Maurice Murphy (director)

Maurice Murphy
Maurice Murphy at a screening of 15 Amore
Born	Maurice Brendan Murphy 1939 (age 77–78) Sydney, Australia
Occupation	Film and television director, producer, writer, actor
Years active	1965–present

Maurice Brendan Murphy (born 1939 in Sydney) is an Australian film and television director, producer, writer and actor. He is best known for his influential work as a director of TV comedy programs for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation – most notably The Aunty Jack Show – and for his 1980 feature film adaptation of the Australian comic strip Fatty Finn.

After a month as a Melbourne University student, Murphy realised that his true calling was in the entertainment world. For the next three years, he financed his theatrical pursuits at The Little Theatre in South Yarra, by working at the Victorian Railways. In 1960, Murphy joined the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) where he worked his way up to being a director. 'The ABC was a great training institute at that time, and a place which allowed me much creative freedom. I learned a great deal there' says Murphy of his years at the ABC. His first big break was in 1967 with the big budget 20-episode variety series, I'm Alright Now, with Reg Livermore. In 1973, Murphy became Head of Entertainment at the ABC.

Murphy's show biz enthusiasm was well-developed long before his ABC years. As a young child he was enthralled by the physical comedy of the clowns at Wirth's Circus. Later at boarding school he discovered Abbott & Costello films, delighting in their vaudevillian routines. The cinema became an integral part of Murphy's school holidays with musicals, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby 'Road' movies and comedies his favourite genres and ones that would influence his future work.

Throughout his school years Murphy would regularly escape into the wonders of radio hit parades, spending countless hours analysing pop song structures and writing down lyrics. He applied these skills to television comedies. 'I worked out how the shows were structured. I wrote down the scenes. Sketched the sets. Analysed the placement of dialogue and the positions for its delivery. I noticed the similarity in patterning and timing between various shows. I really got to understand how TV comedy was staged', says Murphy.