Marriage Lines (film)

Lysette returns to London after three unsuccessful marriages to look up her cousin Virgilia who is married to publisher Felix. Felix runs a business that used to belong to Virgilia's father. Lysette begins an affair with Felix. Robbie Lambert is upset Felix wants to sell his theatre.

• Walter Sullivan as Felix Pilgrim
• Patricia Kennedy as Virgilia Pilgrim
• Mary Ward as Lysette Eggerton
• Moira Carleton as Chrissie, the Piglrims' maid
• Beverley Dunn as Peggy, Felix's secretary
• Joy Mitchell as Daphne
• Campbell Copelin as Robbie Lambert
• Vernon Yorke as American
• Kurt Ludescher and Ray Angel as waiters
• Roland Heimans as office boy

The play had been filmed by the BBC in 1961.[5][6] It was an original for television.[7] The play had been performed on Australian radio in 1961.[8]

In discussing why the ABC chose it for production, Filmink magazine hypothesized that "the ABC were attracted by Dane's reputation... The BBC stamp of approval would have helped."[9]

Walter Sullivan travelled to Melbourne to shoot the production.[4] It was Beverly Dunn's first TV play since she returned to Australia.[2] Kennedy appeared by courtesy of Emerald Hill Theatre in Melbourne. Cas Van Puflen designed it.

The Australian Women's Weekly TV critic called the production "a half-and-half job. Christopher Muir's production was satisfyingly polished; the play itself was woeful. The ABC decided to advertise this offering as a "sophisticated comedy." The theme—one woman trying to snaffle another's husband— can be funny, I suppose. But "Marriage Lines" was a melodrama of mothball manners... the cast had to battle with curiously dated dialogue... [a] sheer waste of good production and a goodish cast. "Marriage Lines" should have been murdered. Preferably at the dress rehearsal, if not before."[10]

• Marriage Lines at National Film and Sound Archive
• Marriage Lines at IMDb