Uneasy Paradise

1963 Australian TV series or program

Uneasy Paradise
Ad in The Age 26 Jun 1963
Written by	Laurence Collinson^[1]
Directed by	William Sterling
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
Production
Running time	60 mins
Production company	ABC
Original release
Release	26 June 1963 (1963-06-26) (Melbourne)
Release	3 July 1963 (1963-07-03) (Sydney)^[2]

Uneasy Paradise is a 1963 Australian television film directed by William Sterling. It is a 60-minute drama set in Melbourne about a gambler married to Sally. He loses much money at a club run by Paolo.

Australian drama was relatively rare at the time.^[3]

Premise

Neville is a gambler married to Sally. He loses much money at a club run by Paolo.

Cast

Peter Aanensen as Neville
Terri Aldred as Sally
Syd Conabere as Billy
Edward Howell as Paolo
Jules Caffari as Gambler
James Lynch
Douglas Kelly
Ian Boyce
Roly Barlee
Ron Pinnell
Stewart Weller
Lewis Tegart
Ray Angel^[4]

Production

The show was written by Melbourne writer Laurence Collinson. It was based on a true story and was written as part of a challenge by Sterling at a UNESCO conference in Adelaide.^[5] William Sterling decided to treat the subject matter "neo-realistically".^[6]

Reception

The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that the plot "carried a spell of authenticity which was broken only by a contrived and comfortable ending" in which Sterling's production "exploited camera angles and action scenes vividly enough to make the-television medium, seem eminently suitable for an effective if somewhat sordid play that took all the tricks except the final, one of a satisfactory, ending."^[7]

The Age criticised the writing saying, "every development could be telegraphed."^[8]

References

^ "TV Guide". The Age. 20 June 1963. p. 27.
^ "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 13.
^ Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
^ "GAMBLING PLAY BY MELBOURNE AUTHOR". The Canberra Times. Vol. 37, no. 10, 578. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 3 July 1963. p. 29. Retrieved 15 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Challenge accepted". The Age. 20 June 1963. p. 17.
^ "Gambler's Story as TV Play". The Age. 20 June 1963. p. 10.
^ "ABN Drama On Gambling". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 July 1963. p. 9.
^ Televiewer (4 July 1963). "Teletopics". The Age. p. 12.