Classic TV

Classic shows that have almost been forgotten, as well as shows that should probably have been forgotten

The Wednesday Play: The Nativity (1952)

12 September 2012 Rob Buckley 1 Comment

As I remarked last week, it would be a mistake to think the UK was the only country that used to broadcast powerful, high-quality plays. The Westinghouse Studio One plays, broadcast in the US on CBS between 1948 and 1958, are rightly regarded by the likes of Dick Fiddy, the BFI’s TV programming chief, as the ‘first golden age of American television’.

All the same, it would also be tempting to think that US TV might only show original, modern plays set in the US or plays that might be regarded purely as little films. Wrong.

Notably, during the Christmas season of 1952, Westinghouse Studio One showed The Nativity, a play based on the 14th and 15th century Chester and York mystery plays. Adapted by Andrew Allen, directed by Franklin Schaffner, and with a choral accompaniment by the Robert Shaw Chorale, the play was even performed in Middle English.

And it’s today’s The Wednesday Play. Enjoy!

Classic TV

Nostalgia Corner: The Changes (1975)

6 September 2012 Rob Buckley 7 Comments

Call it a sign of the times, but in the 1970s, people assumed the world was headed for disaster. Quite what that disaster was going to be varied. It might be a virus that wiped out the world’s population (cf Survivors), intelligent computers taking over (cf Colossus: The Forbin Project), man-made inventions (cf Doomwatch), complete ecological breakdown caused by over-population (cf Soylent Green) or the ubiquitous nuclear war – actually, that was more of a 60s/80s thing.

One thing that was very rarely seen as being a problem likely to cause the apocalypse, however, was magic. That was until the 1975 10-part BBC children’s show The Changes, based on Peter Dickinson’s The Weathermonger series of books.

Imagine waking up one day and suddenly every piece of machinery or technology in the country is emitting a strange noise, a noise that makes anyone who hears it – including you – become violent and destroy the machine. Well, that’s what happens to teenage schoolgirl Nicky Gore and, in fact, the rest of the world (or at least England). It doesn’t take long, but soon all of society falls apart and regresses to the middle ages, and even the mention of technology is forbidden.

The only people who appear unaffected by the noise are those who work on the land, very young children and Sikhs. Why? Well, it’ll take you 10 episodes to find out, or I’ll tell you after the jump.

Here’s a wee snippet and you can watch the entire series after the jump as well. Interesting title sequence twist: there were entirely different theme tunes for the start and end credits, one modern and exciting, one medieval-esque, and a new one again for the end credits for the final episode. Fun, hey?

Continue reading “Nostalgia Corner: The Changes (1975)”

The Wednesday Play: Twelve Angry Men (1954)

5 September 2012 Rob Buckley 6 Comments

It would, of course, be a mistake to think that only UK TV channels were regularly airing high-quality plays back in the golden age of TV. No, no, no. In fact, the US airwaves were brimming with ‘anthology’ shows – the most obvious were, of course, the likes of genre shows such as The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits but possibly the most famous and influential source of straight dramatic anthology shows was Studio One, which started on radio in 1947 before transitioning to TV in 1948. Going through a number of titles between 1948 and its eventual cancellation in 1958, including Summer Theatre and Westinghouse Studio One, the series racked up 466 individual plays, many of which are famous to this day.

Probably the most famous since it was adapted in 1957 as a film starring Henry Fonda that went on win three Oscars was Reginald Rose’s Twelve Angry Men. Staged as a live drama on 20 September 1954, the original Studio One in Hollywood episode itself won three Emmys. It relates how a jury deliberates on an apparent open-and-shut case. Except one of the jurors isn’t convinced and he tries to persuade the others of the accused’s innocence. It’s a rivetting, one-room character piece and now’s your chance to watch the original. Enjoy!

Nostalgia Corner: Big Deal (1984)

30 August 2012 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Big Deal

Gambling addiction is a terrible thing. It destroys lives, ruins relationships and is the cause of a whole lot of crime.

So what better subject for a comedy drama, hey? That, at least, was the thinking behind Big Deal, which starred Ray Brooks (Cathy Come Home, Daleks – Invasion Earth 2150AD, Mr Benn, King Rollo) as poker addict Robby Box and Sharon Duce (99-1, Drowning Not Waving, Natural Lies) as his long-suffering girlfriend. Created by Geoff McQueen (Give Us A Break, Stay Lucky, The Bill), the show followed Box from poker game to poker game, in between which he did whatever he could to make ends meet so that he could play poker – although he’d pretty much gamble on anything. If things went badly, he’d bounce back and if things went well… well, that didn’t last for long, despite his best intentions. All the while, he’d be promising Duce that he’d quit just as soon as he’d made enough money, something that usually resulted in a break up followed by reconciliation.

The show lasted for three series, during which Box won and lost a club (in a card game) and Duce and family left for Australia, only to come back again. Over time, it built up a large supporting cast of gamblers down at the betting shop, and its theme tune, by Bobby Gubby of Bucks Fizz, hit number one, making it probably the thing most people remember about the show:

Despite its popularity at the time and a repeat on UK Gold, it’s faded into obscurity and only the first series has been released on DVD. But there are a couple of clips on YouTube for you to enjoy. The first should give you an idea of what the constant gambling was like.

Trivia lovers should note that Brooks and Duce were later reunited on the BBC’s Growing Pains (1992), a continuation of a BBC radio series they’d also starred in, where they played middle aged foster parents.

The Wednesday Play: The Long Distance Piano Player (1970)

29 August 2012 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Ironically, given the title of this strand, today’s play, The Long Distance Piano Player, was actually the first Play for Today, the strand that replaced the BBC’s The Wednesday Play. Starring Ray Davies of The Kinks as well as Norman Rossington and James Hazeldine, the play is the story of a piano player’s obsession to win the world long-distance piano-playing record, whilst his wife and agent argue around him. Written by future Hollywood scriptwriter Alan Sharp (Rob Roy, The Osterman Weekend), it’s a little inexplicable and Davies’ performance is variable, but it’s well worth a watch.