The Sentimental Bloke (1961 musical)

Albert Arlen and Nancy Brown had worked on the musical since 1950.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46469846 |title='I DIPS ME LID'. |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly | date=8 March 1961 |accessdate=10 January 2013 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

Initially they sought the involvement of George Johnston, and it was announced in 1951 when Arlen arrived back in Australia from London that Johnston was working on the book.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article212084010 |title=SENTIMENTAL BLOKE AS MUS. COMEDY |newspaper=Brisbane Telegraph |location=Queensland, Australia |date=8 June 1951 |accessdate=31 May 2024 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}[https://books.google.com/books?id=lPKrB2Ds7bMC&dq=albert+arlen&pg=PA74 Max Brown, Charmian and George]{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article209822099 |title=Women in the Theatre |newspaper=The Age |issue=29,994 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=16 June 1951 |accessdate=31 May 2024 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}

Later, the actor Lloyd Thomson was brought on board as writer.

Arlen and Brown went to England in 1955 to promote the show. This was unsuccessful so they returned to Australia.

In 1957 J.C. Williamson's took an option on the show.{{Citation

| title=Society "AND IT'S PRINTED WITH WIMBLES INKS"

| journal=The Bulletin

| date=16 October 1957

| location=Sydney, N.S.W

| publisher=John Haynes and J.F. Archibald

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-697481911

| id=nla.obj-697481911

| access-date=31 May 2024

| via=Trove

}}

The writers borrowed some money, and self-produced the musical in an amateur production at Canberra's Albert Hall in March 1961. The cast included Edwin Ride and Brown. The one-week run in Canberra was so popular that extra seating in the aisles had to be arranged. J. C. Williamson's directors Sir Frank Tait and John McCallum attended the final performance.[http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/61909/Albert_Hall_CMP_Part_1.pdf Albert Hall: Conservation Management and Landscape Plan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726133156/http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/61909/Albert_Hall_CMP_Part_1.pdf |date=26 July 2008 }}

Later that year, J. C. Williamson's produced the musical professionally in Melbourne. The original six-week season at Melbourne's Comedy Theatre (from 4 November 1961), directed by John Young, was later extended to five months.[https://books.google.com/books?id=znDXiwDvwhIC&dq=albert+arlen&pg=PA24 Bollen, Kiernander, Parr, Men at Play] The Bloke, Doreen and Rose of Spadger's Lane were played by Edwin Ride (from the amateur Canberra production), Patsy Hemingway and Gloria Dawn respectively.[https://books.google.com/books?id=ELACebeQEgcC&dq=albert+arlen&pg=PA205 The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia][http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130659b.htm ADB: Gloria Dawn]

Through 1962, the production toured to Adelaide (Tivoli Theatre), Brisbane (Her Majesty's Theatre), Sydney (Theatre Royal) and Auckland, New Zealand (His Majesty's Theatre).

The Bulletin said "John Young's production has only one serious fault: It is too long and too loose. But that can be remedied very easily by some simple tailoring."{{Citation

| title=Back Lane Idyll

| journal=The Bulletin

| date=25 November 1961

| location=Sydney, N.S.W

| publisher=John Haynes and J.F. Archibald

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-696326456

| id=nla.obj-696326456

| access-date=31 May 2024

| via=Trove

}}

The Sentimental Bloke was revived professionally by Penrith's Q Theatre Company in April–May 1983, directed by Doreen Warburton. A subsequent professional production was staged by the Parramatta Cultural Centre and Q Theatre Company in March–April 1988, also directed by Warburton. Amateur theatre groups in Australia often perform the musical. Neglected Musicals revived the show in a professional, semi-staged read through at Hayes Theatre, Sydney in October 2019.

A live cast recording was made during a Melbourne performance, released by Talent City in 1962.

