Robinson Crusoe (Play of the Month)

Last updated

"Robinson Crusoe"
Play of the Month episode
Directed by James MacTaggart
Written by James MacTaggart
Based on Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Dafoe
Cinematography by Brian Tufano
Original air date27 November 1974 (1974-11-27)
Running time120 mins
List of episodes

"Robinson Crusoe" is a television play episode of the BBC One anthology television series Play of the Month based on the 1719 novel of the same name by Daniel Defoe, and starring Stanley Baker in the title role and Ram John Holder as Friday. The episode originally aired on 27 November 1974. [1]

Shooting took place on location at Tobago in the West Indies. Director James MacTaggart died of a heart attack shortly after filming and Stanley Baker died of cancer in 1976. [2] The budget was £300,000. [3]

The Sunday Times called it a "superb production". [3]

When the show aired in the United States it was the 13th highest rated show of the week. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Mumy</span> American actor (born 1954)

Charles William Mumy Jr. is an American actor, writer, and musician and a figure in the science-fiction community/comic book fandom. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a child actor whose work included television appearances on Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and a role in the film Dear Brigitte, followed by a three-season role as Will Robinson in the 1960s CBS sci-fi series Lost in Space.

<i>Lost in Space</i> 1965–1968 American science fiction television series

Lost in Space is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel The Swiss Family Robinson. The series follows the adventures of the Robinsons, a pioneering family of space colonists who struggle to survive in the depths of space. The show ran for 83 episodes over three seasons. The first season comprised 29 episodes that ran 1 hour apiece, filmed in black and white. In seasons 2 and 3, the episodes were 54 minutes long and shot in color.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan O'Herlihy</span> Irish actor (1919–2005)

Daniel Peter O'Herlihy was an Irish actor of film, television and radio. O'Herlihy's best-known roles included his Oscar-nominated portrayal of the lead character in Luis Buñuel's Robinson Crusoe (1954), Brigadier General Warren A. Black in Fail Safe (1964), Marshal Ney in Waterloo (1970), Conal Cochran in Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), Grig in The Last Starfighter (1984), "The Old Man" in RoboCop (1987) and its 1990 sequel, and Andrew Packard in the television series Twin Peaks (1990–91).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam West</span> American actor (1928–2017)

William West Anderson, professionally known as Adam West, was an American actor. He portrayed Batman in the 1960s ABC series of the same name and its 1966 theatrical feature film, reprising the role in various media until 2017. West began acting in films in the 1950s. He played opposite Chuck Connors in Geronimo (1962) and The Three Stooges in The Outlaws Is Coming (1965). He also appeared in the science fiction film Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) and performed voice work on The Fairly OddParents (2003–2008), The Simpsons, and Family Guy (2000–2019), playing fictionalized versions of himself in all three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Long (actor)</span> American actor (1927–1974)

Richard McCord Long was an American actor best known for his leading roles in three ABC television series, The Big Valley, Nanny and the Professor, and Bourbon Street Beat. He was also a series regular on ABC's 77 Sunset Strip during the 1961–1962 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Baker</span> Welsh actor (1928–1976)

Sir William Stanley Baker was a Welsh actor and film producer. Known for his rugged appearance and intense, grounded screen persona, he was one of the top British male film stars of the late 1950s, and later a producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Nathan-Turner</span> British television producer (1947–2002)

John Turner, known professionally as John Nathan-Turner, was an English television producer. He was the ninth producer of the long-running BBC science fiction series Doctor Who and the final producer of the series' first run on television. He finished the role having become the longest-serving Doctor Who producer and cast Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy as the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Conley</span> English actor, comedian (b. 1961)

Brian Paul Conley is an English actor, comedian, singer and television presenter. Conley has been the host of The Brian Conley Show, as well as presenting the Royal Variety Performance on eight occasions. In his 40-year television career, he has starred in multiple award-winning television sitcoms including Time After Time and The Grimleys. In the West End, he has played the lead role in musicals such as Me and My Girl, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Hairspray, Oliver!, The Music Man, Barnum and Jolson for which he was nominated for a prestigious Laurence Olivier Award. As a musician, he has released five albums, including Brian Conley Sings, Let the Good Times Roll, and Stage to Stage. He has won numerous awards in his career including The National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Performer, Best Live Performer in Manchester Evening News and a British Comedy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Biggins</span> British actor

Christopher Biggins is an English actor and television presenter.

