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Gaslight (1958 film)

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Gaslight
Ad from 3 Mar 1958
Based onGas Light
1938 play
by Patrick Hamilton
Directed byWilliam Sterling
StarringBeverly Dunn
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Production
CinematographyFrank Few[1]
Running time75 minutes
Production companyABC
Original release
Release8 January 1958 (1958-01-08) (Melbourne, live)
Release4 March 1958 (1958-03-04) (Sydney, taped)[2]

Gaslight is a 1958 television play broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation based on the 1938 play Gas Light by Patrick Hamilton. It starred Beverley Dunn.[3]

It was one of several Patrick Hamilton adaptations done on Australian television.[4]

Plot

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Years after her aunt was murdered in her home, a young woman, Bella Manningham, moves back into the house with her new husband. However, he has a secret that he will do anything to protect, even if means driving his wife insane.[5]

Cast

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  • Beverley Dunn as Bella Manningham [6]
  • Brian James as Manningham
  • John Morgan as Inspector Rough
  • Mary Ward as Elizabeth
  • Judith Godden as Nancy the housemaid
  • Neville Thurgood as police constable

Production

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William Sterling came down from Sydney to direct. It was the eleventh play to be performed live on Melbourne television – the others were Roundabout, The Twelve Pound Look, Holiday in Biarritz, Fair Passenger, The Right Person, Dark Brown, The Duke in Darkness, The Sound of Thunder and Killer in Close Up.[7]

It was one of a number of TV performances given by Dunn, others including Roundabout, The Lark, The Small Victory and Fair Passenger.[3][8]

Reception

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The Sydney Morning Herald said the "production was well received by viewers and critics in Melbourne."[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Names in TV, Radio". The Age. 2 January 1958. p. 19.
  2. ^ "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 3 March 1958. p. 10.
  3. ^ a b "From School Plays to Success on TV". The Age. 19 September 1958. p. 20.
  4. ^ Vagg, Stephen (20 March 2021). "Forgotten Australian TV Plays: Reflections in Dark Glasses". Filmink. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  5. ^ ""GASLIGHT" on TV". ABC Weekly. 26 February 1958. p. 33.
  6. ^ "Advertisement". The Age. 3 March 1958. p. 9.
  7. ^ "Gaslight on TV with Melbourne Cast". The Age. 2 January 1958. p. 8.
  8. ^ Lane, Richard (2000). The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama Volume 2. National Film and Sound Archive. pp. 132–134.
  9. ^ ""Gaslight" from Melbourne". Sydney Morning Herald. 29 January 1958. p. 13.
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