Stormy Petrel (TV series)

Stormy Petrel is an early Australian television drama. A period drama, the 12-episode serial told the story of William Bligh and aired in 1960 on ABC. It was the first live TV serial from the ABC.[2]

Stormy Petrel
Ad in SMH 15 May 1960
Genrehistory
Created byRex Rienits
Directed byColin Dean
StarringBrian James
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Running time30 minutes
Release
Original networkABC Television
Original release29 May (1960-05-29)[1] –
31 July 1960 (1960-07-31)
Related
The Outcasts

It was based on a script by Rex Rienits adapted from his 1948 radio serial.[3] The radio serial was rebroadcast in 1953.[4]

Stormy Petrel was a critical and popular success and led to the ABC making a number of period drama series set in Australia's past: The Outcasts (1961), The Patriots (1962), and The Hungry Ones (1963). It also inspired ATN-7, a commercial station, to make Jonah (1962). Telerecordings (also known as Kinescope recordings) of Stormy Petrel are held by National Archives of Australia.[5]

Premise

The story of William Bligh's governorship of New South Wales leading up to the events of the Rum Rebellion.

Cast

1948 Radio play

The series was based on a radio play which Rex Rienits had written in 1948. Rienits said he believed Bligh "was a great man."[6] He later said that Bligh had "been grossly maligned" and "that Hollywood did a terrible thing in representing him, in the person of Mr. Laughton, as a cruel and brutal despot... However, Bligh undoubtedly had a quick and blustering temper, and it was this temper, rather than any deep-seated viciousness that got him into trouble,both on the 'Bounty' and as Governor of New South Wales'".[4]

The story of Bligh was told through the eyes of his wife Elizabeth, then John Hallet, then his daughter Mary.[7] It went for seventy episodes.[8]

The play was a great success when broadcast. Rienits sold it to the BBC and the ABC rebroadcast it in 1953.[4]

The play was broadcast again on radio in 1959.[7]

Bligh also wrote another play covering the same events, Bligh Had a Daughter.

TV Production

Early Australian TV drama production was dominated by using imported scripts but Stormy Petrel was made when the ABC was undertaking what has been described as "an Australiana" drive.[9]

It was directed by Colin Dean who called the Rum Rebellion "virtually the colony's first revolt against what was thought to be the tyranny of government vested in the person of the Governor himself."[10]

The suggestion to make the series came from Dean's wife who heard a broadcast of the serial on radio.[5]

The sets were designed by Douglas Smith who was on staff at the ABC; he started working on them in December 1959. Smith says it was difficult to get sets to be authentic as while there were plenty of written descriptions there were few pictures so he had to source the latter from the army records in London.[11]

Annette Andre played one of Bligh's daughters.[12] A radio historian said Sullivan "gave the performance of his career" in the show.[13]

Episodes
No.TitleOriginal air dateAdditional air dates
1"The Assignment"15 May 1960 (1960-05-15) (Sydney)
  • 29 May 1960 (Melbourne)
  • 26 June 1960 (Brisbane)
Captain William Blight is opposed to his daughter Mary marrying John Putland. Sir Joseph Banks offers Bligh the governorship of NSW.[14]
2"The Voyage Out"22 May 1960 (1960-05-22) (Sydney)5 June 1960 (Melbourne)
Bligh takes the boat to Australia with his daughter Mary and her husband Lt. Putland.
3"The Arrival"29 May 1960 (1960-05-29) (Sydney)12 June 1960 (Melbourne)
Bligh, his daughter Mary and Lt Putland arrive in Sydney, they meet MacArthur and his wife.
4"Enter John MacArthur"5 June 1960 (1960-06-05) (Sydney)19 June 1960 (Melbourne)
5"Storm Clouds"12 June 1960 (1960-06-12) (Sydney)26 June 1960 (Melbourne)
6"The Challenge"19 June 1960 (1960-06-19) (Sydney)3 July 1960 (Melbourne)
7"The First Skirmish"26 June 1960 (1960-06-26) (Sydney)10 July 1960 (Melbourne)
8"The Storm Gathers"3 July 1960 (1960-07-03) (Sydney)17 July 1960 (Melbourne)
Bligh clashes with MacArthur in a second court action
9"The Storm Breaks"10 July 1960 (1960-07-10) (Sydney)24 July 1960 (Melbourne)
10"Rebellion"17 July 1960 (1960-07-17) (Sydney)31 July 1960 (Melbourne)
11"Aftermath"24 July 1960 (1960-07-24) (Sydney)7 August 1960 (Melbourne)
12"The Way Back"31 July 1960 (1960-07-31) (Sydney)14 August 1960 (Melbourne)
Bligh returns to England to give evidence at the court martial of Major Johnston. Bligh's widowed daughter Mary becomes betrothed to Macquarie's aide, Maurice O'Connell, while Bligh's secretary, Griffin, who loves Mary, looks on. Bligh is appointed Admiral.

