''Night of the Ding-Dong'' is a 1954 stage play by Ralph Peterson. It was this second play, following ''
The Square Ring
''The Square Ring'' is a 1953 British tragi-comic drama, directed by Basil Dearden and made at Ealing Studios. It stars Jack Warner, Robert Beatty and Bill Owen. The film, based on a stage play by Ralph Peterson, centres on one night at a f ...
''. It is a comedy set in Adelaide just after the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...
about the locals fearing a Russian invasion. It is based on a real incident.
Plot
In 19th century
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, after the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...
, Colonial Administrator Colonel Beauchamp trains a volunteer defence corps at the weekends, and worries about a Russian invasion. Idealistic schoolteacher Higsen, who is in love with Beauchamp's daughter, is more concerned with free education. Higsen asks Beauchamp to marry the latter's daughter but is turned down because education must give way to defence.
When a Russian gunboat is rumoured to be near Adelaide, Beauchamp sets about whipping up the public into a frenzy in order to fund a standing army.
Background
Peterson said he was told the story about a rumoured Russian invasion by his grandmother when he was a child. He came across the story years later when researching another project and decided to write it. "It was amazing how Adelaide was completely swept away by the invasion scare," said Peterson. "Why, I don't know. Even Sydney folk were worried. This led to fortifications being built at
Fort Denison
Fort Denison, part of the Sydney Harbour National Park, is a protected national park that is a heritage-listed former penal site and defensive facility occupying a small island located north-east of the Royal Botanic Garden and approximate ...
, South Head and other places, while in Adelaide, Fort Glandore,
Fort Glenelg
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, and later
Fort Largs
Fort Largs is a historic defence site in the coastal suburb of Taperoo near Port Adelaide, South Australia, approximately north west of Adelaide's city centre.
Fort Largs was built as a coastal battery installment in 1885, responsible for ...
were built."
1958 British TV adaptation
The play was adapted for British TV in 1958 as part of ''Armchair Theatre''.
Cast
*David Courtney as Marcus Higson
*
Hilton Edwards
Hilton Edwards (2 February 1903 – 18 November 1982) was an English-born Irish actor, lighting designer and theatrical producer. He co-founded the Gate Theatre with his partner Micheál Mac Liammóir and two others, and has been referred to as ...
as Colonel Beauchamp
*John Kidd as Morgan Nash
*Andree Melly as Louise Beauchamp
*Charles Morgan as Godwin Shedly
*Peter Myers as Thaddeus Beauchamp
*Athene Seyler as Mrs. Beauchamp senior
*Ewen Solon as Harry Kelp
*Joyce Worsley as Victoria Beauchamp
Reception
''Variety'' said "What started out as an apparently serious and thought-provoking aplay quickly developed into rather pointless farce."
1961 Australian TV adaptation
The play was filmed for Australian TV. It originally aired 3 May 1961 on
ABC's Melbourne station, and was recorded for showing on other ABC stations. The original broadcast was live.
''Filmink'' magazine said the concept sounded "like the 1966 film ''The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!''."
Premise
In the 1870s the city of Adelaide fears a Russian invasion. Teacher Marcus Higson wishes to marry Victoria Beauchamp but her father, Colonel Beauchamp, refuses to give permission. Higson wants the government to introduce compulsory education but Colonel Beauchamp wants to spend money on defence.
A Russian ship is spotted off the coast of South Australia, prompting fear of invasion. Higson joins the militia led by Colonel Beauchamp.
Cast
*
Michael Duffield
Michael Duffield (1915 – June 1986) was an English-born character actor who worked in Australia for many decades. He was nominated for the 1979 AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in ''The Last of the Knucklemen'', a r ...
as Col Beauchamp
*Madeline Howell as Victoria Beauchamp
*David Mitchell as Marcus Higson
*
Anne Charleston
Anne Charleston (born 30 December 1942) is an Australian actress, notable for her career locally and in the United Kingdom in theatre and television. Charleston started her career in theatre in the mid 1950's, and has been a staple of the small ...
as Louise
*
Campbell Copelin
Campbell Copelin (1901–1988) was an English actor, who moved to Australia in the 1920s and worked extensively in film, theatre, radio and television. He had a notable association with J.C. Williamson Ltd and frequently collaborated with F. W. ...
as Mr Kelp
*Keith Hudson as Mr Smedly
*Charles Sinclair as Mr Nash
*
Carole Potter as Abigail
*Roland Redshaw as Captain Manley
*Stewart Weller as Jeffries
*Eric Conway as gardener
*
Nevil Thurgood as gardener
Production
The show was broadcast live from the ABC's studios in Melbourne. It was the TV debut for Ann Charleston.
The play was also adapted for radio on the ABC in 1961.
Reception
The critic from the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' thought that "uniform competence in acting could not-altogether suggest the whimsy inherent in" the play, adding that "William Sterling's production was directed primarily at extracting every ounce of farce."
See also
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References
External links
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Night of the Ding Dongat
National Film and Sound Archive
{{William Sterling
1961 television plays
Australian television plays
Works by Ralph Peterson
Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming
English-language television shows
Black-and-white Australian television shows
Live television shows
1959 plays
1958 in British television
1961 in Australian television
Australian plays
1950s Australian plays