The Australian Broadcasting Commission made a studio cast recording in 1967 featuring Neil Williams, Janet Crawford, Jimmy Hannan and Jill Perryman.{{Cite web | title=The Sentimental Bloke : CastAlbums.org | url=http://castalbums.org/shows/Sentimental-Bloke-The/3190/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710061417/http://castalbums.org/shows/Sentimental-Bloke-The/3190/ | access-date=2025-01-08 | archive-date=2015-07-10}} Songs from the musical have been featured on various other recordings.{{Cite web | title=Albert Arlen : CastAlbums.org | url=http://castalbums.org/people/Albert-Arlen/35830 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713063508/http://castalbums.org:80/people/Albert-Arlen/35830 | access-date=2025-01-08 | archive-date=2011-07-13}}

{{Infobox television

| image =

| caption =

| director = Alan Burke

| producer = Michael Shrimpton

| writer = Alan Burke

| based_on =

| starring = Graeme Blundell
Geraldine Turner
Jimmy Hannan
Nancye Hayes

| narrator =

| music =

| cinematography =

| editor =

| network = ABC

| released = {{Start date|1976|07|10|df=y}} (Melbourne)

| released2 = {{Start date|1976|07|17|df=y}} (Sydney)

| runtime =

| country = Australia

| language = English

| budget =

}}

The musical was filmed for ABC TV in 1976. The television adaptation was written and directed by Alan Burke and featured Graeme Blundell as Bill and Geraldine Turner as Doreen.{{IMDb title|0402490|The Sentimental Bloke television adaptation (1976)}}{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|title=Australian Film Musicals You Probably Didn't Realise Existed|date=December 23, 2019|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/australian-film-musicals-probably-didnt-realise-existed}}

• Graeme Blundell as The Bloke
• Geraldine Turner as Doreen
• Jimmy Hannan as Ginger Mick
• Nancye Hayes as Rose
• Jon Finlayson as Mr Smithers
• Anne Phelan as Mabel
• Laine Lamont as Gertie
• Joy
• Jon Fabian as Chorus

A decision was taken that the whole thing should be very stylised in form. "Dennis certainly drew a picture of the life of the poor but he was interested in the warmth, the humour - there's no real social statement," said Burke. "And I decided it wouldn't be appropriate to try for real, down-at-heel neighbourhood settings, especially in this musical adaptation."{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51188015 |title=The Sentimental Bloke. |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly | date=19 May 1976 |accessdate=24 January 2013 |page=21 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p139{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55186787 |title=Mr Hannan, do you mind handling dead rabbits? |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly |volume=43 |issue=25 |location=Australia |date=19 November 1975 |accessdate=9 February 2017 |page=20 |via=National Library of Australia}}

The Australian Ballet developed a ballet version of The Sentimental Bloke choreographed by Robert Ray, with Arlen's music freely arranged by John Lanchbery. The Australian Ballet first presented this in 1985 in Australia, and subsequently on its tour of the Soviet Union.

A second musical theatre adaptation of The Sentimental Bloke, not related to the Arlen, Brown and Thomson version, was written by Graeme Blundell with music by George Dreyfus. It was premiered by the Melbourne Theatre Company at the Playhouse, Victorian Arts Centre on 12 December 1985, with John Jarrett in the starring role. This production, hosted by The Melbourne Theatre Company, offered its first Auslan interpreted performance on 18 December 1985.

{{reflist}}

• {{AusStage|work/2128|i=yes}}
• {{IMDb title|0402490}}
• {{AustLit|C823270|1976 adaptation}}
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30RQVsFzdKQ Clip from 1976 film] at You Tube

{{Alan Burke}}

{{The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sentimental Bloke}}

Category:1960s Australian musicals

Category:1961 musicals

Category:1976 films

Category:Musicals based on poems

Category:Musicals based on novels

Category:Musicals set in Australia

Category:1970s English-language films

Category:Australian plays presented by J.C. Williamson's

Category:Australian television musicals

Category:Works based on The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke

Category:Australian plays adapted for television