The Small Victory
| The Small Victory | |
|---|---|
 Ad in The Age 26 Mar 1958 | |
| Directed by | William Sterling |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Production company | ABC |
| Original release | |
| Release | 26 March 1958 (Melbourne, live) 24 April 1958 (Sydney, taped)[1] |
Small Victory is a 1958 television play broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was set during the Korean War.[2] It was directed by William Sterling and was shot in Melbourne where it aired 26 March 1958.[3]
It was based on a play by Australian author Iain MacCormick. The ABC later broadcast Sound of Thunder and Act of Violence (1959) by MacCormick.[4] Australian TV drama at the time would customarily consist of adaptations of stories that had been tried overseas.[5]
Plot[edit]
During the Korean War a group of people are trapped by North Korean troops at the Mission School of the Sacred Heart, including a priest, Father Riley, and a nun, Sister Annalissa. American war correspondent Thompson helps Korean orphan Sophie sneak into the Mission School.
Cast[edit]
- Beverley Dunn as Sister Annalissa
- Brian James as Father Riley
- Sydney Conabere as Thompson
- Kira Daniels as Sophie
- John Morgan as the political leader
- Bettine Kaufman
- Neville Thurgood as Sgt Little
- Judith Godden
- Laurier Lange
- Kira Daniel
- Tony Roberts
Production[edit]
BBC lighting expert W.R. Whitmore helped with the production (he was in Australia giving lectures on lighting in Sydney and Melbourne). Whitmore had helped light the BBC version. James, Dunn and Morgan had just appeared in the TV play Gaslight.[3] It was one of a number of TV plays featuring Dunn.[6]
Director Will Sterling borrowed a machine gun from the army.[7]
Reception[edit]
According to The Age the production was "well received".[8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Looking Ahead on Channel 2". ABC Weekly. 23 April 1958. p. 33.
- ^ "From School Plays to Success on TV". The Age. 19 September 1958. p. 20.
- ^ a b "BBC Lighting Expert Helps Produce TV Play by Australian". The Age. 20 March 1959. p. 11.
- ^ "Play By Local Writer". Sydney Morning Herald. 23 March 1959. p. 19.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
- ^ Lane, Richard (2000). The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama Volume 2. National Film and Sound Archive. pp. 132–134.
- ^ "Personalities in News from the Studios". The Age. 3 April 1958. p. 21.
- ^ ""Live" Variety Show in Unusual Setting". The Age. 11 April 1958. p. 29.
External links[edit]
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- Australian television plays
- 1958 Australian television plays
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming
- Australian English-language television shows
- Australian live television shows
- Black-and-white Australian television shows
- Korean War films
- Television plays directed by William Sterling
- Australian television film stubs
- Korean War stubs
- War film stubs