''Funnel Web'' is a 1962 Australian TV play starring
Grant Taylor and written by
Phillip Grenville Mann
Phillip Grenville Mann (24 December 1921 – 19 June 1990) was an Australian actor, playwright, stage director and manager, and writer.
He won a series of prizes as a young writer. He served in the Royal Australian Navy.
He worked for six years ...
. It screened on the
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 was a suspense drama.
Plot
A Canadian woman, Nina, is searching for her husband, Max Godfrey, who deserted her years ago. She finds him living in Sydney. Max has also defrauded his business partner. He decides to take steps to get rid of both his ex-wife and former business partner.
Cast
*Grant Taylor as Max Godfrey
*Diana Davidson as Nina Godfrey
*
Wendy Playfair
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as Nina Godfrey
*
Alastair Duncan as Paul Charlton
*
Phillipa Baker as Marion Westlake
*
Mary Mackay as Miss Wetherby
*
Stewart Ginn
Stewart Ginn (born 2 June 1949) is an Australian professional golfer.
Early life
Ginn was born in Melbourne. He grew up behind the twelfth green of the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Early in his life "he used to caddy at Royal Melbourne." He th ...
as Dt Sgt Lundy
*Ken Hacker as Gleeson
1956 British TV version
It was based on a story by Phillip Grenville Mann. He originally wrote it as a 30-minute TV play for British TV called "Dead or Alive". This aired in 1956 as part of the anthology series ''Theatre Royal'', hosted by
Lilli Palmer
Lilli Palmer (; born Lilli Marie Peiser; 24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she would later transition to major Cinema of the United States, Hollywood produ ...
. The episode starred Australian actor
Ron Randell Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe A ...
and was directed by
Don Chaffey
Donald Chaffey (5 August 1917 – 13 November 1990) was a British film director, writer, producer, and art director.
Chaffey's film career began as an art director in 1947, and his directorial debut was in 1953. He remained active in the ind ...
, who would later work in Australia. Other actors included Ralph Michael, Patricia Driscoll, Lloyd Lamble and John Miller.
Mann expanded the story into a full length stage play, which was performed in Britain.
Development
Mann adapted the story for Australian TV.
According to ''Filmink'' "A lot of TV plays around this time sound as though they were inspired by ''
Dial M for Murder
''Dial M for Murder'' is a 1954 American crime thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, Anthony Dawson, and John Williams. Both the screenplay and the successful stage play on which it was ...
'', which started as a TV play, i.e. tales of murder among the monied classes."
It was the last in a series of live TV plays by Australian authors on the ABC which had been announced in March 1962.
The others were:
*''
Boy Round the Corner
''Boy Round the Corner'' is an Australian film which aired in 1962. Broadcast live on ABC, it was set in Sydney but produced in Melbourne. Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time.
The archival status of the film is not known, given th ...
''
*''
The House of Mancello
''The House of Mancello'' is a 1962 Australian TV drama shot in Melbourne about a new Australian family.
It was one of a series of six Australian plays produced by the ABC in 1962. The others were:
*''Boy Round the Corner''
*''Funnel Web''
*''T ...
''
*''
The Teeth of the Wind
''The Teeth of the Wind'' is a 1962 television play broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was written by John Cameron who had written '' Outpost'' (1959) which had screened on American television.
It was shot in Melbourne and ...
''
*''
The Hobby Horse
''The Hobby Horse'' was a quarterly Victorian periodical in England published by the Century Guild of Artists. The magazine ran from 1884 to 1894 and spanned a total of seven volumes and 28 issues. It featured various articles not only on arts ...
''
*''
Jenny
Jenny may refer to:
* Jenny (given name), a popular feminine name and list of real and fictional people
* Jenny (surname), a family name
Animals
* Jenny (donkey), a female donkey
* Jenny (gorilla), the oldest gorilla in captivity at the time of ...
''
Production
It was Grant Taylor's second TV performance following ''Jenny'' and was shot in Sydney. The set, including two office interiors and a beach house at Avalon, was designed by Francesca Crespi. Technical supervisor John Garton was a veteran of many ABC plays and operas. Director
Bill Bain said "the play is an excellent vehicle for actors and producer, being slick, tight and dynamic."
Reception
The ''Sydney Morning Herald'' praised "the meticulously chic settings designed by Francesca Crespi (a beach house at Avalon and a Sydney office interior) and the easy-limbed, masterful portrayal of the villain by Grant Taylor".
See also
*
External links
''Funnel Web''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 ...
''Funnel Web''at
IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
References
{{Bill Bain
Black-and-white Australian television shows
1960s Australian television plays