Voyage Out

Last updated
"Voyage Out"
Australian Plays episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 2
Directed by John Croyston
Teleplay by John Croyston
Original air date5 November 1969 (1969-11-05)
Running time70 mins [1]
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Dynasty"
Next 
"The Cheerful Cuckold"
List of episodes

"Voyage Out" is a 1969 [2] Australian TV play. It aired as part of the Australian Plays anthology series on the ABC. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time. [6]

Premise

A woman, Kathy, decides to reject a series of fleeting physical encounters and believes she has found her ideal mate in Robert, a poet. Robert cannot believe he has the power to hold her and they both strive to convince themselves and everyone else that they are happy.

She discovers her husband Robert is dead. [7]

Cast

Reception

The Canberra Times thought Croyston's "sympathetic direction saved the play and gave it something it otherwise lacked. On the other hand perhaps a director without the bond of authorship could have been more ruthless and speeded it up. The story was unsubtle, rather melodramatic. It did have some surprisingly perceptive and original moments, however, such as when Kathy discovers Robert with his head in the gas oven and in her shock begins to beat his dead body calling him a "revolting little man". Food for thought: had she always hated him? The most important thing is that the plays are being televised. If they are not BBC standard at least they are getting an airing." [8]

Reviewing the year in Australian TV, The Age said the six plays of Australian Plays were "more dull than bad with the exception of "A Voyage Out" notable for the TV debut of the diminutive Ray Hartley who played child parts in radio series." [9]

Related Research Articles

Robert John Inverarity is a former Australian cricketer who played six Test matches. A right-handed batsman and left-arm orthodox spin bowler in his playing career, Inverarity was also one of the enduring captains in the Australian Sheffield Shield during the late 1970s and early 1980s, captaining both Western Australia and South Australia.

Gary John Gilmour was an Australian cricketer who played in 15 test matches and five One Day Internationals (ODIs) between 1973 and 1977. He was a part of the Australian squad which finished as runners-up at the 1975 Cricket World Cup.

Candida Raymond is an Australian actress of film and television during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Jack Newton OAM was an Australian professional golfer. Newton had early success in Australia, winning the 1972 Amoco Forbes Classic. He soon moved on to the British PGA where he won three times in the mid-1970s and finished runner-up at the 1975 Open Championship. Shortly thereafter, Newton started playing on the PGA Tour where he won the 1978 Buick-Goodwrench Open. During this era, Newton also played significantly in Australia where he won a number events including the 1979 Australian Open. Four years later, Newton had a near-fatal accident when he walked into the spinning propeller of an airplane, losing his right arm and right eye. However, he survived and managed to work a number of golf-related jobs the remainder of his life.

<i>Wandjina!</i> Australian TV series or program

Wandjina! was an Australian children's science fantasy television series produced by ABC Television and first aired in 1966. Its story, inspired by Dreamtime mythology of the spirit ancestors of the Kimberley region of north-West Australia, was about three teenagers caught up in an adventure linked to local sacred Aboriginal cave paintings of the Wandjina — the "people from the sky" who visited long ago, in the Dreamtime.

<i>Dynasty</i> (Australian TV series) Australian TV series or program

Dynasty is an Australian TV series that aired from 7 October 1970 to 6 October 1971, based on the 1967 Tony Morphett novel of the same name which had been previously adapted as a television play.

Corruption in the Palace of Justice is a 1964 Australian television film produced by Oscar Whitbread. Based on an Italian stage play by Ugo Betti, it was a drama aired in a 60-minute time-slot and aired on the non-commercial broadcaster the Australian Broadcasting Commission. The cast included Michael Duffield, Carl Bleazby and Terry Norris. It was produced in Melbourne. It was adapted by Robert Rietti. A copy of the script is at the NAA.

"A Time to Speak" is a 1965 Australian television film that aired on ABC. This period drama, set around 1900, was written by Noel Robinson. It was the third production to air within a three- week period. The film premiered on 7 April 1965, in Sydney and Melbourne.

"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.

The Man Who Shot the Albatross is a play by Ray Lawler about the Rum Rebellion, first performed in 1971 and turned into a 1972 TV movie featuring the same cast.

"Eden House" is a 1970 television play from the Australian television series Australian Plays, based on the 1969 play of the same name by Australian author Hal Porter. The played toured the UK in the 1970s with Jean Kent, and Dermot Walsh in leading roles. It was retitled 'Home on the Pigs back.'

"Fiends of the Family" is a 1969 Australian television play. It was part of the Australian Plays series. Written by Pat Flower based on her 1966 novel, directed by Oscar Whitbread.

Christopher Muir was an Australian director and producer, notable for his work in TV in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1980s he was head of ABC Television drama.

Brett Porter was an Australian producer, writer and director best known for his work in TV. He worked at ATN-7 Sydney producing with David Cahill some of the first drama made for Australian television.

"How Do You Spell Matrimony?" is a 1965 Australian television play by Colin Free. It appeared on a double bill as part of Wednesday Theatre with The Face at the Club House Door.

"Done Away With It" is the 16th television play episode of the first season of the Australian anthology television series Australian Playhouse. "Done Away With It" was written by Pat Flower and directed by Henri Safran and originally aired on ABC on 1 August 1966.

John Croyston was an Australian writer, radio producer and director.

"The Torrents" is a 1969 Australian TV play based on the stage play by Oriel Gray. It was filmed as part of the ABC anthology drama series Australian Plays. It was the second Gray play adapted by the ABC, after Burst of Summer. It aired on 10 December 1969 in Sydney and Melbourne.

Bullocky is a 1969 Australian short documentary film, in colour. It was directed by Richard Mitchell and produced by Gil Brealey for the Commonwealth Film Unit. The film depicts Vic Reaves, one of the few remaining 'bullockies' hauling timber in country New South Wales.

Dig a Million, Make a Million is an Australian television documentary produced and directed by Tom Heydon for the Australian Broadcasting Commission, broadcast on ABC-TV on 9 June 1969. It concerns foreign ownership of Australian mining.

References

  1. "WEDNESDAY". The Canberra Times . Vol. 44, no. 12, 458. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 3 November 1969. p. 18. Retrieved 14 September 2020 via National Library of Australia.
  2. "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 30 October 1969. p. 42.
  3. Marshall, Valda. "Six Australian Plays in ABC Series". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 121.
  4. "Letters TO THE EDITOR". The Canberra Times . Vol. 44, no. 12, 467. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 13 November 1969. p. 2. Retrieved 14 September 2020 via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Australian plays on ABC-TV". The Canberra Times . Vol. 44, no. 12, 452. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 27 October 1969. p. 15. Retrieved 14 September 2020 via National Library of Australia.
  6. Vagg, Stephen (February 18, 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
  7. "TELEVISION Frank in colour". The Canberra Times . Vol. 44, no. 12, 462. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 7 November 1969. p. 17. Retrieved 18 February 2019 via National Library of Australia.
  8. "TELEVISION Frank in colour". The Canberra Times . Vol. 44, no. 12, 462. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 7 November 1969. p. 17. Retrieved 14 September 2020 via National Library of Australia.
  9. Televiewer (24 December 1969). "Women Led the Way". The Age. p. 12.