Shell Presents | |
---|---|
Genre | Anthology |
Country of origin | Australia |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producer | Brett Porter |
Original release | |
Network | |
Release | 4 April 1959 – 5 March 1960 |
Shell Presents was an early attempt at Australian television drama, being an umbrella title for several different productions. It debuted on 4 April 1959, [1] and aired on ATN-7 and GTV-9, who split production of plays for the series between them. It was an anthology series, each program being a self-contained play for television. [2] The series won a Logie award in 1960 for TV Highlight of 1959. As the title suggests, it was sponsored by Shell. It was described as "a very big deal for the station: major institutional sponsorship from international companies for locally produced drama." [3] It would be followed by The General Motors Hour .
Though it usually presented straight drama, it also presented a live [4] musical production titled Pardon Miss Westcott , set in colonial-era Australia. A total of 13 productions aired under the Shell Presents banner from 1959 to 1960. [5] There is little information about this series online, however, some of the productions are held at the National Film and Sound Archive [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] ATN-7 originally announced that the second episode of Shell Presents would be an adaptation of Children of the Sun by Morris West but that was not made. [11]
The first drama from GTV-9 in Melbourne was meant to be a production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons. [12]
Some of the productions were based on overseas plays (such as Thunder of Silence), while some were locally written, such as The Big Day (by Sydney author John Ford). [13]
An article in the 30 October 1960 edition of the Sydney Morning Herald called Australian TV is growing up, while not mentioning it by name, nevertheless provides some information on the series. The article said that the production of "modestly unpretentious" soap opera Autumn Affair provided some of the experience needed to produce Shell Presents productions like Johnny Belinda, and listed the cost to produce Pardon Miss Westcott at £5,000 (a considerable budget at the time). It mentions that work on a live drama production of the era started a month to six weeks before telecast, and that a video-tape of the final rehearsal was made so cast and camera crew could correct last minute faults. [14]
Five of the episodes may have been shown in Perth during 1960 on station TVW-7. [15]
In February 1959 leading Australian writers were invited to present plays for the series. [16]
No. | Title | Original Station | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Johnny Belinda" | ATN-7 [3] | 4 April 1959 |
2 | "Other People's Houses" | ATN-7 [3] | 2 May 1959 |
3 | "Tragedy in a Temporary Town" | GTV-9 [3] | 16 May 1959 |
4 | "They Were Big, They Were Blue, They Were Beautiful" | ATN-7 [3] | 27 June 1959 |
5 | "The Big Day" | GTV-9 [3] | 11 July 1959 |
6 | "Thunder of Silence" | ATN-7 [3] | 22 August 1959 |
7 | "Ruth" | GTV-9 [3] | 5 September 1959 |
8 | "A Tongue of Silver" | GTV-9 [3] | 5 October 1959 |
9 | "Rope" | GTV-9 [17] | 14 November 1959 |
10 | "Pardon Miss Westcott" | ATN-7 [3] | 12 December 1959 |
11 | "No Picnic Tomorrow" | ATN-7 [18] | 9 January 1960 |
12 | "Reflections in Dark Glasses" | ATN-7 [3] | 6 February 1960 |
13 | "Man in a Blue Vase" | GTV-9 [18] | 5 March 1960 |
On 20 July 1959 a Sydney Morning Herald article said the program had an estimated audience of around 300,000 in both Sydney and in Melbourne. [19]
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. It premiered 24 October 1958 and continued until 1959. The series was the first ever Australian television soap opera. It was also the second regular Australian-produced dramatic television series of any kind, with previous locally produced drama consisting of religious series The House on the Corner, and one-off plays largely aired on ABC.
The Story of Peter Grey was an Australian television daytime soap opera produced by the Seven Network and first broadcast in July 1962. James Condon starred in the title role as a church minister.
Stormy Petrel is an early Australian television drama. A period drama, the 12-episode serial told the story of William Bligh and aired in 1960 on ABC. It was the first live TV serial from the ABC.
