The Passionate Pianist
Based onplay by Barbara Vernon
Written byBarbara Vernon
Directed byPaul O'Loughlin[1]
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time30 mins[2]
Production companyABC
Original release
NetworkABC
Release2 October 1957 (1957-10-02) (Sydney)(live)
1 November 1957 (1957-11-01) (Melbourne) (taped)[3]

The Passionate Pianist is an Australian television film, or rather a live one-off television play, which aired in 1957 on ABC. This was part of ABC's twice monthly presentations of live plays during the late-1950s (one live play each month in Sydney and Melbourne, respectively, with most kinescoped for showing in the other city).

At the time, most one-off drama and comedy plays produced for Australian television were adaptations of overseas works, and The Passionate Pianist is notable as it represents an early example of a locally-written comedy for the medium.

Plot summary

Ben, the teenage son of a Sydney bookmaker prefers football to practicing piano. His mother (Marion Johns) is convinced he is a genius and enters him in an eistedford.[4]

Cast

Play version

The Passionate Pianist was produced as a one act play. Barbara Vernon was a radio announcer in Inverell and wrote the play for Con Fardouly, a Greek who ran a cafe in Inverell.

It was first performed at the Inverell Town Hall, on 22 November 1957. The cast included Lee Jones, Nell Stewart, Frank Sloman, Rob Jeffs, and Con Fardouly.[5]

It is part of the trilogy 'The Growing Year', which also includes Vernon's unpublished plays 'The Bishop and the Boxer' and 'First Love'.[6]

Production

Rehearsals began in September 1957.[1]

It is not known if the kinescope recording of the program still exists.

Radio Adaptation

The play was also adapted for radio.[7][8]

Follow up

Barbara Vernon is also known for writing the play The Multi-Coloured Umbrella, which saw a television version in 1958. It was focused on the same family of Sydney book makers.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "TV News". Sydney Morning Herald. 18 September 1957. p. 10.
  2. ↑ "All the TV Programmes". ABC Weekly. 2 November 1957. p. 34.
  3. ↑ "TV guide". The Age. 1 November 1957. p. 4.
  4. ↑ "TV Comedy by author of Multi Coloured Umbrella". The Age. 1 November 1957. p. 2.
  5. ↑ "Talk about". ABC Weekly. 2 October 1957. p. 46.
  6. ↑ Play details at AustLit
  7. ↑ "AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING COMMISSION 2CY 2CN". The Canberra Times. Vol. 36, no. 10, 099. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 16 December 1961. p. 19. Retrieved 15 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ↑ "A.B.C. radio plays for the week". ABC Weekly. 14 May 1958. p. 14.
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