Murder Story
| Company type | Television drama |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
| Products | Television play |
| Parent | Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) |
Murder Story is a 1958 Australian television drama adapted from Ludovic Kennedy's script, which draws inspiration from the Croydon rooftop murder incident. The cast featured Neva Carr-Glynn, John Ewart, and Douglas Kelly, under the direction of Raymond Menmuir. It was broadcast on ABC and had a duration of 60 minutes.
Plot
Jim Tanner, aged nineteen, faces the death penalty after being convicted of killing Constable Albert Tomkins. During his time in prison, Tanner acquires literacy skills prior to his execution.
Cast
- John Ewart portraying Jim Tanner
- Neva Carr Glyn as Tanner's mother
- Douglas Kelly playing his father
- John Alden in the role of the prison chaplain
- Don Crosby as Warder Graves
- Deryck Barnes as Warder Barty
- Myrna Dodd as the widow of Constable Tomkins
- Richard Meikle as Ted Clift, Tanner's partner in crime
- Frederick Powell as an inspector
Production
Kennedy's script had earlier been adapted for British television in 1958 on Armchair Theatre. The Australian rendition was performed live at ABC’s Gore Hill studios in Sydney.
Reception
According to The Age, following the Melbourne broadcast, both viewers and ABV-2 personnel were notably disturbed by the production’s intense realism; hostess Corinne Kerby was reportedly too unsettled to present the subsequent program.
Critics responded positively to the play; a reviewer from Woman's Weekly found "Murder Story" and its performances captivating and mesmerizing. The program was rebroadcast in January 1960, with The Sydney Morning Herald praising it as "among the finest productions by ABC."
Subsequent to the television airing, Kennedy’s original work was performed at Sydney’s Independent Theatre. Moreover, director Raymond Menmuir reunited with John Ewart and Alan Seymour for the 1959 motion picture Bodgie.