The Recruiting Officer (Wednesday Theatre)

Last updated

"The Recruiting Officer"
Wednesday Theatre episode
Recruiting Officer.png
SMH 6 Jan 1965
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed by Ken Hannam
Based on The Recruiting Officer
by George Farquhar
Featured musicRichard Connolly
Original air date6 January 1965 (1965-01-06)
Running time100 mins [1]
Guest appearances
John Meillon
Reg Livermore
Episode chronology
← Previous
—		Next →
"Peter Grimes"
List of episodes

"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. [2] "The Recruiting Officer" aired on 6 January 1965 in Sydney, [3] 13 January 1965 in Brisbane, [4] and on 20 January 1965 in Melbourne. [5]

Contents

The production was the first episode of the ABC anthology series Wednesday Theatre and starred John Meillon, and was directed by Ken Hannam. [6]

Premise

Two recruiting officers, Plume and Brazen, visit a country district and become involved with Plume's childhood friend, Worthy, and two beautiful women, Sylvia and Melinda.

Cast

Production

The original play was first play to be staged in the Colony of New South Wales, which is now Australia, by the convicts of the First Fleet on 4 June 1789 under the governance of Captain Arthur Phillip. [7] It was performed to honour the king's birthday. The play was based on Farqhuar's experience recruiting in Shrophsire during the War of Spanish Succession. [4]

The play had recently been revived in the public consciousness after being performed at the National Theatre in London in 1963.

In 1964, when the play was shot, it was compared to the movie Tom Jones (1963). [8]

John Meillon made it after returning home after five years in London, "I would think this play was the best ever produced in Australia", said Meillon. "It would stand on its merits anywhere." [9]

It was one of the most elaborate productions shot on Australian TV until that time. It was filmed in 1964 but screening was delayed until after a Senate election because of the title, and conscription had been an issue in the election. [10]

Sets and costumes were designed by Wendy Dickson of the Elizabethan Theatre Trust. [9] [11] Two studios were used. The sets involved building a complete market place, containing a courthouse, inn and stocks. More than 30 costumes were made. [4]

Reg Livermore wrote in his memoirs that rehearsals took place in premises in Lower Forbes St, near Kings Cross. He says whenever Meillion had a break in dialogue he would leave to visit the pub, but "he always returned in time". Livermore says Meillon's performance "was lively, nonetheless, as was he, a jovial, likable chum." [12]

Reception

The Sydney Morning Herald said "The happy turns and twists of its plot and its unrestrained, exuberant dialogue were skillfully brought within the television frame, enabling the notably able cast to show off a variety of nimble expressions" adding "This was a good-tempered and affable production" with "some delightful acting and resourceful use of visual details." [13]

The Canberra Times said Meillon made "a display of naturalistic acting of such excellence that there was excitement in the sheer realism of his gesture and inflection. But the 100 minute production left an after taste of such dissatisfaction that the inevitable first question was, do I want naturalistic acting in Restoration comedy?" [6]

The Sydney Tribune said it was the "highlight of the week". [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Meillon</span> Australian actor (1934–1989)

John Meillon,, was an Australian character actor known for dramatic as well as comedy roles. He portrayed Walter Reilly in the films Crocodile Dundee and Crocodile Dundee II. He also voiced advertisements for Victoria Bitter beer. He appeared in several Australian New Wave films including Wake in Fright and The Cars That Ate Paris.

Reginald Dawson Livermore is an Australian actor, singer, theatrical performer, designer, director, lyricist and writer and former television presenter.

<i>The Recruiting Officer</i> 1706 play by George Farquhar

The Recruiting Officer is a 1706 play by the Irish writer George Farquhar, which follows the social and sexual exploits of two officers, the womanising Plume and the cowardly Brazen, in the town of Shrewsbury to recruit soldiers. The characters of the play are generally stock, in keeping with the genre of Restoration comedy.

Rape of the Belt is a 1964 Australian television film based on the play by Benn Levy.

<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.