"Reflections in Dark Glasses" is an Australian television film, or rather a television play, which aired in 1960. It aired as part of Shell Presents, which consisted of monthly presentations of stand-alone television dramas. It was written by Sydney writer James Workman, and is notable as an early example of Australian-written television drama. It was broadcast live in Sydney on 6 February 1960, then recorded and shown in Melbourne.
"They Were Big, They Were Blue, They Were Beautiful" is an Australian television movie, or rather a live television play, which aired live on 27 June 1959 in Sydney, and on 8 August 1959 in Melbourne. It aired as part of Shell Presents, a monthly presentation of standalone productions which aired from 1959 to 1960 on ATN-7 in Sydney and GTV-9 in Melbourne.
"The Big Day" is an Australian television film, or rather a live television play, which aired in 1959. The fifth episode of the Shell Presents presentations of standalone television dramas, it originally aired 11 July 1959 on Melbourne station GTV-9, a video-tape was made of the broadcast and shown on Sydney station ATN-7 on 25 July 1959.
"No Picnic Tomorrow" is an Australian television drama one-off which aired in 1960 on ATN-7 in Sydney and GTV-9 in Melbourne. Part of the Shell Presents series of one-off television dramas and comedies, it was produced in Melbourne, but first shown in Sydney on 9 January 1960, and on 23 January 1960 Melbourne.
The General Motors Hour was an Australian radio and television drama series.
"Johnny Belinda" was a 1959 Australian TV adaptation of the 1940 play by Elmer Harris which had been filmed in 1948. It was the first "live" one hour drama on commercial television in Australia.
"Tragedy In A Temporary Town" is a 1959 episode of the Australian anthology drama show Shell Presents starring Michael Pate. It was filmed "live" in Melbourne, then recorded and broadcast in Sydney. It was the third episode of Shell Presents and the first shot in Melbourne. It aired live on 16 May 1959 in Melbourne with a tapped version airing on 30 May 1959 in Sydney.
"Pardon Miss Westcott" is a 1959 Australian TV play by the Seven Network as part of drama anthology series Shell Presents. It was a musical set in colonial Australia and was broadcast live. It was Australia's first television musical comedy. "Pardon Miss Westcott" aired on 12 December 1959 in Sydney and on 19 December 1959 in Melbourne.
"Other People's Houses" is the second episode of the 1959 Australian TV drama anthology Shell Presents. It was based on a play by Tad Mosel and starred Diana Perryman and was directed by David Cahill. It aired on 2 May 1959 in Sydney and on 3 October 1959 in Melbourne.
"Thunder of Silence" is an episode of the 1959 Australian TV drama anthology Shell Presents, and the fourth made in Sydney. It was based on an American play by Stewart Stern which had been produced in the U.S. with Paul Newman and Inger Stevens. It aired live on 22 August 1959 in Sydney with a recorded version airing on 28 November 1959 in Melbourne.
"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.
"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.
"Ruth" is a 1959 Australian television play. It was presented as part of the Shell Presents program and starred Lyndall Barbour. It was written by John Glennon, an American actor and writer who appeared in the production, and directed by Rod Kinnear. The play aired in Melbourne on 5 September 1959 and in Sydney on 19 September 1959.
"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.
Brett Porter is an Australian producer, writer and director best known for his work in TV. He worked at ATN-7 producing some of the first drama made for Australian television. He moved to the ABC in 1964, where he made documentaries and worked on Four Corners. He was then producer on Bellbird. He died in 1970 aged 57.
"Shadow of a Pale Horse" is a television play that was produced for Australian TV by Sydney station ATN-7, it was also shown in Melbourne on station GTV-9, as this was prior to the creation of the Seven Network and Nine Network. "Shadow of a Pale Horse" aired on 17 September 1960 in Melbourne and Sydney.