Prelude to Harvest
Prelude to Harvest is a 1963 Australian television play. It was written by Kay Keavney and directed by Colin Dean.
Prelude to Harvest | |
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Ad from SMH 26 Jan 1963 p4 | |
Genre | historical |
Written by | Kay Keavney |
Directed by | Colin Dean |
Country of origin | Australia |
Original language(s) | English |
Production | |
Running time | 60 mins |
Production company(s) | ABC |
Release | |
Original network | ABC |
Original release | 27 January 1963 (Sydney, Melbourne)[1][2] |
The production was broadcast to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Captain Phillip's landing at Sydney Cove.[3][4]
Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time.[5]
Plot
In January 1789 in London, a ship is loading up with convicts including 200 women. Six months later the ship is still there with the convicts on board, in miserable condition.
In Sydney, a ship is meant to arrive with supplies but is wrecked on the way. Governor Philip must come up with a plan to avoid famine in the colony.[6]
Cast
- Wynn Roberts as Governor Phillip
- Edward Howell
- Ric Hutton
- Neva Carr Glynn
- Terry McDermott
- Richard Meikle
- Betty Dyson[7]
Production
Australia Day 1963 would mark the 17th anniversary of Captain Phillip's landing at Sydney Cove. The ABC decided to commemorate it by commissioning two productions to screen over the Australia Day weekend - The Land That Waited, a 50-minute documentary on the history of white exploration and settlement in Australia which screened on Saturday January 26, and Prelude to Harvest.[6][8]
References
- "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 21 January 1963. p. 15.
- "TV Guide". The Age. 26 January 1963. p. 7.
- "PRELUDE TO HARVEST". The Canberra Times. 37 (10, 444). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 26 January 1963. p. 16. Retrieved 28 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- Roberts, Frank (2 February 1963). "TELEVISION THE ORIGINAL AUSTRALIANS". The Bulletin. Vol. 85 no. 4329.
- Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
- "Australia Day Programs". Sydney Morning Herald. 14 January 1963. p. 11.
- "Guest Stars for Homicide". Sydney Morning Herald. 15 March 1965. p. 13.
- "Programs will Provide Mirror for Austrlians". The Age. 24 January 1963. p. 19.