Barnstable is a 1963 Australian television play which had been performed on British TV.[4][5][6] It was filmed in Melbourne. Sandra Power was the barrell girl from In Melbourne Tonight making her acting debut.[1]

Barnstable
The Age 7 August 1963
Written byJames Saunders
Directed byWilliam Sterling
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time60 minutes
Production companyABC
Original release
Release7 August 1963 (1963-08-07) (Melbourne)[1]
Release4 September 1963 (1963-09-04) (Sydney)[2][3]

Cast

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  • John Morgan (Charles Carboy)
  • Elizabeth Wing (Daphne, his wife)
  • Felicity Young (Helen Carboy)
  • Michael Duffield (the Rev. Wandsworth Tester)
  • Sandra Power (Sandra, a maid).

Production

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The play had been performed on British radio in 1959 and British television in 1962. William Sterling called it "a comic modern parable of serious intention. In content, it reflects the thinking of many intellectual writers in Europe."[1]

Reception

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The TV critic for the Sydney Morning Herald wrote that "Blessed simplicity is the virtue of a parable, but in this production, strongly reminiscent in style of the first episode of a very dull science fiction serial, it was never clear whether the author... wanted an undercurrent of humour to his horror or an undercurrent of horror to his humour."[7]

The Age wrote "it was difficult to known how to take the play."[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Drama That Makes No Concessions". The Age. 1 August 1963. p. 11.
  2. ^ "Comedy with parable". Sydney Morning Herald. 12 August 1963. p. 7.
  3. ^ "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 2 September 1963. p. 12.
  4. ^ "Contemporary Play Tonight". The Canberra Times. Vol. 38, no. 10, 632. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 4 September 1963. p. 35. Retrieved 15 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "Comedy with Parable". Sydney Morning Herald. 12 August 1963. p. 8.
  6. ^ Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
  7. ^ "Barnstable on TV". Sydney Morning Herald. 5 September 1963. p. 7.
  8. ^ The Televiewer (15 August 1963). "Teletopic". The Age. p. 10.
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