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Murder Story
Newspaper ad 19 May 1958
Genre	thriller
Based on	play by Ludovic Kennedy
Written by	Alan Seymour
Directed by	Raymond Menmuir
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
Production
Running time	60 mins
Production company	ABC
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	21 May 1958 (1958-05-21) (Sydney)
Release	15 July 1958 (1958-07-15) (Melbourne)

Murder Story is a 1958 Australian television play.

It was based on a script by Ludovic Kennedy based on the Croydon roof top murder and starred Neva Carr-Glynn, John Ewart and Douglas Kelly. It was directed by Raymond Menmuir.

Plot

A 19-year-old, Jim Tanner is sentenced to death for the murder of Constable Albert Tomkins. In prison, Tanner is taught to read and write. But he is executed.

Cast

• John Ewart as Jim Tanner
• Neva Carr Glyn as his mother
• Douglas Kelly as his father
• John Alden as prison chaplain
• Don Crosby as Warder Graves
• Deryck Barnes as Warder Barty
• Myrna Dodd as Cons Tomkins Widow
• Richard Meikle as Ted Clift, Jim's accomplice
• Frederick Powell as inspector

Production

Kennedy's play had been performed for British TV in 1958 as an episode of Armchair Theatre. The show was filmed live at ABC's Sydney studios at Gore Hill.

Reception

According to The Age after the show screened in Melbourne "viewers and ABV-2 staff were visibly upset by the realism created" and "ABV-2 hostess Corinne Kerby was too upset to introduce the succeeding feature."

The production was well received critically, the Woman's Weekly reviewer saying "Murder Story" and its actors engrossed—indeed hypnotised—me." The show was repeated in January 1960 - when announcing this The Sydney Morning Herald said the production "was regarded as one of the ABC's best TV productions."

There was a production of Kennedy's original play put on at the Independent Theatre in Sydney shortly after the TV play aired.

Raymond Menuir, John Edwart and Alan Seymour worked together again on Bodgie (1959).

See also

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

References

1. "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 19 May 1958.
2. "Suspense Drama". Sydney Morning Herald. 16 June 1958. p. 15.
3. "TV Guide". The Age. 11 July 1958. p. 30.
4. Vagg, Stephen (25 April 2021). "Forgotten Australian TV Plays: Murder Story". Filmink.
5. "All the TV Programmes". ABC Weekly. 21 May 1958. p. 34.
6. "Case That Shocked Britain for TV". The Age. 11 July 1958. p. 22.
7. Murder Story 1958 British version at IMDb
8. "Advertisement". Sydney Morning Herald. 19 May 1958. p. 15.
9. "Realism in TV Drama Upsets viewers, staff". The Age. 18 July 1958. p. 25.
10. "Western heroes revolt". The Australian Women's Weekly. Australia. 18 June 1958. p. 13. Retrieved 17 January 2020 – via Trove.
11. Marshall, Valda (19 November 1959). "TV Merry Go Round". p. 25.
12. ""MURDER STORY"". Le Courrier Australien. New South Wales, Australia. 19 September 1958. p. 5. Retrieved 17 January 2020 – via Trove.

External links

• Murder Story at IMDb

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• 1958 Australian television plays
• 1958 television plays
• Works by Alan Seymour
• Television plays directed by Raymond Menmuir
• Television plays filmed in Sydney
• Australian Broadcasting Corporation television plays
• Australian television film stubs