List of live television plays broadcast on ABC (1956–1969)

The following is a list of live "television plays" broadcast on Australian broadcaster ABC during the 1950s. Some were produced in Sydney (on ABN-2), and some were produced in Melbourne (on ABV-2). Most of the Sydney productions were kinescoped so they could be shown in Melbourne, and vice versa. It is not known how many of these kinescope recordings still exist.

Most of the live television plays presented on ABC during the 1950s were adaptations of overseas stage plays, or new versions of works originally aired on BBC television. A few, however, were locally-written. This list mainly consists of drama and/or comedy productions, but also includes several opera presentations.

1950s

1956

• The Twelve Pound Look - based on play by J.M. Barrie - a play broadcast the first night the ABC went to air
• The Telephone - first opera broadcast

1957

• Amahl and the Night Visitors - opera
• Dark Brown - story of unknown origin
• The Duke in Darkness - adaptation of play by Patrick Hamilton
• Ending It - adaptation of British play
• Fair Passenger - adaptation of 1955 British TV play
• A Fourth for Bridge[1]
• Holiday in Biarritz[2]
• The Importance of Being Earnest - adaptation of play by Oscar Wilde
• In The Zone - adaptation of play by Eugene O'Neill
• Killer in Close-Up - four episodes broadcast over 1957-58
• The Proposal - based on the play, A Marriage Proposal by Anton Chekov
• The Passionate Pianist - adaptation of original Australian play by Barbara Vernon
• A Phoenix Too Frequent - adaptation of play by Christopher Fry
• The Right Person[3]
• Rope - adaptation of play by Patrick Hamilton
• Roundabout[4]
• Shadow of Doubt - based on a British play
• The Sound of Thunder[5]
• The Sub-Editor's Room - an original Australian play
• Sunday Costs Five Pesos[6]
• Three Cornered Moon[7]
• Tomorrow's Child[8]
• Twelve Pound Look[9] (a different adaptation to the 1956 version)
• The Wraith[10]

1958

• As You Are[11]
• The Barber of Seville[12]
• Box for One[13]
• Captain Carvallo[14]
• Chance of a Ghost[15]
• Citizen of Westminster - adaptation of British play
• An Enemy of the People[16]
• Fidelio[17]
• G'day Digger
• Gaslight - adaptation of play by Patrick Hamilton
• The Governess - adaptation of play by Patrick Hamilton
• His Excellency[18]
• I Pagliacci (1958) - opera
• If It's a Rose[19]
• The Lark[20]
• Last Call[21]
• Miss Mabel[22]
• The Multi-Coloured Umbrella - adaptation of Australian stage play
• Murder Story[23]
• The Public Prosecutor[24]
• Rose Without a Thorn[25]
• Sixty Point Bold[26]
• The Small Victory[27]
• Sorry, Wrong Number [28]
• Symphonie Pastorale[29]
• Three's Company - opera

1959

• Act of Violence[30]
• Albert Herring - opera
• Antony and Cleopatra - adaptation of Shakespeare
• Black Chiffon[31]
• Black Limelight[32]
• Blue Murder - original Australian TV play[33]
• Bodgie - original Australian TV play
• Cavalleria Rusticana - opera[34]
• Crime Passionel[35]
• A Dead Secret[36]
• Dinner with the Family[37]
• Hamlet[38]
• Lady in Danger - adaptation of 1942 Australian play
• Misery Me[39]
• One Bright Day[40]
• One Morning Near Troodos - adaptation of BBC TV play
• Outpost - original Australian play written for TV
• Prima Donna (1959) - opera
• Rita - opera[41] (per a search of their website, National Archives may hold a copy)
• The Seagull[42]
• The Skin of Our Teeth[43]
• The Soldier's Tale[44]
• The Strong are Lonely[45]
• Till Death Do Us Part[46]
• Treason[47]
• Trip Tease and High C's (1959)
• Wuthering Heights[48]

1960s

1960

• The Scent of Fear (1960)
• Ned Kelly (1960)
• The Bartered Bride (1960) - opera
• Even Unto Bethlehem (1960) - opera
• Il Seraglio (1960) - opera
• The Life and Death of King Richard II (1960) - TV play
• Close to the Roof (1960) - TV play
• The Dock Brief (1960) - TV play based on British play by John Mortimer
• Heart Attack
• The Square Ring (1960) - TV play
• Swamp Creatures (1960) - TV play
• Turning Point (1960) - TV play
• The Marriage of Figaro - opera
• The Slaughter of St Theresa's Day - based on Australian play by Peter Kenna
• Venus Observed
• The Medium (1960) - opera

1961

• Corinth House (1961)
• The Big Client (1961)
• A Little South of Heaven
• The Night of the Ding Dong (1961)
• Burst of Summer
• Il Tabarro - opera
• The Sergeant from Burralee (1961) - TV play
• A Night Out
• The Tell-Tale Heart
• The Merchant of Venice
• La Boheme
• A Little South of Heaven
• The Abduction from the Seraglio
• Samson and Delilah - opera
• The Secret of Susannah - opera
• Two Headed Eagle - based on an ITV play