"A Season in Hell" is a 1964 Australian TV movie broadcast on the ABC which originally aired as an episode of Wednesday Theatre. It was directed by Henri Safran from a script by Patricia Hooker and was shot at the ABC's Gore Hill Studios in Sydney. "A Season in Hell" aired on 1 April 1964 in Sydney, on 22 April 1964 in Brisbane, and on 29 April 1964 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.

<i>Ned Kelly</i> (musical) 1977 musical

Ned Kelly is an Australian musical with book and lyrics by Reg Livermore and music by Patrick Flynn. It tells the story of Australian bushranger Ned Kelly with an eclectic score combining rock opera, vaudeville and burlesque. The original Australian production played in Adelaide and Sydney in 1977 and 1978.

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunder of Silence</span> 6th episode of the 1st season of Shell Presents

"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.

"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.

A Private Island is a 1964 Australian television play. It was written by Brisbane author Chris Gardner and was directed by Henri Safran.

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

<i>The Tempest</i> (1963 film) 1963 Australian TV series or program

The Tempest is an Australian television play, an adaptation of the play by William Shakespeare. Directed by Alan Burke, it stars Reg Livermore. The play aired on 16 October 1963 in Sydney.

<i>Night Stop</i> 1963 television film directed by Patrick Barton

Night Stop is a 1963 Australian television play. It was filmed in Melbourne and had been performed on British TV.

"Romanoff and Juliet" is a 1964 Australian television play based on the play by Peter Ustinov. It aired on 20 January 1965 in Sydney, and on 27 January 1965 in Melbourne.

A Local Boy is a 1964 Australian TV play produced in ABC's Gore Hill Studios in Sydney. Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time.

"Othello" is a 1964 Australian television play based on the play by William Shakespeare. It was broadcast on the ABC as part of Wednesday Theatre and filmed in ABC's Melbourne studios. It aired on 18 November 1964 in Melbourne, on 3 February 1965 in Sydney, and on 7 July 1965 in Brisbane.

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

West of the Black Stump is a 1964 Australian musical with book and lyrics by Reg Livermore and music by Sandra McKenzie. Described as "a child's game of cowboys for adults", the action takes place in Witchety City around the 1850s, somewhere 'west of the Black Stump'. It was Livermore's second musical after The Good Ship Walter Raleigh.

References

  1. ↑ "WEDNESDAY". The Canberra Times . Vol. 39, no. 11, 044. 4 January 1965. p. 14. Retrieved 20 March 2017– via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (16 May 2021). "Forgotten Australian TV Plays: The Recruiting Officer". Filmink.
  3. ↑ "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 January 1965. p. 11.
  4. 1 2 3 "Convicts Acted in Australia's First Play". TV Times. 6 January 1965. p. 6.
  5. ↑ "176 Years Later It's Still on TV". The Age. 14 January 1965. p. 10.
  6. 1 2 "THE RECRUITING OFFICER- ABC TV Pros and cons". The Canberra Times . 8 January 1965. p. 10. Retrieved 3 April 2015– via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ Hughes, Robert (1987) The Fatal Shore, Collins.
  8. ↑ "A Restoration Play". Sydney Morning Herald. 28 December 1964. p. 11.
  9. 1 2 "Convicts acted comedy in 1789". The Australian Women's Weekly . 23 December 1964. p. 18. Retrieved 3 April 2015– via National Library of Australia.
  10. ↑ "What to stay home for..." The Canberra Times . 4 January 1965. p. 13. Retrieved 3 April 2015– via National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ "Convicts produce Restoration play". The Canberra Times . 4 January 1965. p. 13. Retrieved 25 May 2020– via Trove.
  12. ↑ Livermore, Reg; McMicking, Rob (2003). Chapters and Chances. Hardie Grant Books. p. 57.
  13. ↑ "DRAMA Comedy on ABN 2". Sydney Morning Herald. 7 January 1965. p. 12.
  14. ↑ "TVIEW". Tribune . New South Wales, Australia. 13 January 1965. p. 10. Retrieved 25 May 2020– via Trove.
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.