A Woman Scorned (radio serial)

A Woman Scorned is a 1951 Australian radio serial by Betty Roland. It was the inspiration for the television series Return to Eden.[1][2]

A Woman Scorned
Sydney Truth 11 Feb 1951
Genredrama serial
Running time60 mins(played as 15 min episodes as well)
Country of originAustralia
Language(s)English
Home station2UW
Written byBetty Roland
Lorna Bingham
Produced byNell Stirling
Original release1951
No. of series1
No. of episodes13

The series consisted of thirteen one-hour episodes.[3]

Roland was asked to write a 52-episode radio serial by Nell Sterling of George Edwards Productions. The serial was to be aimed at the female listener. Roland decided to write something about a woman scorned. Roland wrote 40 episodes and says she had writer's block so Lorna Bingham wrote the remaining twelve. Roland then moved to London.[4]

Premise

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A plain looking woman, Johanna Van Hyssen, is taken by a lion in Africa. She gets plastic surgery from Peter Vereker who turns her into a beauty. She gets revenge on the man who threw her to the lion.[5]

Cast

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  • Neva Carr Glynn
  • Moray Powell
  • Reginald Goldsworthy,
  • Dinah Shearing
  • Junee Cornell
  • Tom Farley
  • Harvey Adams
  • Lloyd Berrell
  • Alan White[6]
  • Charles McCallum
  • Walter Sullivan

Return to Eden

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Michael Laurence who wrote Return to Eden was inspired by his memories of the serial which he heard when he was thirteen. He decided to update it to the present day.[7] Laurence originally wanted to turn it into a film but got it made as a mini series.[8]

Roland tried to get payment for the film rights and a legal fight ensued. She settled for $5,000.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Jayne Regan, 'Roland, Betty (1903–1996)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published online 2020, accessed online 20 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Advertising", ABC Weekly, 13 (6), Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Commission, 10 February 1951, nla.obj-1441818961, retrieved 20 December 2023 – via Trove
  3. ^ "Advertising". Truth. No. 3185. New South Wales, Australia. 11 February 1951. p. 34. Retrieved 20 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ a b "For over 30 years Betty Roland sat on a diamond mine and did nothing aboutn it". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 October 1983. p. 43.
  5. ^ "Advertising". Brisbane Telegraph. Queensland, Australia. 7 June 1951. p. 19. Retrieved 20 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "On The Air". The Manning River Times and Advocate for the Northern Coast Districts of New South Wales. Vol. 82. New South Wales, Australia. 24 February 1951. p. 5. Retrieved 20 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Waxing while others wane". The Age. 23 September 1982. p. 2.
  8. ^ "For the writer, Eden was just sheer fun". The Sydney Morning Herald. 25 September 1983. p. 64.