''The Case of Private Hamp'' is a 1962 Australian television film which aired on the ABC. Despite the wiping of the era, a copy of the presentation exists as a

kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 194 ...

recording. It was based on a 1955 novel by James Lansdale Hodson which was turned into the 1964 film ''

King and Country ''King and Country'' (stylised as ''King & Country'') is a 1964 British war film directed by Joseph Losey, shot in black and white, and starring Dirk Bogarde and Tom Courtenay. The film was adapted for the screen by British screenwriter Evan J ...

''. The novel had been adapted for radio in Melbourne in 1957.

Plot

The court martial of Private Arthur Hamp who was accused of desertion in Passchendaele, France, 1917. He is defended by Hargreaves.

Cast

Edward Hepple Edward Hepple (4 June 1914 – 3 September 2005) billed variously as Eddie Hepple and Ted Hepple, was an Australian actor, voice artist, producer, director, playwright and television scriptwriter, known for his roles in theatre, television seri ...

as Private Hamp *John Llewellyn as Lt Webb *

Ric Hutton Ric Hutton (1926–1996) was an Australian actor. He worked in Britain, Australia and the United States of America. He was best known in Australia as the voice of "Black Jack Seager" in the hit radio series ''The Castlereagh Line'' written by Ros ...

as Captain Hargreaves *John Armstrong as Cpl Haslem *Donald Philps as Col Eckersley *Rhod Walker as court martial president *Richard Howe as Lt Midgeley *James Scullin as Cpl Barnes *Richard Parry as Captain O'Sullivan *

Ron Haddrick Ronald Norman Haddrick (9 April 1929 – 11 February 2020) was an Australian actor, cricketer, narrator and presenter. In 2012, he received the Actors Equity Lifetime Achievement Award for his long and distinguished career in media, spanning s ...

as padre *John O'Sullivan as Johnson *Don Pascoe as sergeant major

Production

Designer Jack Montgomery created trenches by mixing bran with black earth. The cast was all male. Ric Hutton had just appeared in a TV production of ''Madam Butterfly''. Hepple called it "a marvelous play about what I consider to be legalised murder. It should bring tears to the eyes of anyone who watches it."

Reception

The TV critic for the Sydney Morning Herald said it featured "capable acting" The Sunday ''Sydney Morning Herald'' critic called it "a first rate piece of drama, with a case and a quality of acting that was well-nigh flawless." The ''Woman's Weekly'' called it "one of the strongest and most moving plays yet presented on TV."

References

External links