Tartuffe (Wednesday Theatre)

"Tartuffe"
Wednesday Theatre episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 39
Directed by	Henri Safran
Teleplay by	John Warwick Henri Safran
Based on	Tartuffe by Molière
Original air date	13 October 1965 (1965-10-13)
Running time	75 mins[1]
Episode chronology

"Tartuffe" is a 1965 Australian television film directed by Henri Safran and starring Tony Bonner and Ron Haddrick.[2] It was an episode of Wednesday Theatre and filmed in Sydney at ABC's Gore Hill Studios.[3][4] It aired on 13 October 1965 in Sydney and Melbourne,[5] and on 20 October 1965 in Brisbane.[6]

Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time.[7]

Plot

Tartuffe convinces the rich merchant Organ he is a saint. Organ agrees for Tartuffe to marry his daughter although Tartuffe is actually interested in seducing Organ's wife.[8]

Cast

• Ron Haddrick as Tartuffe
• Jennifer Wright as Elmire
• Doreen Warburton as Dorine
• John Gregg as Oleante
• Ron Morse as Organ
• Roberta Hunt as Mmse Pernelle
• Charles Little as Damis
• Lucia Duchenski as Marianne
• John Stevens as Loyale
• Jerome White as an officer
• Doris Goddard as street girl
• Tony Bonner as Valere

Production

Henri Safran said the play was "less a satire of hypocrisy than a condemnation of those who, by exaggerating their religious devotion, become prey for the cupidity of imposters."[9]

Reception

The Canberra Times acclaimed it as one of the best productions of the year.[10]

The Age called it "a thoroughly enjoyable experience."[11]

References

1. "WEDNESDAYS". The Canberra Times. Vol. 40, no. 11, 283. 11 October 1965. p. 18. Retrieved 20 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
2. "SATURDAY FEATURES AND BOOK REVIEW PAGES. TARTUFFE ON CAMERA". The Canberra Times. 9 October 1965. p. 9. Retrieved 23 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
3. "Play banned by the King". The Age. 7 October 1965. p. 16.
4. "Wicked Wise and Witty". Sydney Morning Herald. 11 October 1965. p. 16.
5. "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 12 October 1965. p. 10.
6. "King banned French comedy". TV Times. 13 October 1965. p. 12.
7. Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
8. "TV Guide". The Age. 7 October 1965. p. 38.
9. "Play Banned by a King". The Age. 7 October 1965. p. 31.
10. "TELEVISION". The Canberra Times. 31 December 1965. p. 7. Retrieved 23 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
11. Monitor (16 October 1965). "TV in the role of news vendor". The Age. p. 23.

External links

• "Tartuffe" at IMDb