''Fury in Petticoats'' is a 1962 television play broadcast by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

. It was directed by Christopher Muir. It was based on a play which had been filmed by British TV the year before. Although fictional, the plot is based on a historical incident in 1836, when naturalist Charles Darwin brought to England four natives from the island of

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla ...

, near South America. Some changes were made from historical fact - the Fugeia was older.

Plot

The Reverend William Dill, his wife Augusta and daughter Anne are preparing to meet the curate Edward Parslowe and his friend Charles Darwin for dinner. Edward loves Anne but Augusta wants her daughted to meet Charles Darwin. Darwin talks about a native girl, Fuegia, they have brought bac. Anne decides to attempt to convert her to Christianity. (played by Kay Kelton) goes to live in an English country vicarage.

Cast

* Lola Brooks as Anne Dill *Michael Duffield as Rev. William Dill *

Norman Kaye Norman James Kaye (17 January 1927 – 28 May 2007) was an Australian actor and musician. He was best known for his roles in the films of director Paul Cox. Early life and education Kaye was born in Melbourne and won a scholarship to study at ...

as Charles Darwin *Mark Kelly as Edward *Fay Kelton as Fuegia Basket *Elizabeth Wing as Mrs. Dill

Production

It was shot in Melbourne.

Reception

The ''Sydney Morning Herald'' wrote that:

twas an oddly contrived story produced in that stilted solemn atmosphere to which "period" plays often conform. The fact that Charles Darwin once brought a few sad and sorry natives from Terra del Fuego to England could possibly be the basis for a seriously realistic glimpse of early colour problems, or else, perhaps, be artificially brightened into a spirited comedy... Morgan attempted to provide humour and also facile generalisations in a play which neither illuminates nor 'sparkles. The native girl... unconvincingly combined the antics of a savage monkey with an unlikely capacity for sophisticated, fluent reasoning, and the reactions of the prim nineteenth century vicarage were equally unconvincing and lacking in continuity. The actors did not do much to enliven their pasteboard parts, with the exception of Lola Brooks, who managed to bring a sensitive and natural manner to her part.

The ''Bulletin'' said it was "a big improvement" on Muir's earlier '' Boy Around the Corner''. ''The Age'' called it "good television... an unpretentious play, well mounted and with straight forward production."

References

External links

* 1960s Australian television plays Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming English-language television shows 1962 television plays {{Australia-tv-film-stub