The Wraith (1957 film)

(Redirected from The Wraith (1957 TV play))

The Wraith is a live television comedy play presented on Australian television in 1957. Broadcast on ABC, it was originally telecast in Sydney, and shown in Melbourne via a kinescope recording.[2] It was made at a time when Australian drama was rare.[3]

The Wraith
Based on1936 radio play by Graeme-Holder
Screenplay byW. Graeme-Holder
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time30 mins
Production companyAustralian Broadcasting Commission
Original release
Release23 April 1957 (1957-04-23) (Sydney, live)[1]
Release24 May 1957 (1957-05-24) (Melbourne, recording)[2]

Duration was 30 minutes, in black and white. It was written by W. Graeme-Holder, and had previously been presented on radio during the 1930s. It is not known if the kinescope recording of the television version is still extant.

Premise

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"The Wraith" is the name of a mysterious burglar.

Two gentlemen, John and James, are burgling the London flat of Madeleine Bloom, a wealthy actor. They are interrupted by a lady who accuses them of trespass.[4]

Cast

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  • Leonard Bullen - John
  • Normal Cull - James
  • Joan Lord - Lady

Production

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The play was based on a 1936 radio play that was often performed in the late 1930s.[5][6] It had been performed on the BBC radio in 1939.[7]

Joan Lord had been in earlier TV plays Twelve Pound Look and Elizabeth Refuses.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Looking A head on Channel 2 (ABN)". ABC Weekly. 20 April 1957. p. 20.
  2. ^ a b "Mystery-Comedy on Kinescope". The Age. 23 May 1957. p. 12.
  3. ^ Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
  4. ^ "All the TV Programmes". ABC Weekly. 20 April 1957. p. 36.
  5. ^ "POLL RESULTS OVER AIR". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 16 October 1937. p. 21. Retrieved 18 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "5CL—411 Metres". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 20 October 1937. p. 20. Retrieved 18 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ The Wraith at BBC
  8. ^ Lane, Richard (2000). The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama Volume 2. National Film and Sound Archive. p. 41.
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