''Murder Story'' is a 1958 Australian television play. It was based on a script by

Ludovic Kennedy Sir Ludovic Henry Coverley Kennedy (3 November 191918 October 2009) was a Scottish journalist, broadcaster, humanist and author best known for re-examining cases such as the Lindbergh kidnapping and the murder convictions of Timothy Evans and ...

based on the Croydon roof top murder and starred Neva Carr-Glynn,

John Ewart Jon Ewart (06th May 1996) is a British television and film actor. Ewart attended the prestigious National Youth Theatre, Identity School of Acting and has appeared in many successful Television shows. Biography Career Ewart, who was born in M ...

and Douglas Kelly. It was directed by

Raymond Menmuir Raymond Edward Menmuir (10 September 1930 – 26 March 2016) was a British-Australian director and producer. His career included producing 44 episodes of ''The Professionals (TV series), The Professionals'' and directing 12 episodes of ''Upstairs ...

Plot

A 19-year-old, Jim Tanner is sentenced to death for the murder of Constable Albert Tomkins. In prison, Tanner is taught to read and write. But he is executed.

Cast

as Jim Tanner *

Neva Carr Glyn Neva Carr Glyn or Neva Carr Glynn (born Neva Josephine Mary Carr Glyn, 10 May 1908 – 10 August 1975) was an Australian stage, film and radio actress born in Melbourne to Arthur Benjamin Carr Glyn (died 16 January 1923), a humorous baritone and ...

as his mother *Douglas Kelly as his father *

John Alden John Alden (c. 1598 - September 12, 1687) was a crew member on the historic 1620 voyage of the ''Mayflower'' which brought the English settlers commonly known as Pilgrims to Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts, US. He was hired in Sou ...

as prison chaplain *

Don Crosby George Wallace Donald Crosby, Order of Australia, OAM (29 October 1924 – 3 December 1985) was an Australians, Australian actor of radio, stage, television and film, radio producer, stage manager, airman and trade unionist. Early life The fift ...

as Warder Graves *Deryck Barnes as Warder Barty *Myrna Dodd as Cons Tomkins Widow *

Richard Meikle Richard Meikle (10 October 1929 – 2 June 1991) was an Australian actor who worked extensively in film, theatre, and radio. He was the father of writer Sam Meikle. Career Meikle began his career as a stage actor. His first recorded role was in ...

as Ted Clift, Jim's accomplice *Frederick Powell as inspector

Production

Kennedy's play had been performed for British TV in 1958 as an episode of ''

Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Canadi ...

''. The show was filmed live at ABC's Sydney studios at Gore Hill.

Reception

According to ''The Age'' after the show screened in Melbourne "viewers and ABV-2 staff were visibly upset by the realism created" and "ABV-2 hostess Corinne Kerby was too upset to introduce the succeeding feature." The production was well received critically, the ''Woman's Weekly'' reviewer saying "Murder Story" and its actors engrossed—indeed hypnotised—me." The show was repeated in January 1960 - when announcing this ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' said the production "was regarded as one of the ABC's best TV productions." There was a production of Kennedy's original play put on at the Independent Theatre in Sydney shortly after the TV play aired. Raymond Menuir, John Edwart and Alan Seymour worked together again on ''

Bodgie Bodgies and widgies refer to a youth subculture that existed in Australia and New Zealand in the 1950s, similar to the rocker culture in the UK or Greaser culture in the United States. Most bodgies rode motorbikes but some had cars, many of ...

'' (1959).

References

External links