Louise Elizabeth Goddard professionally known as Liza Goddard, is an English television and stage actress, best known for her work in the 1970s and 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Finch</span> English actor

John Nicholas Finch was an English stage and film actor who became well known for his Shakespearean roles. Most notably, he starred in films for directors Roman Polanski and Alfred Hitchcock.

<i>Temperatures Rising</i> 1970s American sitcom television series

Temperatures Rising is an American television sitcom that aired on the ABC network from September 12, 1972 to August 29, 1974. During its 46-episode run, it was presented in three different formats and cast line-ups. The series was developed for the network by William Asher and Harry Ackerman for Ashmont Productions and Screen Gems. Set in a fictional Washington, D.C. hospital, the series first featured James Whitmore as a no-nonsense chief of staff, forced to deal with the outlandish antics of a young intern and three nurses.

<i>Beau Brummell</i> (1954 film) 1954 film by Curtis Bernhardt

Beau Brummell is a 1954 British historical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Curtis Bernhardt and produced by Sam Zimbalist from a screenplay by Karl Tunberg, based on the 1890 play Beau Brummell by Clyde Fitch. The play was previously adapted as a silent film made in 1924 and starring John Barrymore as Beau Brummell, Mary Astor, and Willard Louis as the Prince of Wales.

<i>Man Friday</i> (film) 1975 film by Jack Gold

Man Friday is a 1975 adventure film directed by Jack Gold and starring Peter O'Toole and Richard Roundtree. It is adapted from the 1973 play by Adrian Mitchell based on Daniel Defoe's 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe, but reverses the roles, portraying Crusoe as a blunt, stiff Englishman, while the native he calls Man Friday is much more intelligent and empathic. The film can be regarded as being critical of western civilization, against which it draws a contrasting picture of Caribbean tribal life.

<i>Crusoe</i> (TV series) TV series or program

Crusoe is an adventure-drama television series, based loosely on the 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. The series' 13 episodes aired on NBC from October 17, 2008 to January 31, 2009, during the first half of the 2008–2009 television season. It follows the adventures of Robinson Crusoe: a man who has been shipwrecked on an island for six years and is desperate to return home to his wife and children. His lone companion is Friday, a native whom Crusoe rescued and taught English.

<i>Khan!</i> (TV series) American TV series or program

Khan! is an American television detective series. Set in Chinatown, San Francisco, the titular character is a Chinese-American detective, played by Khigh Dhiegh. Khan's police contact was Lt. Gubbins, played by Vic Tayback. Series regulars were rounded out by his children Kim and Anna, who helped him solve crimes. Four episodes were aired in February 1975 on CBS; all seven of the produced episodes were aired during its Australian broadcast run on Channel Seven in 1976.

<i>Mr. Smith Goes to Washington</i> (TV series) American situation comedy TV series (1962–1963)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is an American sitcom that aired on ABC starring Fess Parker. The series, which aired from September 29, 1962 to March 30, 1963, was based on the 1939 film of the same name, starring James Stewart in the title role.

<i>CHiPs</i> American television crime drama series (1977–1983)

CHiPs is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The series ran for 139 episodes over six seasons, plus one reunion television film in October 1998.

Australian Playhouse was an Australian anthology TV series featuring the work of Australian writers.

References

  1. "Play of the Month: Robinson Crusoe Transmission Times"
  2. "A spirited "Crusoe" was tough for star". The Australian Women's Weekly . 1 January 1975. p. 10. Retrieved 21 July 2012 via National Library of Australia.
  3. 1 2 Castaway chauvinism. John Howkins. The Sunday Times (London, England), Sunday, December 29, 1974; pg. 30-31; Issue 7907. (467 words)
  4. Smith, Cecil. (10 December 1974). "After the Fall' Flawed by Casting: CECIL SMITH Casting Flaws 'After the Fall'". Los Angeles Times. p. e1.