The Dock Brief is a 1960 Australian TV play directed by Ray Menmuir and starring Reg Lye and Moray Powell. It was based on the play by John Mortimer.[4]
| The Dock Brief | |
|---|---|
 Ad from 'The Age' 17 Feb 1960 | |
| Based on | play The Dock Brief by John Mortimer |
| Written by | George F. Kerr |
| Directed by | Raymond Menmuir |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes[1] or 50 minutes.[2] |
| Production company | ABC |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | 27 January 1960 (Sydney) |
| Release | 17 February 1960 (Melbourne)[3] |
Premise
editThe barrister Morgenall is given a brief to defend a bird seed seller, Fowle, accused of murdering his wife.
Cast
edit- Reg Lye as Fowle
- Moray Powell as Morgenhall
Production
editThe play was made in Sydney under the direction of Ray Menmuir. A radio version of the play had been performed in Australia the previous year.[5]
Menmuir said "as first seen the characters are quite comical but as the play progresses we begin to laugh with them rather than at them."[6]
Douglas Smith designed the set which consisted of two areas: the prison cell and the imaginary courtroom. Special effects were used to create a "courtroom of the imagination" for a later scene.[7]
Reception
editThe Sydney Morning Herald called it "beautifully acted" praising Menmuir's "admirably deft and very imaginative production."[8]
References
edit- ^ "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 25 January 1960. p. 21.
- ^ "TV Guide". The Age. 11 February 1960. p. 33.
- ^ "Advertisement". 17 February 1960. p. 5.
- ^ "The P.M.G.'s private eye". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 27, no. 37. Australia. 17 February 1960. p. 68. Retrieved 22 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "TV Presentation of Prize Drama About a Brief". The Age. 11 February 1960. p. 23.
- ^ "Comedy and Pathos at the Bar". TV Times. 10 March 1960. p. 7.
- ^ "Courtroom for Two". Sydney Morning Herald. 25 January 1960. p. 22.
- ^ ""Dock Brief" Telecast from ABN". Sydney Morning Herald. 28 January 1960. p. 5.