Tuesday 10 August 2010

TV: THE WEDNESDAY PLAY - A CRUCIAL WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A GROCER'S ASSISTANT - 1967



Transmitted : 22nd March 1967
Script : Thomas Murphy
Director : James MacTaggart
 

Publicity : Tonight's Play - A Crucial Week In The Life Of A Grocer's Assistant: John Joe Moran is at the dangerous age of oh-so-nearly thirty, and he has problems. Shall he stay in Ireland, or follow the crowd to London? Should he marry his girlfriend, or get rid of her? Shall he stick to his job or go after a dream? It is high time he made a few changes but would he be doing the right things? Shall he fellow his own whims or do what someone else wants? For John Joe there is any amount of good advice. Get spliced to the bank manager's daughter. No, marry a good girl. Keep in with the priest. Take out some life assurance. Look after your old parents. Get yourself respected…Get out of town.

There are the mordant tones of his Uncle Alec: "If I were a young man again, I'd clear out. Begrudges and meaners and thieves. They're so bad here they'd take a snail from a blind hen". Yet his mother's home comforts are sweet and familiar. And anyway how would she make ends meet without him? It's a really crucial week in the life of the grocer's assistant. James MacTaggart directs T P McKenna and Elizabeth Begley as John Joe and his mother. Fionnuala Flanbagan is his girlfriend Mona. (Radio Times, March 16, 1967).

Cast : T P McKenna (John Joe Morgan), Elizabeth Begley (Mother), Fionnuala Flanagan (Mona), Will Leighton (Father), Paul Farrell (Alec Moran), Dominic Roche (Father Daly), Michael Mara (Mr Mullins), Pauline Delany (Mrs Mullins), Dermot Tuohy (Mr Brown), Peter Mavock (Pakey Garvey), Kitty Fitzgerald (Mrs Smith), Denis McCarthy (The Pension Officer), David Kelly (Miko) and Charles O'Rourke (Mr Sweeney).

Notes & Trivia : This episode had a running time of seventy-five minutes and was transmitted from 9:05pm to 10:20pm.

Music for this episode was arranged and conducted by Kate O'Connor.




No comments:

Post a Comment