The Quiet Season
| Company type | Television play |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television production |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Headquarters | Brisbane , Australia |
Key people | John Croyston (director) |
| Products | Television drama |
| Parent | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
The Quiet Season is a 1965 Australian television play lasting thirty minutes, produced at ABC Brisbane's Toowong studios. Broadcast across the nation on the ABC, it was directed by John Croyston. This work represented ABC Brisbane's fourth television drama, following earlier productions such as Vacancy in Vaughan Street, Dark Brown, and Ring Out Wild Bells.
Plot
The narrative unfolds during the off-season in Shell Bay, a fishing village located near Melbourne. Harry Nichols, the only guest at a local boarding house, develops an interest in Madge, a spinster who resists the idea of marriage. When Harry returns the following year, he discovers Madge is unhappily wed to Bill Martin. The guest house is operated by Mrs Gray, with her husband Bert and daughter Sue also playing roles in the story.
Cast
- Nonie Stewart as Madge, a local shopkeeper
- John Nash as Harry Nichols, a schoolteacher
- Reg Cameron as Bill Martin
- Betty Ross as Mrs Gray
- Elaine Cusick (1934–2024) as Sue Gray
- Donald McTaggart as Don, Madge’s brother
- Vic Hughes as Bert Gray
Production
Under the production of John Croyston and penned by Melbourne writer John Cameron, exterior scenes were shot at Woody Point in Queensland. Croyston conducted a location survey across Brisbane’s northern suburbs before choosing Woody Point, with beach sequences filmed near Margate.
This project marked Nonie Stewart’s first acting role after returning from abroad in July 1964; she had previously appeared in over fifty Vancouver-based stage productions. Vic Hughes, known for hosting Partyland, was the sole cast member not local to Brisbane. Filming occurred in April 1965.
Brisbane actress Elaine Cusick, who had considerable experience in radio and theatre, accepted her role prior to relocating to Melbourne where she took part in television projects including The Mystery of the Hansom Cab, The One Day of the Year, and The Last Outlaw. Both Reg Cameron and John Nash made their television debuts with this production.
Reception
Broadcast dates differed by location, with airings on 28 June in Canberra and 29 June in Melbourne. Another Brisbane-produced play, Ring Out Wild Bells, was shown during the same week.
The Sydney Morning Herald acknowledged this as ABC Brisbane’s fourth television play but described it negatively as "a horror," contrasting it unfavorably with Sydney’s more refined productions.
The Age complimented the capable performances delivered by Nash and Stewart but remarked on abrupt scene changes that interrupted the narrative flow.
The Bulletin praised Croyston’s thoughtful direction and his effective use of outdoor footage to evoke setting and time period. Despite being scheduled late at night, it characterized the play as "poignant," highlighting its "bitter sweet possibilities" fully realized through both camera work and acting. Croyston, primarily recognized for his radio work, was noted as an emerging talent in television direction.
Status
A digitized film copy of this television short titled Quiet Season (omitting "the") dated 7 May 1965 and running 28 minutes and 46 seconds is preserved by the National Archives of Australia.
See also
- Vacancy in Vaughn Street
- Dark Brown (1963)
- The Monkey Cage (1965)
- Ring Out Wild Bells (1964)
- The Absence of Mr Sugden (1965)
- Arabesque for Atoms (1965)
- A Sleep of Prisoners (1961)
- Crisis (1963)
References