Rope | |
---|---|
Genre | thriller |
Based on | Rope (play) 1927 play by Patrick Hamilton |
Directed by | William Sterling |
Starring | Bruce Beeby Roger Climpson June Collis |
Country of origin | Australia |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producer | William Sterling |
Running time | 70 minutes |
Production company | ABC |
Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | 21 August 1957 (Sydney, live) [1] |
Release | 20 September 1957 (Melbourne, tape) [2] |
Rope is a 1957 Australian television film based on the play Rope by Patrick Hamilton. It was presented in real time. [3] [4]
Broadcast live in Sydney, it was kinescoped/telerecorded for showing in Melbourne (these were the only Australian cities with TV at the time). Based on the play by Patrick Hamilton, it aired in a 70-minute time-slot on non-commercial ABC.
It was one of several Patrick Hamilton adaptations done on Australian television. [5] It was also arguably one of the first depictions of queer characters on Australian television. [6] Murder mysteries were popular subjects for Australian television plays. [7]
Two friends, Granello and Brandon, commit murder for the thrill of it. They hide the body in their apartment and invite the family and friends of their victim over for a party.
Rehearsals started in July 1957. Star John Meillon just finished a long run on stage in The Reluctant Debutante . It was recorded in Sydney and broadcast live. A tape recording was later broadcast in Melbourne. [8] It was Meillon's first TV play. [9]
According to an article on 19 September 1957 edition of The Age, the broadcast was well received by viewers during its Sydney telecast, and producer Sterling was happy with the quality of the kinescope/telerecording. [10]
The play was filmed again for Australian TV in 1959, this time shot in Melbourne for ATN Channel 7.
Tomorrow's Child is an Australian television film, or rather a live one-off television play, which aired in 1957 on ABC. Directed by Raymond Menmuir, it is notable as an early example of Australian television comedy and was Australia's first live hour long drama. It was set in the future making it technically Australia's first science fiction drama.
Ending It was a 1939 BBC TV one-off play, written by Val Gielgud, and starring John Robinson, Joan Marion, and Dino Galvani. It was 30 minutes in duration. It was broadcast live on 25 August 1939.
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The Wraith is a live television comedy play presented on Australian television in 1957. Broadcast on ABC, it was originally telecast in Sydney, and shown in Melbourne via a kinescope recording. It was made at a time when Australian drama was rare.
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The Twelve Pound Look is a 1956 live television play which aired on Sydney Australia station ABN-2 during the opening night of the station. Based on a British stage play by J.M. Barrie, it is significant as it was the very first drama produced for Australian TV.
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The Case of Private Hamp is a 1962 Australian television film which aired on the ABC. Despite the wiping of the era, a copy of the presentation exists as a kinescope recording.
"A Tongue of Silver" is an episode of the 1959 Australian TV drama anthology Shell Presents. Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time. It starred John Meillon, who had been in Thunder of Silence in the same series.
The Duke in Darkness is a 1942 play by Patrick Hamilton. A psychological drama set during the French Wars of Religion, it was first staged on 7 September 1942 at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh. It ran for 72 performances at the St. James Theatre, London, and had a brief run on Broadway in 1944.
Gaslight is a 1958 television play broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation based on the 1938 play Gas Light by Patrick Hamilton. It starred Beverley Dunn.
Heart Attack is a 1960 Australian television play written by George F. Kerr. It was recorded in Melbourne, broadcast "live" there, recorded and shown later on Sydney television. It was received with notably critical hostility. It was one of several thrillers filmed in early Australian television.
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.
"Rope" is a 1959 Australian TV play based on the play by Patrick Hamilton. It was part of Shell Presents. It aired on 31 October 1959 in Melbourne, and a tapped version aired on 15 November 1959 in Sydney.
The Multi-Coloured Umbrella is a 1958 Australian television play based on the stage play of the same name by Barbara Vernon.