''The Critics'' was an Australian television series which 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 ...

. Two versions were produced, one for Sydney and another for Melbourne. Debuting 1959, the Melbourne version ran to 1960, while the Sydney version ran to circa 1962.

Format

A panel of three members would review or discuss three works, often a book, a film and an event. For example, in the 10 March 1960 Melbourne edition, the book was ''The Heroes'' by

Ronald McKie Ronald Cecil Hamlyn McKie (11 December 1909 – 8 May 1991) was an Australian novelist. He was born on 11 May 1909 in Toowoomba, Queensland. After receiving his education at the Brisbane Grammar School and the University of Queensland, he ...

, the film was ''

The Wreck of the Mary Deare ''The Wreck of the Mary Deare'' (in the UK published as ''The Mary Deare'') is a 1956 novel written by British author Hammond Innes, which was later adapted as a film starring Gary Cooper released in 1959 by MGM. According to Jack Adrian, the ...

'' and the event was ''The Tommy Steele Show''. In a 1959 Sydney edition (shown in Melbourne on 1 November 1959), the panel discussed Yugoslav State Company dancers and musicians, the novel ''

Henderson the Rain King ''Henderson the Rain King'' is a 1959 novel by Saul Bellow. The book's blend of philosophical discourse and comic adventure has helped make it one of his more popular works. The novel is said to be Bellow's favorite among his books. It was ranke ...

'' by

Saul Bellow Saul Bellow (born Solomon Bellows; 10 July 1915 – 5 April 2005) was a Canadian-born American writer. For his literary work, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts. He is the only wr ...

, and the Sydney appearance by U.S. rock singer Fabian.

Episode status

It is not known how many episodes are still extant, given the erratic survival rate of 1950s/early 1960s Australian television series.

Telerecording 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 1940 ...

s of two or three episodes are held by

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 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Critics (TV series) 1959 Australian television series debuts 1962 Australian television series endings Australian live television series Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Black-and-white Australian television shows English-language television shows Australian non-fiction television series

Format

Episode status

See also

References

External links