One ray of hope is that Don't Utter a Note is not completely lost, I have a copy of it.
"The Twenty Most Important Missing Programmes" include:
NO TRAM TO LIME STREET (ABC, 1959)
written by Alun Owen
THE CRUCIBLE (Granada, 1959)
starring Sean Connery and Susannah York
exists in archives - minus last 18 minutes!
________________________
A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE - Play of the Week 11/9/62
AFTER THE FUNERAL - Armchair Theatre 3/4/60
ALL SUMMER LONG - Play of the Week 12/4/60
ALREADY IT'S TOMORROW - Thirty Minute Theatre 20/9/62
THE BARRICADE - Play of the Week 13/8/63
THE BRAHMIN WIDOW - Playhouse 8/4/68
THE BUSH AND THE TREE - Television Playhouse 29/1/60
CARRINGTON, VC - Play of the Week 26/1/60
DAUGHTERS OF THE VICAR - The Stories of DH Lawrence 10/1/66
DON'T UTTER A NOTE - Armchair Theatre 9/4/66
THE EDUCATION OF CORPORAL HALLIDAY - Armchair Theatre 5/8/67
THE ENEMY - Play of the Week 27/8/63
ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE - Playhouse 15/7/68
FREEDOM IN SEPTEMBER - Play of the Week 18/9/62
THE HOTHOUSE - Armchair Theatre 13/12/64
IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS - Play of the Week 19/1/60
LORD ARTHUR SAVILLE'S CRIME - ABC Armchair Theatre 3/1/60
LUCK OF THE DRAW - "Drama 62" 9/9/62
THE MAN OUT THERE - ABC Armchair Theatre 12/3/61
MASTER OF ARTS - Comedy Matinee 12/3/61
PEACE WITH TERROR - Television Playhouse 21/9/62
THE PHOTOGRAPHER - Playhouse 29/1/68
THE SIN SHIFTER - Armchair Theatre 16/9/62
TUNNEL TRENCH - Play of the Week 20/8/63
Television Heaven has synopses of the plays
One ray of hope is that Don't Utter a Note is not completely lost, I have a copy of it.
I have The Man Out There
Entertaining Mr Sloane also exists
As I'm obsessed with the subject of lost shows, it's good to see some positive news. Also worth mentioning is the Seven Deadly Sins series of plays from ITV (1966) which I was told by a member of Kaleidoscope and Britmovie is missing The Temporary Typist and The File On Harry Jordan.
Does anyone know if any of these TV plays still exist?
If There Weren’t Any Blacks You’d Have To Invent Them (ITV 1968) Johnny Speight TV play starring Frank Thornton, Nerys Hughes, Jimmy Hanley.
Cottage To Let (ITV 1976) ATV play starring Penelope Keith, Colin Welland.
Play For Today: The Mayor’s Charity (BBC 1977) starring Thora Hird, Roy Kinnear.
name='cornershop15']As I'm obsessed with the subject of lost shows, it's good to see some positive news. Also worth mentioning is the Seven Deadly Sins series of plays from ITV (1966) which I was told by a member of Kaleidoscope and Britmovie is missing The Temporary Typist and The File On Harry Jordan.
And I'm still obsessed, particularly with Seven Deadly Sins. I remember that correspondence with the Kaleidoscope man, Simon Coward, who told me that that half of the episodes survived - so a perfect case of good news/ bad news. Although there's no hope of seeing the lost plays, I wonder if Simon can come back and let me know how it is possible to see what does survive and what it would cost to put on video or DVD for me?
I referred to a colour publicity photo from the slice of TV history I would most like to see (in an ideal world) and have since learnt how to upload PDF files; infact I created a thread about using this image as an example:
Left to right: Julia Foster, Richard O'Sullivan and Robin Bailey in A Temporary Typist
This is from one of the tragically wiped plays from that Seven Deadly Sins series. It was broadcast 43 years ago today, 6th June 1966 at 9.40PM.
The haunting photograph was accompanied by this text in the TVTimes:
Dangerous people to know, writers. Or so says playwright Frank Marcus, whose comedy A Temporary Typist can be seen on Monday as the fourth production in the Seven Deadly Sins series. Marcus explains: "All writers use events and their own and others' emotions, and embroil themselves in experiences, for copy. That's what makes them dangerous.
In A Temporary Typist, Marcus's first play written especially for television, the central character, Graham Nightingale, admirably makes this point. Graham, played by Robin Bailey, writes about food and drink - but at heart is a frustrated novelist. And this gives him the impetus to find the raw material of a book in the emotions of two people close to himself - his temporary typist, Linda Birch (Julia Foster), and his actor nephew Mike Sands, (Richard O'Sullivan).
The developments - of Linda's attraction to Graham, and of Mike's to Linda - emphasise the differences of reaction between the generations.
