Seagulls Over Sorrento (TV play)
{{short description|1960 Australian television play}}
{{Infobox television
| image =
| image_upright =
| image_alt =
| caption =
| genre = war
| creator =
| based_on = play Seagulls Over Sorrento by Hugh Hastings
| writer = Dennis Webb
| screenplay =
| story =
| director = Alf Potter
| starring =
| narrated =
| music =
| country = Australia
| language = English
| num_episodes =
| producer = Dorothy Crawford
| editor =
| cinematography =
| runtime = 90 mins
| company = Crawfords
| network =
| released = {{Start date|1960|03|27|df=y}} (Melbourne){{cite news|newspaper=The Age|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19600303&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Radio and TV|date=3 March 1960|page=15}}
| released2 = {{Start date|1960|06|12|df=y}} (Sydney){{cite news|title=TV guide|newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald|date=June 12, 1960|page=75}}
}}
Seagulls Over Sorrento is a 1960 Australian television play. It was based on the popular stage play Seagulls Over Sorrento and was produced by Crawford Productions for Melbourne's HSV-7, airing on 1 May 1960 as an episode of "ACI Theatre".{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|url=https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?id=G2sRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xsUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4712,690440&dq=seagulls+over+sorrento&hl=en|title=Green Guide: 'Seagulls Over Sorrento|date=5 May 1960|page= 3}} It screened on TCN-9 in Sydney on Sunday 12 June.{{cite news|newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald|title=Channel Spot|date=June 6, 1960 |page=25}}
It was the first full-length TV play made by an independent production company in Australia, in his case Crawfords.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47511995 |title=IT'S A FAMILY VERDICT |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly |volume=30 |issue=5 |location=Australia |date=4 July 1962 |accessdate=19 February 2019 |page=2 (Television) |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/60-australian-tv-plays-1950s-60s/|magazine=Filmink|title=60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s|date=February 18, 2019}}
A kinescope recording of the production exists.[http://colsearch.nfsa.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=seagulls%20over%20Media%3A%22TELEVISION%22;querytype=;rec=1;resCount=10 "Title No: 19490, Title: 'Seagulls Over Sorrento'."] National Film and Sound Archives. Retrieved: 21 April 2016. It was an early depiction of homosexuality in Australian television drama.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-tv-plays-a-season-in-hell/|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|date=14 June 2021|title=Forgotten Australian TV Plays: A Season in Hell}}
Cast
- Bill Hodge as Badger
- Brian James as Petty Officer Herbert
- Stuart Wagstaff
- Frank Taylor as AB Haggis MacIntosh
- Peter Anderson as Lofty
- Carl Bleazby
- Don Crosby as AB Hudson
- Mark Kelly
- John Norman
Production
It was the second time live drama had appeared on HSV-7. The first was The Caine Mutiny Court Martial.{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|date=29 April 1960|page=32|title=Videotape of Seagulls|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/122026825/?terms=%22seagulls%20over%20sorrento%22&match=1}}
Hodge, James, Taylor and Bleazby had appeared in the 1952 J. C. Williamson's production of the play.[https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?id=wq5VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GcQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5852,5342886&dq=seagulls+over+sorrento&hl=en "Advertisement: 'Seagulls Over Sorrento'."] ''The Age', 18 June 1952, p. 20. Hodge came out of semi retirement to star. It was reportedly the 594th time he had played the part.{{cite magazine|magazine=TV Times|title=The Seagulls will Fly on TV|date=23 June 1960|page=10}}
The adaptation of the play was more faithful to its source material than the 1954 film version.{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-tv-plays-seagulls-over-sorrento/?fbclid=IwAR15LN5uPxD4aUM7CMZ8gf_afKMp338TBjv0_7QfYMrRRT149ChxOd0uhRc|title=Forgotten Australian TV Plays: Seagulls Over Sorrento|first= Stephen|last= Vagg|date=December 20, 2020}}
Reception
A critic from the Sydney Morning Herald "thought it came off pretty well as a TV show" with an "excellent cast".{{cite news|newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald|date=19 June 1960|title=TV Merry Go Round|first=Valda|last=Marshall|page=87|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/122742076/?terms=%22emperor%2Bjones%22}}
The critic from The Age said "it was adequately presented but lacked atmosphere. The players were scared of the TV cameras for the first half hour."{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|last=Janus|date=5 March 1960|page=27|title=Seagulls Unworthy of Revival on TV|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/122261153/?terms=%22seagulls%20over%20sorrento%22&match=1}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|0046877}}