"Antarctic Four"
Australian Playhouse episode
The Age ad 13 June 1966
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 9
Directed byJames Davern
Teleplay byOriel Gray
Produced byAlan Burke
Original air date13 June 1966 (1966-06-13)
Running time30 mins
Episode chronology
← Previous
"What About Next Year" 		Next →
"The Monkey Cage"
List of episodes

"Antarctic Four" is the ninth television play episode of the first season of the Australian anthology television series Australian Playhouse.[1][2]

"Antarctic Four" was written by Oriel Gray and directed by James Davern[3] and originally aired on ABC on 13 June 1966.[4]

Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time but there were several productions set in Antarctica in the 1960s, the others including Manhaul and She.[5] "Antarctic Four" was also performed as a stage play.[6]

Plot

A group of six men from the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition are stranded in an Antarctic outpost. Temporarily out of communication with their base, the men get into a nightmare situation brought on by a mysterious disease.

Cast

Production

Gordon Boyd was best known as a singer.[7]

Reception

The critic from The Australian Women's Weekly said the production "was not flawless, but it sustained suspense to the end. It was better entertainment in every way than there has been from "Australian Playhouse" for weeks. I would like to see this series succeed, but recently I have been wondering whether it would. "Antarctic Four" revived my hopes.[8]

The critic from The Sydney Morning Herald said that "If this fantasy fails to grip or impress, it is not the fault of the production or the players...the most outstanding performance came from George Whaley who had the schizophrenic role of a sane madman."[9]

The Age called it "one of the best of the Playhouse series".[10]

References

  1. ^ "MONDAY". The Canberra Times. Vol. 40, no. 11, 493. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 13 June 1966. p. 15. Retrieved 26 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ Vagg, Stephen (1 May 2021). "Forgotten Australian TV Plays: Antarctic Four". Filmink.
  3. ^ "TV Guide". The Age. 9 July 1966. p. 21.
  4. ^ "TV Guide". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 June 1966. p. 27.
  5. ^ Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
  6. ^ "Show Business". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 July 1967. p. 81.
  7. ^ "Locals Try Their Hand at Something Different". The Age. 9 June 1966. p. 15.
  8. ^ "Viewers: the VIPs of television". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 34, no. 5. Australia. 29 June 1966. p. 15. Retrieved 26 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ Darlington, Dorothy (14 June 1966). "Confusion in a Cold Setting". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 13.
  10. ^ "Guessing Game Syndrome". The Age. 25 June 1966. p. 23.

External links

TV productions of Alan Burke
Categories