A Local Boy
Directed byHenri Safran
Written byAlun Owen[1]
StarringJohn Meillon
Distributed byABC
Release dates
21 October 1964 (Sydney)[2]
4 November 1964 (Melbourne)[3][4]
10 November 1965 (Brisbane)[5]
Running time
60 mins[6]
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

A Local Boy is a 1964 Australian TV play produced in ABC's Gore Hill Studios in Sydney.[7] Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time.[8]

The play featured, reportedly, the first near-nude scene on Australian television.[5]

Plot

In Wales, a barrister, David Owen, attempts to become a member of Parliament. He comes up against the older member, Evan Lloyd.

Cast

  • John Meillon as David Owen[9]
  • June Thody as Prue Owen
  • John Grey as Albert, the barman
  • John Huson as Gerran Jones, a political agent
  • Tom Farley as Evan Lloyd
  • Ethel Lang as Mrs. Williams.

Production

It was Meillon's first television play since he returned from England after five years to appear in Rattle of a Simple Man.[10] He went on to appear in The Recruiting Officer for the ABC soon afterwards.[11] Thoday was an Adelaide actor who had returned to Australia after five years in England.[5]

The near-nude scene came when the character of Prue Owen tried to entice her husband back into bed. The camera focused on her bare back for a few seconds. "The scene is not designed for sensationalism," said director Henri Safran. "It wasn't put in there to shock the public. It is a very delicate scene and was handled tastefully. The play called for the scene and it was handled tastefully."[5]

"The scene was very well handled," said Thody. "There was nothing unpleasant about it."[5]

Reception

The Australian Woman's Weekly said they were "pleasantly surprised" by the quality.[12]

The Canberra Times said, "It was such a surprise this week to see a locally produced play that was worthy of the talents of the cast that I cannot remember when it last happened."[13]

The Sydney Morning Herald said it was made with "outstandingly high polish."[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Pre-selection battle on radio". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 31 July 1964. p. 9. Retrieved 23 January 2020 – via Trove.
  2. ↑ "John Meillon to star". Sydney Morning Herald. 12 October 1964. p. 13.
  3. ↑ "On the Way Up". The Age. 29 October 1964. p. 31.
  4. ↑ "TV Guide". The Age. 29 October 1964. p. 26.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Near Nude Scene in ABC Play". TV Times. 3 November 1965. p. 3.
  6. ↑ "The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia". TV Guide. 19 October 1964. p. 15.
  7. ↑ "MONDAY". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 19 October 1964. p. 18. Retrieved 23 January 2020 – via Trove.
  8. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
  9. ↑ "THE HAMMARSKJOLD DIARY First English translation". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 21 October 1964. p. 23. Retrieved 23 January 2020 – via Trove.
  10. ↑ "Dramas political setting". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 21 October 1964. p. 23. Retrieved 23 January 2020 – via Trove.
  11. ↑ "Convicts acted comedy in 1789". The Australian Women's Weekly. Australia. 23 December 1964. p. 18. Retrieved 23 January 2020 – via Trove.
  12. ↑ "EMDEN DRAMA RE-ENACTED". The Australian Women's Weekly. Australia. 4 November 1964. p. 15. Retrieved 23 January 2020 – via Trove.
  13. ↑ "Local Boy makes good television". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 23 October 1964. p. 15. Retrieved 23 January 2020 – via Trove.
  14. ↑ "'A Local Boy' on ABN 2". 22 October 1964. p. 9.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.