Eye of the Night
| Eye of the Night | |
|---|---|
| Genre | thriller |
| Written by | Kay Keavney |
| Directed by | Christopher Muir |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 75 minutes[2] |
| Production company | ABC |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | 24 February 1960 (1960年02月24日) (live, Melbourne)[1] |
| Release | 6 April 1960 (1960年04月06日) (Sydney, taped)[3] |
Eye of the Night is a 1960 Australian television play. It was written by Kay Keavney and directed by Christopher Muir.[1] [4]
It was broadcast live on the ABC from Melbourne on the night of Wednesday 24 February. In Sydney on the same night the ABC were doing a live broadcast of the play The Turning Point . These two were the first in a series of ten plays made by the ABC in 1960 using local writers, others including The Astronauts and The Slaughter of St. Teresa's Day . (Other plays possibly included Close to the Roof , Dark Under the Sun , The Square Ring , Who Killed Kovali? , and Swamp Creatures .)[5] [6]
Plot
[edit ]A man breaks into homes at night and terrorises women. He eludes police for two years. In the Melbourne suburb of Sunshine, a woman, Ruth Arnott, fears that a man in her own house, a man oppressed by his mother, may be the attacker. The opening scenes take place at Victorian Police Headquarters with the rest at a house in Sunshine.[7]
Cast
[edit ]- Beverley Dunn as Ruth Arnott
- Brian James as her accountant brother-in-law, Frank Arnott
- Dennis Miller as her husband Ian Arnott
- Nevil Thurgood
- Syd Conabere as a detective
- Moira Carleton as the next door neighbour
- Agnes Dobson
Production
[edit ]Early Australian TV drama production was dominated by using imported scripts but in 1960 the ABC was undertaking what has been described as "an Australiana drive" of producing local stories.[8] This was based on an original script by Kay Keavney an experienced writer for radio as well as TV series like The Story of Peter Gray .
To prepare for the production, Muir visited the police department to study criminal detection techniques and meet psychologists. According to The Age Beverly Dunn "has a difficult role to play, involving several emotional scenes".[1]
References
[edit ]- ^ a b c "Psychological Drama". The Age. 18 February 1960. p. 12.
- ^ "TV Guide". The Age. 18 February 1960. p. 33.
- ^ "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 April 1960. p. 14.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
- ^ Marshall, Valda (31 January 1960). "TV Merry Go Round". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 80.
- ^ Marshall, Valda (21 February 1960). "TV Merry Go Round". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 107.
- ^ "Victorian Thriller". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 April 1960. p. 13.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (19 October 2020). "Forgotten Australian TV Plays – The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day". Filmink.
External links
[edit ]- Eye of the Night at IMDb
- Eye of the Night at AustLit (subscription required)