One Morning Near Troodos

Last updated

One Morning Near Troodos (1956) was a British TV play by Iain MacCormick which aired on the BBC as part of Sunday Night Theatre . It was the first British TV play about the Cyprus Emergency. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

A journalist in Cyprus is captured by EOKA guerillas. British troops track down the guerrillas and the journalist leads them into a rebel ambush. A woman is attracted to a British soldier.

1959 Australian Version

One Morning Near Troodos
Based onplay by Iain MacCormick
Directed by William Sterling
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time90 mins
Original release
Release25 March 1959 (1959-03-25) (Melbourne, live) [3]
Release8 April 1959 (1959-04-08) (Sydney, recording) [4]

Iain MacCormick was Australian and a number of his plays, originally written for British TV, were adapted for Australian television. The play was performed live on Australian TV in 1959. [5] [6]

It was the ABC's 22nd live drama made in Melbourne. [7]

Premise

In Cyprus there has been terrorist activity near Mt Troodos, leading to a large scale operation of British troops and police. Two British journalists arrive in the area: James Stark, is an unscrupulous and influential former MP, and Walters, his hard-drinking offsider. Walters does the work while Start takes the credit. They are not allowed into the fighting zone so make their headquarters in a nearby village. Start decides to deal with the terrorists himself, thereby bringing bloodshed to the village.

Cast

Production

The play had been performed on Melbourne radio in 1957 and repeated in 1959. [8] [9]

It was rehearsed and filmed at ABC's studios at Ripponlea. There was some location filming on Melbourne streets. It had a cast of fifteen. [10]

A segment of the script was published in The Age as an example of TV scripts. The article said that Australian writers were typically paid between £60-£80 a script. [11]

Alexandra Atanassious was the Greek text adviser. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

Autumn Affair is an Australian television series made by and aired by Network Seven station ATN-7, and also shown in Melbourne on Nine Network station GTV-9. Television in Australia had only been broadcasting since 1956 and Seven was the first commercial station to make drama a priority.

Emergency is an Australian television series produced by Nine Network Melbourne station GTV-9 in 1959.

Bodgie is an Australian television movie, or rather a live television play with filmed sequences, which aired on ABC during 1959. Originally broadcast on 12 August 1959 in Sydney on ABN-2, a kinescope recording was made of the program and shown in Melbourne on ABV-2 on 2 September 1959.

Roundabout is a television movie, or rather a live television play, which aired on Australian television in 1957. Broadcast 4 January 1957 on ABC station ABV-2, it is notable as the first example of television drama produced in Melbourne.

Treason is a 1959 Australian television live drama, which aired on ABC about the 20 July plot during World War Two. Originally broadcast 16 December 1959 in Melbourne, a kinescope ("telerecording") was made of the program and shown in Sydney on 13 January 1960. It was an adaptation of a stage play by Welsh writer Saunders Lewis, which had previously been adapted as an episode of BBC Sunday-Night Theatre.

A Little South of Heaven is Australian live television play which aired in 1961 on ABC. It was based on a radio play by D'Arcy Niland and Ruth Park.

A Dead Secret is a 1957 play by Rodney Ackland. It is a murder drama set in 1911 London and is based on the Seddon murder trial.

<i>Killer in Close-Up</i> 1957 Australian television film

Killer in Close-Up was a blanket title covering four live television drama plays produced by the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1957 and 1958. It could be seen as the first anthology series produced for Australian television.

One Bright Day is a 1958 Australian television play. It aired on the ABC and was directed by Ray Menmuir. It aired as part of Monday Night Theatre.

<i>The Sound of Thunder</i> (film) Australian TV series or program

The Sound of Thunder is a 1957 Australian television play by Australian writer Iain MacCormick. It starred Moira Carleton. It was described as "the longest and most ambitious play ABN [the ABC] has put over so far" although The Importance of Being Ernest, which followed on December 18, exceeded it by 12 minutes.

Murder Story is a 1958 Australian television play.

<i>A Piece of Ribbon</i> 1963 Australian TV series or program

A Piece of Ribbon is a 1963 Australian television play filmed. It was based on an English TV play by Leslie Thomas that had already been performed by the BBC.

Small Victory is a 1958 television play broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was set during the Korean War. It was directed by William Sterling and was shot in Melbourne where it aired 26 March 1958.

<i>Act of Violence</i> (1959 film) 1958 Australian television film

Act of Violence is a 1959 television play broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was based on a play by Australian writer Iain MacCormick which had previously been broadcast in Britain in 1956. This was typical of Australian television at the time - most locally produced drama consisted of adaptations of overseas stories.

Iain MacCormick (1917–1965) was a Scottish-Australian writer. He wrote for British TV in the 1950s and 1960s and a number of his works were adapted for Australian TV.

William Sterling was an Australian producer and director. He was born in Sydney.

Who Killed Kovali? is a 1960 Australian television play. It had previously been filmed for British TV in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunder on Sycamore Street</span> 3rd episode of the 1st season of The General Motors Hour

"Thunder on Sycamore Street" is a 1960 Australian television play directed by David Cahill. It was based on a script by Reginald Rose. It aired on 23 July 1960 in Melbourne and Sydney.

Sydney Leicester Conabere was an Australian actor. He was notable for his work in theatre, film and television drama in a career spanning more than fifty years. In 1962 Conabere won the Logie award for Best Actor, for his performance in the television play The One Day of the Year. He worked prolifically as a stage actor from 1938 to 1989, particularly with the Melbourne Theatre Company and Melbourne Little Theatre, sharing the stage with Irene Mitchell in, for example, Lilian Hellman's The Little Foxes.

References

  1. ↑ Jonathan Stubbs, ‘Always ready to explode into violence!’ Representing the Cyprus Emergency and decolonization in The High Bright Sun (1965) Journal of European Popular Culture Vol 6 Issue 2 2015
  2. ↑ "Iain MacCormick". British Television Drama.
  3. ↑ "TV Guide". The Age. 19 March 1959. p. 34.
  4. ↑ "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 8 April 1959. p. 9.
  5. ↑ The Age, April 30, 1959 p25
  6. ↑ "Drama Set in Cyprus". Sydney Morning Herald. 6 April 1959. p. 19.
  7. ↑ "Advertisement". The Age. 19 March 1959. p. 25.
  8. ↑ "Radio Guide". The Age. 26 February 1959. p. 32.
  9. ↑ "COMMERCIAL". ABC Weekly. 16 February 1957. p. 21.
  10. ↑ "Drama Set in Cyprus". The Age. 19 March 1959. p. 14.
  11. ↑ "Opportunities for writers in TV". The Age. 30 April 1959. p. 25.
  12. ↑ "Full co operation". The Age. 19 March 1959. p. 24.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.