The ''Sydney Morning Herald'' said the play "ran a wayward course through melodramatic shallows" and "had an entertaining enough adventure yarn to tell, but Mr Pullan seemed unable to develop the issues of his intriguing first act in a rich way through the stationary second, and then abandoned adventure to turn his third act into a much too rapid_, much too tritely tremulous, much too improbable study of a wrecked man's redemption into full and confident manhood." The paper's reviewer added that the "dialogue had the surface fluency to be expected of an experienced hand in day-to-dsy radio writing, but the play...had something of radio's way of forcing over-heated dramatics into situations that could seem more plausible if allowed to generate more stealthily."<ref>{{cite new|newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald|date=4 September 1958|title=Rabaul Setting for New Play|page=5}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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Revision as of 09:27, 19 April 2020
Curly on the Rack is a 1958 Australian play by Ru Pullan set in Rabaul after World War II.
Pullan was an experienced radio writer. The play came about from a discussion Pullan had with a friend about treasure left behind in the war.[1]
It was presented by the Elizabethan Theatre Trust at a time when production of Australian plays was rare.[2]
Plot
After World War Two, two brothers, the tough Max and the gentler Harry, live in Rabaul with their sister Pet, salvaging war time equipment. Their truck driver, Curly, waits for his opportunity to recover £10,000 he planted on a nearby island during the Japanese invasion along with a fellow soldier called Scobie. Scobie arrives, having lost both his legs during the war, demanding his half of the money. Smith, a philosophical drunk, comments on the action.
Cast of Original Production
- Stewart Ginn as Scobie
- John Gray as Smith
- Coralie Neville as Pet Finton
- Max Osbiston as Harry
- Grant Taylor as Max Finton
- Ken Wayne as Harry Finton
- Owen Weingott as Tim, a ship's captain
Reception
Reviewing the original production, The Bulletin said "the dramatic cliches and tortuous contrivings that go with resolving the situations are rather less than bearable, and the scene wherein Scobie recovers his manhood and Max reveals his yellow streak must be one of the most preposterous bits of hoo-ha served to an audience for many a day."[3]
The Sydney Morning Herald said the play "ran a wayward course through melodramatic shallows" and "had an entertaining enough adventure yarn to tell, but Mr Pullan seemed unable to develop the issues of his intriguing first act in a rich way through the stationary second, and then abandoned adventure to turn his third act into a much too rapid_, much too tritely tremulous, much too improbable study of a wrecked man's redemption into full and confident manhood." The paper's reviewer added that the "dialogue had the surface fluency to be expected of an experienced hand in day-to-dsy radio writing, but the play...had something of radio's way of forcing over-heated dramatics into situations that could seem more plausible if allowed to generate more stealthily."[4]
References
- ^ "Talkabout". ABC Weekly. 21 May 1958. p. 47.
- ^ "Rush for show she won't see". The Australian Women's Weekly. 9 July 1958. p. 31. Retrieved 24 May 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "SUNDRY SHOWS TALKIES THEATRE MUSIC ART". The Bulletin. 10 September 1958. p. 24.
- ^ "Rabaul Setting for New Play". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 September 1958. p. 5.