"The Proposal and the Bear" is a 1968 Australian

television play A television play is a television programming genre which is a drama performance broadcast from a multi-camera television studio, usually live in the early days of television but later recorded to tape. This is in contrast to a television movi ...

, based on two stories by

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

, ''

The Marriage Proposal ''A Marriage Proposal'' (sometimes translated as simply ''The Proposal'', russian: Предложение, translit=Predlozheniye, italic=yes) is a one-act farce by Anton Chekhov, written in 1888–1889 and first performed in 1890. It is a fast- ...

'' and '' The Bear''. They were filmed in the ABC's Melbourne studios using the same cast for two plays.

Plot

"The Bear" - a woman, although desperate for a husband, fights with her only suitor.
"The Proposal" - a widow is challenged to a duel by a rough farmer

Cast

Gerda Nicolson Gerda Maureen Nicolson (11 November 1937 – 12 June 1992) was an Australian theatre and television actress best known for several long-running television roles. She was best known for playing Governor Ann Reynolds of the Wentworth Detention Cen ...

Terry Norris Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence or Terrier (masculine). People Male * Terry Albritton (1955–2005), Am ...

* Dennis Olsen

Reception

The newspaper, the ''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

'' said the show "required goodwill in the viewer to force the fun. It's not what-you do but the "verve with, which you do it — at least, in farce."

References

1968 television plays 1968 Australian television episodes 1960s Australian television plays Wednesday Theatre (season 4) episodes {{tv-episode-stub