Tragedy in a Temporary Town
| "Tragedy in a Temporary Town" | |
|---|---|
| Shell Presents episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Rod Kinnear |
| Teleplay by | Rod Serling |
| Original air date | 16 May 1959 (Melbourne) 30 May 1959 (Sydney) |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
Tragedy In A Temporary Town was the a 1959 episode of the Australian anthology drama show Shell Presents starring Michael Pate. It was filmed "live" in Melbourne, then recorded and broadcast in Sydney. It was the third episode of Shell Presents and the first shot in Melbourne.
The script had previously been filmed on the Alcoa Hour in the US. It had earned Rod Serling an Emmy nomination.
In a small town, a group of migrant workers are employed at an aircraft factory and live in a trailer park. When a girl claims she has been attacked, a group of men, led by Frank Doran, attempt to find out who is possible. They seize a Mexican boy, Raphael Infante, and threaten to lynch him. A tolerant man called Alec Beggs attempts to stop them.
The production starred Australian Michael Pate who had spent most of the 1950s working in Hollywood. He made the film on a temporary return visit to Australia. The play was shot in Melbourne.
The TV critic for the Woman's Weekly called the production "a tragedy all right... the play was notably unrealistic, its star, Michael Pate, disappointing... a brave and expensive experiment for a commercial channel... [but] miserable viewing."
The TV critic for the Sydney Morning Herald said it "did not make its potential impact because of uninventive direction and, with the tension factor suffering accordingly, some lack of subtlety in the characterisations."
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