Captain Carvallo

Captain Carvallo is a traditional comedy play in three acts by Denis Cannan, telling the story of a philandering young army officer, Captain Carvallo.

The comedy was an immediate success when it opened at the St. James Theatre on 9 August 1950, as the second production under Sir Laurence Olivier's management.

The play was first tried out in March 1950 at the Bristol Old Vic, where Cannan was acting at the time. A few months later, Laurence Olivier boldly restaged the play – billed as a "traditional comedy" – at the St James's theatre in London, with James Donald in the lead role, opposite Diana Wynyard. It was a great success, although Cannan preferred the Bristol production. "His play shimmers with ideas wittily juxtaposed, and it is funnier than the Crazy Gang", wrote the critic Harold Hobson.

A television production of the play was broadcast on the BBC the following year, with Patrick Macnee in the lead. Cannan adapted the play himself for a Rediffusion production later that decade. In 1988 the play was revived at the Greenwich Theatre. A version aired on Australian television in 1958.

Original cast (St. James Theatre, 1950)

Character	Actor
Captain Carvallo	James Donald
Smilja Darde	Diana Wynyard
Professor Winke	Peter Finch
Caspar Darde	Richard Goolden
Private Gross	Thomas Heathcote
Anni	Jill Bennett
The Baron	Anthony Pelly

1957 Australian TV Version

Captain Carvallo
Directed by	William Sterling
Production company	ABC
Distributed by	ABN-2
Release dates	21 May 1958 (Melbourne) 16 June 1958 (Sydney)
Running time	60 mins
Country	Australia
Language	English

The play was filmed by the ABC in 1958. It was the first "live" play produced from the new studios of the A.B.C. in Melbourne, which had opened on 21 May 1958.

Cast

• Neil Fitzpatrick
• Mary Ward
• Syd Conabere
• Frank Gatliff

See also

• List of live television plays broadcast on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1950s)