The Runaway (1966 television play)

The Runaway is a 1966 Australian television play. It aired on 19 October 1966 on the ABC as part of Wednesday Theatre.

"The Runaway"
Wednesday Theatre episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 42
Directed byStorry Walton
Teleplay byJohn Croyston
Original air date19 October 1966 (Sydney)[1]
16 November 1966 (Melbourne)[2]
Running time30 minutes[3]

It was written by John Croyston, who was better known as a producer; this was his first script for TV.[4] Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time.[5]

Plot

In a Sydney suburb, the two sons of a hard working pastry chef of continental background are struggling with their own ambitions.

Cast
  • John Gray as Pop
  • Edward Hepple as Grandpa
  • Helen Morse as Jenny
  • Lynne Murphy as mother
  • Graham Dixon as George
  • Ken James as Fred
  • Bettina Smeaton as customer
  • Sandy Harbutt
  • Martin Harris

Reception

The critic for the Sydney Morning Herald said the play "was not a work of genius, but it showed promise. The characters were fairly well drawn and their conflicts were credible though mundane. Troubles lay between father, and sons, mother and sons, between one son and his girl of a more affluent class. But the treatment lay flat. At one stage half the cast was explaining:. "We don't seem—you know what I mean—to get along or ... You know what I mean — understand each other." The cast did not help. All were flatter than the script and John Gray as the father gave a banal effort... Why did Storry Walton put up with the noise in the studio? And why didn't someone edit out the slow patches in the writing? All his faults counted against him, Croyston deserved a better first night."[6]

gollark: ONLY BECAUSE OF STUPID SOFTWARE BLOAT
gollark: AND PHONES ARE PRETTY FAST ALREADY
gollark: IMPROVEMENTS IN PHONE TECHNOLOGY ARE SLOWING DOWN
gollark: THERE IS NO REASON YOU SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP A PHONE FOR 10 YEARS, IN A SOMEWHAT MORE IDEAL WORLD
gollark: OLEDS ARE LESS EFFICIENT AT HIGH BRIGHTNESSES

References
  1. "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 17 October 1966. p. 17.
  2. "tV Guide". The Age. 10 November 1966. p. 39.
  3. "WEDNESDAY". The Canberra Times. 41 (11, 510). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 17 October 1966. p. 17. Retrieved 23 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 21.
  5. Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
  6. "ON TELEVISION Whimsy comes to McGooley show". Sydney Morning Herald. 20 October 1966. p. 12.


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