''Vacancy in Vaughn Street'' is a 1963 Australian television short. It was the first television play produced in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. and aired on

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...

. The same team then made ''

Dark Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model use ...

'' (1963).

Plot

Ernie Pettifer, a carpenter, arrives at a boarding house run by Mrs Jessup and her husband Arthur. He falls in love with straightlaced teacher Florence Medway. Another boarder, Violet, is interested in Ernie.

Cast

* Donald McTaggart as Ernie Pettifer * Gwen Wheeler as Mrs Jessup * Toby Harris as Arthur Jessup. * Judith Stephenson as Florence Medway, a boarder * Betty Ross as Violent Anderson, another boarder

Production

The production was shot at the studios of the ABQ in Toowong Brisbane. Designer Bernard Hides and his assistant Bill Collyer designed the set, which took three weeks to construct. This meant that for two nights the ABC news in Brisbane was read from the boarding house dining room that featured in the play. It was produced by Bob Cubbage who said "we chose a simple play to use as an exercise. We wanted to learn as much as we could from it." Bob Cubbage, ABC Supervisor of Drama and Features in Queensland, said they selected the play because it "has a simple plot and was chosen as a TV exercise for local actors and producers... We hope that this will be the first of a series of local TV productions in Brisbane." It was written by

George Landen Dann George Landen Dann (1 January 1904 – 6 June 1977) was an Australian playwright, writer, and draftsman. He is best known for a number of award-winning and critically acclaimed plays such as '' In Beauty It Is Finished'', ''Fountains Beyond'', ' ...

under the name "John Crane" (he also used this name for the musical "Flaming Youth".) Cubbage produced the play to rehearsal stage then director Wilf Buckler took over. Don McTaggart was a Brisbane actor who mostly worked in radio. He had appeared in ''A Sleep of Prisoners''. Judith Stephenson and Betty Ross were experienced Brisbane stage actors.

Reception

The ''Sydney Morning Herald'' called it "pleasantly amusing at best but also containing inconsistencies and some feeble touches." ''TV Week'' called it "a worthy effort and a triumph for all concerned" saying McTaggart "walked off with the acting honors but his supporting cast was a fine one... It makes you wonder why we have had to wait almost four years for this type of programme to emanate from our local studio. This Queensland production is to be seen interstate and our local team need hold no fears for its success."{{cite magazine, magazine=TV Week, date=6 July 1963, title=Petrie Bite, url=https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=3194567&isAv=N Other shows shot in Brisbane would include ''

'', ''

The Monkey Cage "The Monkey Cage" is the 10th television play episode of the first season of the Australian anthology television series ''Australian Playhouse''. "The Monkey Cage" was written by Ruth Funner and directed by Wilf Buckler and originally aired on A ...

'', ''

The Quiet Season ''The Quiet Season'' is a 1965 Australian television short. It aired on the Australian Broadcasting Commission and was produced in the studios of their Brisbane station (ABQ). It was the fourth play produced at the ABC's Brisbane studios at Toowo ...

'' and '' Ring Out Wild Bells''. There was also '' The Absence of Mr Sugden'' in 1965 starring Edward Howell, Stanley Smith, John Nash, Reg Cameron, Vic Hughes and Don McTaggert, and '' Arabesque for Atoms'' (1965) which starred Phillip Colledge, Margret Milne and Alistair Smart. In addition was the 1961 broadcast of '' A Sleep of Prisoners''.

References

External links

''Vacancy in Vaughn Street'' on IMDbVacancy at Vaughan Street publicity information
at

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 ...

Vacancy in Vaughan Street
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AustLit AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource (also known as AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway; and AustLit: The Resource for Australian Literature), usually referred to simply as AustLit, is an internet-based, non-profit collaboration betwee ...