A Tongue of Silver
| "A Tongue of Silver" | |
|---|---|
| Shell Presents episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 8 |
| Directed by | David Cahill |
| Teleplay by | Michael Dyne |
| Original air date | 17 October 1959 |
| Running time | 60 mins |
| Guest appearance | |
| John Meillon | |
A Tongue of Silver is an episode of the 1959 Australian TV drama anthology Shell Presents.
It was the first play from Shell Presents to be telecast in Western Australia.[1]
Plot
A stranger arrives in an Irish village during a thunderstorm. They are convinced he is an emissary from Heaven.
Cast
- Alistair Duncan
- Tom Farley
- Nellie Lamport
- Minnie Love
- John Meillon
- Wynne Nelson
- Gwen Plumb
Production
The play had been filmed in the US as Matinee Theatre.[2]
John Meillon was cast in the lead on the basis of his performance in Thunder of Silence. [3]
Stanley Kramer, who directed Meillon in On the Beach, called him "a brilliant young actor, and he could take his place in any moving-picture market of the world."[4]
Reception
The TV critic for the Sydney Morning Herald called it "a piece of folksy whimsy" which was overlong and suffered from cliches and poor accents. He said Meillon "was very effective in a quiet and craftsmanlike way; but the vigour that would have provided the proper foil for his well-judged performance was not vitally forthcoming from the actors around him. David Cahill's direction, within the limits set by the play itself, was fine:' and inventive, and there was some very precise and imaginative marrying of image and sound. But if we are going to have Irish plays, why not something like Juno and the Paycock or Shadow of a Gunman? There is not much merit in producing a poor play just because it is relatively new."[5]
See also
References
- ^ "TV Merry Go Round". Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ A Tonge of Silver at IMDB
- ^ "Women dominate cast". Sydney Morning Herald. 14 September 1959. p. 13.
- ^ "Meillon stars again". Sydney Morning Herald. 12 October 1959. p. 15.
- ^ "Irish Whimsy In ATN Play". Sydney Morning Herald. 19 October 1959. p. 5.