The Telephone is a 1956 Australian television play. It was a filmed version of the opera The Telephone by Menotti.[1] It was the first of many operas broadcast by the ABC.[2] It went for 25 minutes and only featured two people, played by Marie Tysoe and Kevin Mills.[3]
| The Telephone | |
|---|---|
| Based on | The Telephone by Menotti |
| Starring | Marie Tysoe Kevin Mills |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | George Trevare |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Production company | ABC |
| Original release | |
| Release | 20 December 1956 |
Premise edit
Ben attempts to marry Lucy but she keeps gossiping on the telephone. Ben decides to propose to her on the phone.
Cast edit
- Kevin Mills as Ben
- Marie Tysoe as Lucy
Background edit
Tysoe and Mills had performed the opera together many times in 1953 and 1954, on stage and on radio.[4][5][6]
Marie Tysoe later recalled making the film:
It was done live to air from the radio studio at Kings Cross. The OB Van was parked at Kellett Street, and I remember all the cables going through the windows down to the van. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra was there. We had a marvellous producer, George Trevare, and it all went without a hitch. I actually sang this opera before for a group of singers called the Sydney Opera Group. The ABC – that is Tony Hughes or Werner Baer - probably knew about that, and I got the call. It was an ideal opera to start off on television, as it only had 2 performers and was a relatively simple set and not many props. During rehearsal I remember the producer asking me what I was going to wear. The conductor and one of the stage managers took me to a boutique shop at Kings Cross, and they bought an elegant dress for me to wear on the production.[7]
See also edit
External links edit
References edit
- ^ "NewsLocal digital edition". newslocal.newspaperdirect.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2013.
- ^ "Advertisement". ABC Weekly. 15 December 1956.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
- ^ ""The Telephone" Preview". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 36, 129. New South Wales, Australia. 7 October 1953. p. 12. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
- ^ 'Talent Soars in Menotti Opera' The Age 22 July 1954
- ^ ""Telephone" Sung At Art Gallery". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 36, 296. New South Wales, Australia. 21 April 1954. p. 8. Retrieved 31 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Interview with Marie Tysoe. Archived 2011-02-18 at the Wayback Machine
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