The Passionate Pianist

The Passionate Pianist is an Australian television film, or rather a live one-off television play, which aired in 1957 on ABC. Originally broadcast in Sydney on 2 October 1957, a kinescope recording was made of the broadcast, and shown in Melbourne on 1 November 1957.[2]

The Passionate Pianist
Directed byPaul O'Loughlin[1]
Written byBarbara Vernon
Based onplay by Barbara Vernon
Production
company
ABC
Release date
2 October 1957 (Sydney)(live)
1 November 1957 (Melbourne) (taped)
Running time
30 mins
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time.[3] 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

The teenage son (Mark Kelly) of a Sydney bookmaker prefers football to practicing piano. His mother (Marion Johns) is convinced he is a genius.[4]

Cast
  • Mark Kelly
  • Marion Johns
  • Edward Howell
  • Ivor Bromley
  • Bruce A. Wishart

Play version

The Passionate Pianist was produced as a one act play. 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.

It is part of the trilogy 'The Growing Year', which also includes Vernon's unpublished plays 'The Bishop and the Boxer' and 'First Love'.[5]

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.[6]

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.

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See also
  • Tomorrow's Child - One-off play on ABC, also during 1957
  • Ending It - One-off play on ABC, also during 1957
  • Take That - First Australian sitcom, 1957-1959
  • Bodgie - One-off play on ABC, aired in 1959
  • Blue Murder - One-off play on ABC, aired in 1959
  • List of live television plays broadcast on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1950s)

References
  1. "TV News". Sydney Morning Herald. 18 September 1957. p. 10.
  2. "TV guide". The Age. 1 November 1957. p. 4.
  3. Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
  4. "TV Comedy by author of Multi Coloured Umbrella". The Age. 1 November 1957. p. 2.
  5. Play details at AustLit
  6. "AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING COMMISSION 2CY 2CN". The Canberra Times. 36 (10, 099). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 16 December 1961. p. 19. Retrieved 15 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.


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