Rusty Bugles (Wednesday Theatre)

Last updated
"Rusty Bugles"
Wednesday Theatre episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 25
Directed byAlan Burke
Teleplay by John Warwick
Based on Rusty Bugles
by Sumner Locke Elliott
Original air date23 June 1965 (1965-06-23)
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Louise"
Next 
"School for Fathers"
List of episodes

"Rusty Bugles" is a television play episode of the Australian ABC television series Wednesday Theatre which aired on 23 June 1965. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Cast

Production

It was Alan Burke's first production for the ABC since he returned from England where he had directed a TV production of The Harp in the South. [5] it was shot at the ABC's studios in Sydney. Some of the language of the play was toned down for the adaptation. Burke said "I'm very excited about the play and I feel sure viewers will react the same way after they see it on tv." [6]

It was designed by Kevin Brooks. [7]

Reception

The critic for The Sydney Morning Herald thought the adaptation blundered by not establishing where and when the play was set, saying the director "wasted speculation while a huge cast of strange characters passed before him — too many, in fact, to be accommodated comfortably in such short playing lime." He also felt the word "flamin' " was overused. [8]

Another reviewer for the same paper noted the high use of the word "flamin" ("it got a flamin' good workout") while "the other word, which the wowsers took such exception to when the play was first staged in Sydney some 15 years ago, hardly got a look-in." However he thought "Alan Burke's production was a good, smooth job" and did "draw the pathos from the story." [9]

The TV critic for The Age said it "came through as a worthwhile piece of Australiana which one should have seen." [10]

The Bulletin said "most of the flavour" of the play came through in the adaptation. [11]

The production was repeated in March 1966. [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Survivor</i> (Keneally novel) 1972 Australian film

The Survivor is a 1969 novel by Australian author Thomas Keneally.

The Shifting Heart is a play written in 1957 in Australia by Richard Beynon, it is an insight to the psychology of racism and its victims. In the background of 1950s Collingwood, Melbourne.

Rusty Bugles was a controversial Australian play written by Sumner Locke Elliott in 1948. It toured extensively throughout Australia between 1948–1949 and was threatened with closure by the New South Wales Chief Secretary's Office for obscenity.

The Department is a 1974 play by David Williamson about political intrigue at a university department. It was based on Williamson's time as a lecturer at Swinburne Tech.

<i>Ballad for One Gun</i> 1963 Australian television film

Ballad for One Gun is a 1963 Australian television film about Ned Kelly broadcast on ABC.

"The Big Killing" is a 1965 Australian television film which aired on ABC. A murder drama aired in a 70-minute time-slot, it was produced in ABC's Sydney studios. Producer was James Upshaw, whose previous works had included variety series The Lorrae Desmond Show.

"The Sweet Sad Story of Elmo and Me" is a 1965 Australian television film which aired on ABC as part of Wednesday Theatre. It aired on 28 July 1965 in Melbourne and Sydney.

"Campaign for One" is a 1965 Australian television film. A remake of an episode of the BBC series Wednesday Play, it aired in a 60-minute time-slot on ABC on 24 November 1965 in Melbourne, Sydney, and on 5 January 1966 in Brisbane. as part of Wednesday Theatre.

Swamp Creatures is a play by the Australian author Alan Seymour. He wrote it for radio, stage and TV. It was Seymour's first produced play.

The Recruiting Officer (<i>Wednesday Theatre</i>) 1st episode of the 1st season of Wednesday Theatre

"The Recruiting Officer" is a 1965 Australian television production based on the famous play The Recruiting Officer, which was the first play ever performed in Australia. "The Recruiting Officer" aired on 6 January 1965 in Sydney, 13 January 1965 in Brisbane, and on 20 January 1965 in Melbourne.

The Concord of Sweet Sounds is a 1963 Australian television play starring Stuart Wagstaff, directed by Henri Safran and written by Patricia Hooker. Henry Gilbert played a musical genius. Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time.

"The Swagman" is a 1965 Australian television play. It aired as part of Wednesday Theatre on 31 March 1965 in Sydney and Melbourne.

The Quiet Season is a 1965 Australian half-hour television play. It aired on the Australian Broadcasting Commission stations Australia-wide and was produced in the Toowong studios of the Brisbane,Queensland, station (ABQ).

<i>The Skin of Our Teeth</i> (film) 1959 Australian film by Alan Burke

The Skin of Our Teeth is a 1959 Australian television play based on the play by Thorton Wilder. It starred John Ewart.

Alan Burke was an Australian writer and film director and producer. His credits include the musical Lola Montez.

"The Tower" is a 1964 TV play broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It aired on 2 December 1964 as a stand-alone in Melbourne and on 28 April 1965 as part of Wednesday Theatre in Sydney. It aired on 6 January 1965 in Brisbane. It was based on a play by Hal Porter and directed by Christopher Muir in the ABC's studios in Melbourne.

Prelude to Harvest is a 1963 Australian television play. It was written by Kay Keavney and directed by Colin Dean.

Macbeth (<i>Wednesday Theatre</i>) 37th episode of the 1st season of Wednesday Theatre

"Macbeth" is a 1965 Australian TV production of the play by William Shakespeare that aired on 22 September 1965 in Sydney and Melbourne, and on 27 October 1965 in Brisbane. The play had previously been filmed by ABC in 1960 with Keith Goodlet in the title role.

<i>The Emperor Jones</i> (1960 TV play) 1960 Australian TV series or program

The Emperor Jones is a 1960 Australian TV play based on the play The Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neill. It starred Joe Jenkins, a dancer who was living in Australia. He played a triple role.

Rusty Bugles is a 1981 Australian television film based on the stage play of the same name.

References

  1. "TODAY'S TV". The Canberra Times . 23 June 1965. p. 19. Retrieved 25 July 2015 via National Library of Australia.
  2. "TELEVISION Old sons, new note". The Canberra Times . 18 March 1966. p. 13. Retrieved 25 July 2015 via National Library of Australia.
  3. Vagg, Stephen (February 18, 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
  4. "Two beards and a bright future". The Canberra Times . 21 September 1965. p. 13. Retrieved 25 July 2015 via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Leisure TV Drama Music Art Books Radio The Arts". The Canberra Times . 25 June 1965. p. 17. Retrieved 25 July 2015 via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Barrage of Criticism Greeted Wartime Play". TV Times. 28 July 1965. p. 9.
  7. "Rusty Bugles with Expletives!". The Age. 17 June 1965. p. 13.
  8. Cotton, Leicester (25 June 1965). "Too many troops spoil the plot". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 9.
  9. Veitch, Jock (27 June 1965). "The Sydney Morning Herald 27 Jun 1965, page Page 83". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 84.
  10. "Teletopic". The Age. 1 July 1965. p. 11.
  11. "TELEVISION The Never Never". The bulletin. 3 July 1965. p. 46.
  12. "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 14 March 1966. p. 15.