Stormy Petrel (TV series)
Stormy Petrel was an early attempt at Australian television drama. A mini-series/period drama, the 12-episode series told the story of William Bligh,[1] and aired in 1960 on ABC.
It was based on a script by Rex Rienits adapted from his 1948 radio serial.[2] The radio serial was rebroadcast in 1953.[3]
Other period drama series produced by ABC in the early 1960s included The Outcasts[4] (1961), The Patriots[5] (1962), and The Hungry Ones[6] (1963). Additionally, in 1964 the broadcaster aired The Purple Jacaranda, a mini-series/serial with a contemporary setting. Telerecordings (also known as Kinescope recordings) of the series are held by National Archives of Australia.
Reception
Coming at a time when Australia produced few dramatic television series, The Age called it a "successful serial" and commented "These colorful - and factual - Australian series are a "must" for Australian television"[7]
According to director Colin Dean "I got the results from Audience Research - the average audience for Stormy Petrel was the same as a years run in her Majesty's Theatre including matinees. I thought to myself - that is unbelievable. That is what we have been missing. We never had audiences like that before. What a great thing we done!"[8]
References
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380143/
- ↑ "STARS OF THE AIR.". Wodonga and Towong Sentinel (Vic. : 1885 - 1954). Vic.: National Library of Australia. 17 December 1948. p. 1. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ ""THE STORMY PETREL"-NEW A.B.C. SERIAL ABOUT BLIGH.". South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus (NSW : 1900 - 1954). NSW: National Library of Australia. 3 August 1953. p. 2 Section: South Coast Times AND WOLLONGONG ARGUS FEATURE SECTION. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2701172/
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380938/
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374404/
- ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_4RVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sqkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4403%2C4392016
- ↑ Interview with Colin Dean