The First Gentleman is a 1945 Australian radio play by Betty Roland about Benjamin Boyd.[2][3] It was one of Roland's most notable works.[4]
| Genre | play drama |
|---|---|
| Running time | 75 mins (8:00 pm – 9:15 pm) |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | ABC |
| Written by | Betty Roland |
| Directed by | John Cairns[1] |
| Original release | 31 May 1945 |
The original cast included Hal Lashwood and Patricia Kennedy.[5] The production was well received and the ABC produced it again in 1946, 1949, 1952[6] 1955[7] and 1959.[8]
Premise
editAccording to ABC Weekly it was "a lively chronicle play of early N.S.W., the story of Ben Boyd, mercurial, energetic and handsome, and of all that happened to his great schemes. She [Roland] has also taken the liberty of inventing a love story to leaven the rigid facts of history."[8]
Cast of 1955 production
edit- Toby Harris as Ben Boyd
- Betty Ross as Madelon Hennessey
- Bernard Barry as Oswald Biierly and Tana
- Beryl Felgate as Mrs. Radclifte
- Enid Elliott as Mrs. Morris
- Hector Lawrence as Major Radcliffe
- John Bowen as Grogan and First Soldier
- David Read as Dixon and Second Soldier
- Don Sanderson as Sir George Gipps, Ellis Chesney Watts, Harry Cotter, William Wentworth
References
edit- ^ "RADIO HIGHLIGHTS". The Newcastle Sun. No. 8557. New South Wales, Australia. 31 May 1945. p. 12. Retrieved 1 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "BROADCASTING". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 30, 812. Victoria, Australia. 31 May 1945. p. 4. Retrieved 21 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "RADIO HIGHLIGHTS". The Newcastle Sun. No. 8557. New South Wales, Australia. 31 May 1945. p. 12. Retrieved 21 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Rees, Leslie (1953). Towards An Australian Drama. pp. 115, 167.
- ^ "This week's A.B.C. Plays on the National programmes", ABC Weekly, 7 (21), Sydney, 26 May 1945, nla.obj-1326851346, retrieved 21 December 2023 – via Trove
- ^ "Saturday, February 16", ABC Weekly, 14 (6), Sydney, 9 February 1952, retrieved 21 December 2023 – via Trove
- ^ "RADIO PLAYS for NEXT WEEK A. B. C.", ABC weekly, Sydney, 2 April 1955, retrieved 1 February 2024 – via Trove
- ^ a b "Sunday Matinee", ABC Weekly, 21 (24), Sydney, 17 June 1959, retrieved 21 December 2023 – via Trove