It's the Geography That Counts
It's the Geography That Counts is a 1957 play by Australian writer Raymond Bowers.
Premise
Marshall Arnitt is a racing car driver who has spent the weekend with his mother in the south of England. His foster brother James has borrowed Marshall's car without permission and his a cyclist on the Scottish border.
Marshall decides to take the blame. But then James hears that their mother has been murdered, and Marshall has engineered clues so that James will take the fall.
Original Play
It premiered in St James Theatre in London in June 1957 in a production starring John Gregson, that actor's first appearance on stage in six years. It would be the last production held at St James Theatre[1]
Original Cast
- John Gregson as Marshal Armitt
- John Stratton as James Armitt
- Jane Griffiths as Mercia
- Liam Redmond as Hurst
- Jack Hedley as Daniels
- Michael Duffield as Parker
Reception
Variety said "Too much talk and an over-complication of plot mar this otherwise ingenious whodunit. Basically It is a good dramatic story, but the first half consists practically of an involved duolog, with the first real punch Coming at halftime... a good play doctor could streamline this first' effort of a Fleet Street newspaperman, and it could be improved if skilfully adapted to the screen."[2]
Variety said the production was a financial failure.[3]
"My first aim is to make money," Bowers said in 1957. "To do that you have to entertain. If I have any philosophising to do, I'll leave it until I'm well established."[4]
Other Adaptations
It was adapted for Australian radio in 1958 as The Man in Question.[5]
It was filmed by the BBC in 1961 as Listen James.[6][7]
1960 Australian TV Play
The play was adapted for Australian television in 1960. It aired in Melbourne on 2 November 1960. [8]
It was directed by Chris Muir, who said "all the clues are contained in the dialogue, but it is cleverly concealed. It will be a fairly tough test for the amateur detectives."[9]
Cast
- Marie Redshaw as Marcia
- Keith Eden as Marshall Amitt, a racing driver
- Kenneth Goodlet as Inspector Hurst
References
- ^ "All their hopes go down the mine". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 25, , no. 8. Australia, Australia. 7 August 1957. p. 4. Retrieved 9 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ Review of play at Variety
- ^ "London's West End Season". Variety. 7 August 1957. p. 61.
- ^ "Playwrights Succeed in London". The Age. 15 July 1957. p. 10.
- ^ "Commercial Radio Flays". ABC Weekly. Vol. 20, no. 15. 9 April 1958. p. 14.
- ^ Listen James at Bristol Uni
- ^ Listen James at IMDB
- ^ "TV Guide". The Age. 2 November 1960. p. 5.
- ^ "Clues Hidden in "Whodunnit" Dialogue". The Age. 27 October 1960. p. 31.
External links
- 1962 radio adaptation at Internet Archive
- It's the Geography That Counts at Ausstage