They Were Big, They Were Blue, They Were Beautiful: Difference between revisions
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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Set in Sydney. Two men, after being released from prison, unintentionally become involved in a baby kidnapping plot. |
Set in Sydney. Two men (Stewart Ginn and Kevin Brennan), after being released from prison, unintentionally become involved in a baby kidnapping plot. |
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==Cast== |
==Cast== |
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*[[Stewart Ginn (actor)|Stewart Ginn]] |
*[[Stewart Ginn (actor)|Stewart Ginn]] |
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*[[Kevin Brennan (actor)|Kevin Brennan]] |
*[[Kevin Brennan (actor)|Kevin Brennan]] |
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*[[June Salter]] |
*[[June Salter]] as Ginn's girlfriend |
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*Fifi Banvard |
*Fifi Banvard as the landlady of the house |
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*Diana Davidson |
*Diana Davidson |
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*Gordon Glenwright |
*Gordon Glenwright |
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The ''Woman's Weekly'' critic called it "embarrassingly bad to watch".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44798327 |title=Good telecasts make TV real magic box |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] |volume=27 |issue=10 |location=Australia, Australia |date=12 August 1959 |accessdate=1 March 2017 |page=58 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> |
The ''Woman's Weekly'' critic called it "embarrassingly bad to watch".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44798327 |title=Good telecasts make TV real magic box |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] |volume=27 |issue=10 |location=Australia, Australia |date=12 August 1959 |accessdate=1 March 2017 |page=58 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> |
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''The Age'' said "there was not much to enthuse about" calling the play "feeble, thin and unfunny."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19590813&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|newspaper=The Age|date=August 13, 1959|page=14|title=Prize Play Feeble, Thin and Unfunny}}</ref> |
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In 1992 [[June Salter]] said it was the worst play or show she had ever been in.<ref>{{cite news|title=Low Cut Lines|newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald|date=17 January 1992|page=43}}</ref> |
In 1992 [[June Salter]] said it was the worst play or show she had ever been in.<ref>{{cite news|title=Low Cut Lines|newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald|date=17 January 1992|page=43}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 10:30, 2 May 2020
| "They Were Big, They Were Blue, They Were Beautiful" | |
|---|---|
| Shell Presents episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 4 |
| Directed by | David Cahill |
| Teleplay by | Ross Napier |
| Produced by | Brett Porter |
| Original air dates | 27 June 1959 (Sydney, live) 8 August 1959 (Melbourne)[1] |
| Running time | 60 mins |
They Were Big, They Were Blue, They Were Beautiful is an Australian television movie, or rather a live television play, which aired in 1959. It aired as part of Shell Presents, a monthly presentation of standalone productions which aired from 1959 to 1960 on ATN-7 in Sydney and GTV-9 in Melbourne. Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time.[2]
In contrast with the first three episodes of Shell Presents, which were tragedies, this was a comedy. It was also the first based on an original Australian script.[3]
It was broadcast live in Sydney and later shown in Melbourne via a video-tape recording.
Plot
Set in Sydney. Two men (Stewart Ginn and Kevin Brennan), after being released from prison, unintentionally become involved in a baby kidnapping plot.
Cast
- Stewart Ginn
- Kevin Brennan
- June Salter as Ginn's girlfriend
- Fifi Banvard as the landlady of the house
- Diana Davidson
- Gordon Glenwright
Production
The original script, by Ross Napier, won third prize of £400in the £3,000 Shell Australian TV drama competition.[4][5]
First prize when to a play about Victoria's "Black Friday" on 13 January 1939, "The Day Called Black," by Robin Cornfield. Second prize went to "The Bed by the Window" about a hospital murder by Paul Chidlow. The first prize for adaptations went to Charles Phillips for an adaptation of the Henry Lawson story "Send Around the Hat." Second prize went to Catherine Hamilton for an adaptation of the Emlyn Williams play, "The Druid's Rest". James Downing won third prize for adapting the Victorian Sardou story, "The Black Pearl." The judges, Harry Dearth, Royston Morley, and John McCallum, said the standard of entries was disappointingly low.[6]
Australian's Governor General, Sir William Slim visited the set and watched dress rehearsals.[7]
The budget of the show was £3,070.[8]
Reception
The TV critic for the Sydney Morning Herald wrote that the "chief fault" of the play was it "stretched half an hour's worth of material over an hour-long format" and "the direct, waist-high frontal attack of director David Cahill's cameras. A little more imagination in the choice of angles and distance would have considerably reduced this monotony of observation" however it praised the touches and thought "the actors served... [the writer] well.[9]
The Woman's Weekly critic called it "embarrassingly bad to watch".[10]
The Age said "there was not much to enthuse about" calling the play "feeble, thin and unfunny."[11]
In 1992 June Salter said it was the worst play or show she had ever been in.[12]
See also
References
- ^ "TV Guide". The Age. 6 August 1959. p. 16.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
- ^ "T. V. HIGHLIGHTS". The Biz. New South Wales, Australia. 17 June 1959. p. 21. Retrieved 28 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Marshall, Val (14 June 1959). "TV Merry Go Round". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 70.
- ^ "T. V. HIGHLIGHTS". The Biz. New South Wales, Australia. 17 June 1959. p. 21. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Win to Vic in £3,000 TV Play Quest". Sydney Morning Herald. 11 March 1959. p. 9.
- ^ "Gov Gen at ATN". Sydney Morning Herald. 28 June 1959. p. 7.
- ^ "Applications". Sydney Morning Herald. 27 November 1959. p. 14.
- ^ ""Live "Shell" Play On Television". Sydney Morning Herald. 29 June 1959. p. 4.
- ^ "Good telecasts make TV real magic box". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 27, no. 10. Australia, Australia. 12 August 1959. p. 58. Retrieved 1 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Prize Play Feeble, Thin and Unfunny". The Age. 13 August 1959. p. 14.
- ^ "Low Cut Lines". Sydney Morning Herald. 17 January 1992. p. 43.