If only that was from today's TVTimes. While this evening's ITV1 schedule includes Primeval, All-Star Mr. & Mrs and new comedy Mumbai Calling, the 1966 line-up comprised of Ready, Steady Go! (including guests Cilla Black and Billie Davis), Scene at 6.30, another pop show, All Our Yesterdays, presented by Brian Inglis; Coronation Street; the Kathleen Harrison sitcom Mrs. Thursday; and, preceding Seven Deadly Sins, another sitcom, starring Arthur Lowe and Robert Dorning, Pardon The Expression. Remarkably, this Coronation Street spin-off has actually just been released on DVD, wheras the play I'd like to see has gone. What sense does this make?
If anyone, notably the aforementioned Simon, can tell me how to get hold of any surviving, yet unreleased plays from the Sixties that will go a long way to cheering me up. Thank you for reading.
The listing for the tragic play, with the added bonus of Arthur Lowe in Pardon The Expression:
Frank Marcus, incidentally, also wrote the original play - and screenplay - of one of my favourite films,
The Killing of Sister George.
What other unavailable plays would you like to see?
I'd love to see The Hothouse with Diana Rigg and Harry H Corbett:-
THE HOTHOUSE | A TELEVISION HEAVEN REVIEW
Thanks, Crunchie - and for reminding me of that website. My TVTimes copies go back to 1966 so I don't have anything about The Hothouse (I do know about the production). I am trying to order PDF discs from that period however.
name='crunchie']Does anyone know if any of these TV plays still exist?
If There Weren’t Any Blacks You’d Have To Invent Them (ITV 1968) Johnny Speight TV play starring Frank Thornton, Nerys Hughes, Jimmy Hanley.
Cottage To Let (ITV 1976) ATV play starring Penelope Keith, Colin Welland.
Play For Today: The Mayor’s Charity (BBC 1977) starring Thora Hird, Roy Kinnear.
The second two exist in British television archives. The first does exist in the States on 16mm film.
E.
name='crunchie']I'd love to see The Hothouse with Diana Rigg and Harry H Corbett:-
THE HOTHOUSE | A TELEVISION HEAVEN REVIEW
This also still exists.
E.
Thanks for that information about the first of those plays, Euryale. I honestly thought that was a total 'goner'. Do you mean a 'telerecording' is what's left of it (as with Timeslip)? If you and Crunchie are interested, there is an extraordinary collection of Production stills from If There Weren't Any ... at Rex Features, many of them featuring Richard Beckinsale.
Just noticed about The Hothouse - GREAT!
name='cornershop15']Thanks for that information about the first of those plays, Euryale. I honestly thought that was a total 'goner'. Do you mean a 'telerecording' is what's left of it (as with Timeslip)?
Not sure - saw it here:
If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them
E.
This might help us to understand!: 16mm telerecordings - Doctor Who Wiki
name='cornershop15']Thanks for that information about the first of those plays, Euryale. I honestly thought that was a total 'goner'. Do you mean a 'telerecording' is what's left of it (as with Timeslip)? If you and Crunchie are interested, there is an extraordinary collection of Production stills from If There Weren't Any ... at Rex Features, many of them featuring Richard Beckinsale.
Just noticed about The Hothouse - GREAT!
Two versions of If There Weren't Any Blacks have been made. The 1968 one and a later early 70s one which is the one starring Richard Beckinsale. I saw the RB one at a Kaleidoscope event this year and it's quite good.
Thanks for the thread. I never reallised, I looked so young!!!
John
name='glyn horton']Two versions of If There Weren't Any Blacks have been made. The 1968 one and a later early 70s one which is the one starring Richard Beckinsale. I saw the RB one at a Kaleidoscope event this year and it's quite good.
Hello again Glyn. I remember you from the Kathleen Byron thread. Thanks for that information. I was wondering why Richard wasn't mentioned in the earlier post and now I know!
Searching under the title If There Weren't Any Blacks ..., rather than Richard Beckinsale, I see that there are THREE PAGES of photographs at Rex Features- and for BOTH productions (1968 and 1974). Other stars include Nerys Hughes, Leslie Sands, Leonard Rossiter, Valerie Leon, Donald Gee, Geoffrey Bayldon, and, in the same year he appeared in the classic play Mr. Axelford's Angel (with Julia Foster), the sadly late Michael Bryant. Question: why isn't the 1974 version listed at IMDB?
For those who are interested in Armchair Theatre, I'm thinking of creating a thread tomorrow in the 'British Television' section. The one we already have is at 'Looking for a DVD (TV)'.
Thanks cornershop15 - I never knew there were two versions of this play, and the Rex Features pages you recommended are terrific! (Rex Features - Photographic press agency and picture library).
But it's weird how this play is not listed on iMdb on neither Leonard Rossiter's nor Richard Beckinsale's credits.
I'd love to see this one - I hope someone gets hold of a copy soon.
It's Glyn we should thank - it was quite a surprise to learn that.
How did you manage to provide the link? I've tried a to do so a few times but it's never worked.
It comes up as http://u.nu/26ba (Rex Features - Photographic press agency and picture library apparently!) when I place the Mouse over the link.![]()