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Shadow of a Pale Horse (The General Motors Hour)

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"Shadow of a Pale Horse"
The General Motors Hour episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 5
Directed byDavid Cahill
Teleplay byBruce Stewart
Original air date17 September 1960 (1960-09-17)
Running time60 mins or 80 mins[1]
Episode chronology
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"Shadow of a Pale Horse" is a television play that was produced for Australian TV by Sydney station ATN-7, it was also shown in Melbourne on station GTV-9, as this was prior to the creation of the Seven Network and Nine Network (it is not known if it was also shown in Adelaide, Brisbane or Perth).[2] "Shadow of a Pale Horse" aired on 17 September 1960 in Melbourne and Sydney.[3][4][5]

It was part of The General Motors Hour,[6] a loosely scheduled occasional series which presented various types of one-off local productions.[7]

Cast

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Production

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The production was shot in Sydney at ATN's studios. Cul Cullen, art director, researched details at Sydney libraries.[8][9]

Kurt Ledescher was a European actor who had only just arrived in Australia. The production aired a few weeks after the American version had been made.[10]

Brian Wright, who appeared in the show, had written the radio serial Hop Harrigan which had starred Bruce Stewart a number of years earlier.[11] It was an early TV role for Leonard Teale.[12]

Gwen Plumb wrote in her memoirs that a brown horse was used and the crew covered it in Johnson's Baby Powder to make it look ghostly. "It really looked ghostly," she wrote. But the powder made the horse sneeze and shake himself "and a white cloud enshrouded the studio." They tried it two much times, then gave up. Plumb says someone then had the idea of whitewashing the horse. "And they did! That poor beast."[13]

In one six minute scene only one camera was used.[14]

Reception

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The Sydney Morning Herald said "in almost every respect" the show "was a success."[15] The Age called it "disappointing."[16]

The show won Best Australian Drama at the 1961 Logie Awards.[17]

It was repeated in Melbourne on 21 October 1961 and in Sydney on 12 October 1960 and 28 October 1961.[18][19]

The play was performed on Australian radio in 1965.[20]

According to Filmink magazine, the production is "not flawless – James and Teale both have these terrible beards, which should not have been allowed on air, and the accents distract. But generally, the acting is strong (particularly James, John Gray and Ben Gabriel as townsfolk) and the story is extremely compelling. It doesn’t stuff around or sell out."[5]

References

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  1. ^ "TV Guide". 12 September 1960. p. 14.
  2. ^ "Aust Drama on ATN 7". 17 September 1960. p. 4.
  3. ^ "Drama Looks Back on Australia". The Age. 15 September 1960. p. 13.
  4. ^ "TV Guide". The Age. 15 September 1960. p. 31.
  5. ^ a b Vagg, Stephen (September 13, 2023). "Forgotten Australian Television Plays: Shadow of a Pale Horse". Filmink.
  6. ^ "Trial in a Bush Town". Sydney Morning Herald. 12 September 1960. p. 7.
  7. ^ McPherson, Ailsa (2007). "Dramas and Dreams at Epping: Early Days of ATN-7's Drama Production". In Liz, Liz; Dolin, Tim (eds.). Australian Television History. ACH: The Journal of the History of Culture in Australia. Australian Public Intellectual Network. p. 162.
  8. ^ "Sculptor Employed on Drama Sets". The Age. 15 September 1960. p. 14.
  9. ^ Marshall, Valda (11 September 1960). "TV Merry Go Round". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 105.
  10. ^ Marshall, Valda (4 September 1960). "TV Merry Go Round". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 111.
  11. ^ "Column 8". 15 September 1960. p. 1.
  12. ^ Lane, Richard (2000). The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama Volume 2. National Film and Sound Archive. pp. 124–127.
  13. ^ Plumb, Gwen (1994). Plumb Crazy. Pan MacMillan Australia. pp. 331–332.
  14. ^ Day, Christopher (1981). "TV Drama". In Peter Beilby (ed.). Australian TV: The First 25 Years. Thomas Nelson. p. 137.
  15. ^ ""Shadow of a Pale Horse" on ATN 7". Sydney Morning Herald. 19 September 1960. p. 6.
  16. ^ "Pale Horse Play Disappointing". The Age. 22 September 1960. p. 14.
  17. ^ "Tv Week".
  18. ^ "Guitarist on ATN Show". Sydney Morning Herald. 28 October 1961. p. 4.
  19. ^ "Weekend TV". The Age. 21 October 1961.
  20. ^ "RADIO PROGRAMMES". The Canberra Times. Vol. 40, no. 11, 258. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 11 September 1965. p. 12. Retrieved 6 September 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
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