1962

• Don Pasquale - opera
• Jenny - original Australian TV play
• The House of Mancello - original Australian TV play
• Funnel Web - original Australian TV play
• Boy Round the Corner - original Australian TV play
• The Teeth of the Wind - original Australian TV play
• Fly by Night - original Australian TV play
• The Hobby Horse - original Australian TV play
• The Land of Smiles - opera
• My Three Angels - based on an American play by Samuel and Bella Spewack adapted from a French play
• The Taming of the Shrew
• Lola Montez (1962)
• She'll Be Right
• The Case of Private Hamp (1962)
• L’Enfant Prodigue - opera
• Madame Butterfly - opera
• La Serva Padrona - opera
• The Devil Take Her - opera
• The Consul - opera
• The Pearlfishers - opera
• Hansel and Gretel - opera

1963

• The Sentimental Bloke (1963)
• Don't Listen Ladies (1963)
• A Piece of Ribbon (1963)
• The White Carnation (1963)
• The Right Thing (1963) - TV play
• Ballad for One Gun (1963) - TV play about Ned Kelly
• A Dead Secret
• The Young Victoria
• The Tempest
• Flowering Cherry (1963) - based on play by Robert Bolt
• The Long Sunset (1963) - based on play by R.C. Sheriff
• Bastien and Bastienne - opera
• Fisher’s Ghost - opera
• Simone Boccanegra - opera
• Manon - opera

1964

• Tosca - opera
• Peter Grimes - opera
• I Pagliacci (No.2) - opera
• Cinderella - opera

1965

• The Tower (1965)
• Macbeth
• Ring Out Wild Bells
• Rusty Bugles
• The Big Killing (1965 film)
• What About Next Year (1965)
• Thirty-One Backyards (1965) - TV pay
• The Tape Recorder (1965)
• School for Fathers - opera
• Louise (1965) - opera
• A Christmas Play - opera
• The Gypsy Baron - opera
• Amelia Goes to the Ball - opera

1966

• Anonymous (1966)
• Marleen (1966)
• The Blind Balance (1966)
• Ticket to Nowhere (1966)
• The Third Witness (1966)
• The Decision (1966)
• Objector (1966)
• A Small Wonder (1966)
• V.I.P.P. (1966)
• The Paradise Shanty (1966)
• Easy Terms (1966)
• The Attack (1966)
• Goodbye, Gloria, Hello! (1966)
• Maestro a Capella - opera
• The Gypsy Baron (1966) - opera

1967

• Shadow on the Wall (1967)
• Slow Poison (1967)
• The Five-Sided Triangle, Oor One Too Many (1967)
• The Brass Guitar (1967)

1968

• The Shifting Heart (1968)
• Fiends of the Family (1968) - based on novel by Pat Flower

1969

• The Torrents (1969) - based on Australian play by Oriel Grey
• The Cheerful Cuckold (1969)

See also

• Shell Presents - One off plays on ATN-7/GTV-9, 1959-1960
• Autumn Affair - 1958-1959 Sydney-produced soap opera
• Emergency - 1959 Melbourne-produced series
• The Adventures of Long John Silver
• The House on the Corner (1957, ATN-7)
• List of television plays broadcast on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1960s)
• List of television plays broadcast on ATN-7

References

1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3594094/
2. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3359678/
3. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3359912/
4. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3359804/
5. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3362262/
6. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3365352/
7. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3374664/
8. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3359708/
9. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=309VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KZUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6053%2C4116432
10. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DVURAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ppUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6079%2C3311600
11. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3gdQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mJUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3793%2C4533673
12. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3478514/
13. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3476860/
14. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3393040/
15. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3383762/
16. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501848/
17. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3458670/
18. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3499612/
19. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3388052/
20. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3492030/
21. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3466562/
22. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3369666/
23. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3413096/
24. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3418022/
25. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3472792/
26. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3450186/
27. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3383712/
28. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3423462/
29. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MlFVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nJUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4647%2C900469
30. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3428108/
31. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3505626/
32. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3584640/
33. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2vJjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9OQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3525%2C6831434
34. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ddBVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uL0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4764%2C4011611
35. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tH9WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5eQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1046%2C2858616
36. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2oRVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=F6wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4790%2C2273059
37. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3571236/
38. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1784462/
39. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3586602/
40. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sKUUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Sq8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4903%2C3970953
41. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=woRVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5KgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4942%2C650920
42. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3562498/
43. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3546640/
44. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3518902/
45. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3581846/
46. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3539482/
47. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ey9WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QuYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1134%2C799233
48. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=n6UUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Sq8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4714%2C592640

External links

• ABC Opera productions at Gore Hill