Reception

Critical

Coming at a time when Australia produced few dramatic television series, The Age called it a "successful serial" and commented "These colorful – and factual – Australian series are a "must" for Australian television."[15][16]

The Sunday Sydney Morning Herald called it "first rate entertainment."[17]

At the end of the series' run The Age called it "Channel 2's most consistent production... stands head and shoulders above all other Australian-produced drama series."[18]

The Woman's Weekly said Dean was to be "congratulated on a production (made difficult, I'm sure, by budget-balancing) marked by a simplicity that has been the trademark of some of the B.B.C. adaptations of famous classics. You may cock a snoot at Australian history, but "Stormy Petrel" makes Australian history come alive in absorbing TV."[19] At the end of the series' run the Woman's Weekly called it "an outstanding production."[20]

Filmink said "It’s not a classic or masterpiece, a work of its time, i.e. 1960 Australian television drama (for instance, I think there’s maybe one mention of Aboriginal people, and most scenes consist of a few people talking in a room). But, by those standards it’s extremely good... solid storytelling involving two three-dimensional antagonists who have a compelling conflict that leads to a surprising, yet inevitable concision... Emphasising Mary Bligh was, for me, Rienits’ masterstroke because it opens up the world of the characters, and ensures that there’s a female in the story front and centre. And yes, that’s due to history, but plenty of historical adaptations routinely ignore/downplay the role of women."[5]

Ratings

According to director Colin Dean "I got the results from Audience Research – the average audience for Stormy Petrel was the same as a years run in her Majesty's Theatre including matinees. I thought to myself – that is unbelievable. That is what we have been missing. We never had audiences like that before. What a great thing we done!"[21]

It was repeated by the ABC in 1974 before the introduction of color television.[22]

Filmink said it "proved Australians could be really interested in watching stories about our own history... a genuine groundbreaker: the first Australian mini-series, the first big television success from the ABC drama department, the first ABC drama to inspire a rip-off on the commercial stations (Jonah, made by ATN-7 in 1962), the first Australian TV drama to be adapted into a novel, the first Australian drama to inspire not one but two sequels. All those historical mini-series of the 1970s and 1980s that many of us grew up with – Against the Wind, For the Term of His Natural Life, Bodyline, etc – have their antecedents in Stormy Petrel."[5]

Sequel

In November 1960 it was announced that Rex Rienits and Colin Dean would reunite on a sequel that would focus on William Redfern but feature many characters from Stormy Petrel.[23]

Novel

Rienits wrote up the story as a novel, Stormy Petrel, which was published in 1963. The London Sunday Times said "narrative swings along until Bligh and MacArthur sink with all hands in a bog of litigation."[24]

References
  1. "Aust TV Serial About Bligh". Radio/TV Supplement. The Age. 26 May 1960. p. 2. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  2. Marshall, Valda (3 April 1960). "TV Merry Go Round". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 111. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  3. "Stars Of The Air". Wodonga And Towong Sentinel. No. 3176. Victoria, Australia. 17 December 1948. p. 1. Retrieved 6 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ""THE STORMY PETREL"-NEW A.B.C. SERIAL ABOUT BLIGH". Features Section. South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus. Vol. LIII, no. 60. New South Wales, Australia. 3 August 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 1 October 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. Vagg, Stephen (17 October 2021). "Forgotten Australian TV Plays: Stormy Petrel". Filmink.
  6. "Stars of the Air". The Grenfell Record and Lachlan District Advertiser. Vol. 81, no. 95. New South Wales, Australia. 16 December 1948. p. 4. Retrieved 16 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "Stormy, but the real Bligh identifier". ABC Weekly. Vol. 21, no. 18. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 May 1959. p. 3.
  8. Lane, Richard (2000). The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama 1923-1960. ScreenSound Australia the National Screen and Sound Archive. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-642-70503-7.
  9. Vagg, Stephen (19 October 2020). "Forgotten Australian TV Plays – The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day". Filmink. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  10. Musgrove, Nan (31 January 1962). "ABN plans third historical TV serial". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 29, no. 35. Australia. p. 17. Retrieved 1 October 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. "The Real Captain Bligh". TV Times. 23 June 1960. pp. 12–13.
  12. Vagg, Stephen (29 August 2020). "Annette Andre: My Brilliant Early Australian Career". Filmink. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  13. Lane, Richard (2000). The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama 1923-1960. ScreenSound Australia the National Screen and Sound Archive. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-642-70503-7.
  14. "Bligh Family Story". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 May 1960. p. 13. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  15. "Standard set by "Petrel"". Radio/TV Supplement. The Age. 29 December 1960. p. 3. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  16. "Serial on Bligh is Good TV". Radio/TV Supplement. The Age. 9 June 1960. p. 3. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  17. Marshall, Valda (22 May 1960). "TV Merry Go Round". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 90.
  18. Janus (18 August 1960). ""Petrel" Milestone for Australian TV". The Age. p. 27. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  19. Musgrove, Nan (29 June 1960). "They don't socialise". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 28, no. 4. Australia. p. 57. Retrieved 16 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. Musgrove, Nan (17 August 1960). "20th century wisdom". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 28, no. 11. Australia. p. 55. Retrieved 16 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. Dean, Colin (November 2004). "Colin Dean reflects on his early days in TV". ABC TV Gore Hill (Interview). Interviewed by Shirley, Graham. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  22. "1960 series on Bligh was worth repeating". The Canberra Times. Vol. 48, no. 13, 821. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 31 July 1974. p. 12. Retrieved 16 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  23. Musgrove, Nan (2 November 1960). "A.B.C. plans new historical serial". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 28. Australia. p. 74. Retrieved 16 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. Day, Philip; Byatt, A. S (12 January 1964). "Shorter notices". The Sunday Times. No. 7339. London. p. 38.
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