''Dark Under the Sun'' is a 1960 Australian TV play. It was written by Brisbane author, Chris Gardner, who also wrote ''

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'' (1962) and ''

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'' (1964). Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time. The play concerned an interracial romance which led ''Filmink'' magazine to think it was "an indication that Australian television was willing to confront some of the nation’s trickier social issues head on." Other Australian TV plays to deal with racial issues included ''

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''. However the Aboriginal character is played by a white actor in blackface. It was aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

and ran for an hour on Wednesday 27 April 1960 at 8.30pm. It was produced in Melbourne.

Plot

In the town of Nombora, a university-educated half-aboriginal man, Jim Robertson, falls for a white woman, his childhood playmate, Julie Handford. Social and family problems begin when they decide to get married. The play is set at a homestead near a Queensland banana plantation. Beryl Parker is a scheming friend who causes trouble. Julie winds up rejecting Jim.

Cast

Edward Brayshaw Edward John Brayshaw (18 October 1933 – 28 December 1990) was an Australian actor who worked in Australia and England. Australian career He was a Melbourne-based actor in the 1950s and 1960s and often appeared on television and stage. He lef ...

as Jim Robertson *Elizabeth Goodman as Julie Handford *Moira Carleton as Grannie Hill *James Lynch as Les Holland *Berys Marsh as Beryl Parker *John Norman as Dave Handford *Joyce Turner as Mr Handford

Production

Early Australian TV drama production was dominated by using imported scripts but in 1960 the ABC was undertaking what has been described as "an Australiana drive" of producing local stories. In January 1960 the ABC announced the play would be one of several new TV plays from Australian writers. The others included ''Eye of the Night'', ''The Turning Point'' and ''The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day''. The play was written by Chris Gardner, a Queensland author. She had moved from England to Australia eight years previously was living in Woody Point. She started writing when briefly bed-ridden due to a slipped disc then became more serious about it when she joined a Brisbane radio group in 1956. ''Dark Under the Sun'' was her first TV play. Director William Sterling said the play was written in the style of

Paddy Chayevsky Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky (January 29, 1923 – August 1, 1981) was an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both adapted and original screenplays. He was ...

Ted Willis Edward Henry Willis, Baron Willis (13 January 1914 – 22 December 1992) was an English playwright, novelist and screenwriter who was also politically active in support of the Labour Party. In 1941 he became the General Secretary of the Young Co ...

- "a familiar social situation being shown in a simple, believable story with recognisable characters appearing in realistic situations and arguing their point of view forcefully without being mere mouthpieces for a particular opinion." Advertising called it "a dramatic live play by Chris Gardner on the problem of social assimilation in a Queensland community."

Reception

''The Age'' TV reviewer called it "excellent... struck such a telling blow for Australian produced and written drama that it is regrettable that not more than a handful of viewers watched this one hour production." He added Brayshaw "at times his acting was quite brilliant" and thought Goodman "also performed excellently... the drama flowed smoothly and well." The same paper, when it reviewed the year in Australian television, again called the production "outstanding".

References

External links

*
''Dark Under the Sun''
at

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

Dark Under the Sun
at

National Archives of Australia The National Archives of Australia (NAA), formerly known as the Commonwealth Archives Office and Australian Archives, is an Australian Government agency that serves as the national archives of the nation. It collects, preserves and encourages ...

{{William Sterling 1960s Australian television plays 1960 television plays Films directed by William Sterling (director)