STAGE: A LITTLE WINTER LOVE (DUBLIN THEATRE FESTIVAL 1963/UK REGIONS 1964)

With TP's dramatic and acclaimed arrival on the London stage in 'Stephen D' there was the inevitable talk about whether Ireland had just lost another of its' rising stars across the water.

Ireland seemed very capable of producing many excellent acting talents but quite inept at retaining them.  Ahead of TP had gone the likes of Donal Donnelly, Ray McAnally and Milo O'Shea.

This quandary was even the subject of an RTE documentary which pondered if the stars of 'Stephen D' would be just the next names on the list.  

Norman Rodway certainly rarely appeared on the Irish stage again.   TP, on the other hand, while he was glad to make the break with the Abbey, was not contemplating quitting the Irish stage.

His ally in this cause would be a fixture that had been developed by the producer, Brendan Smith, in 1959 - the Dublin Theatre Festival.

First up was the festival of 1963 and a support role in a new comedy by writer Alun Owen, A Little Winter Love, with Ray McAnally and Vivienne Drummond.

The programme pages shown below relate to the 1964 touring production in the UK (Theatre Royal, Brighton) prior to what had been hoped might be a slot on the London stage though that plan never came to fruition.

Subsequent Festival productions for TP would include plays by Eugene McCabe (King of the Castle & Breakdown) and the Irish premiere of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, works by Brian Friel including his translation of Uncle Vanya and Molly Sweeney and a new play by Stewart Parker, Nightshade.

A list of credits which ensure that TP was on the Irish stage every three or four years into the 1990s.

REMEMBERING KENNEDY

It was just a little after six-thirty on a dark November evening in 1963 when TP arrived at the Stage Door of the Royal Court Theatre off Sloane Square where he was appearing in JP Donleavy's 'The Ginger Man'. 

Just inside the door  fellow cast member, Anna Gilchrist, was on a payphone.  As TP came in she cupped her hand over the mouthpiece and, across her shoulder, hissed, 'They've shot him'.  'Who?', TP asked, confused, but sensing the air of alarm.    'Kennedy! ... President Kennedy'.

TP reeled as he was hurled back six months in time and his ears filled with the cheers of the huge crowds gathered around him in Dublin's O'Connell Street, where just yards away the bronzed and handsome figure of the American President passed, standing in his limousine, waving and beaming his charismatic smile.

Kennedy's state visit to Ireland was the most anticipated and astonishing of homecomings.  Here was an Irish American whose great, great grandfather had set sale from New Ross in Co.Wexford on board an emigrant ship with nothing but a pack on his back and now his great, great grandson had reached the highest office in the land and probably of the free world.

TP knew all there was to know about Jack Kennedy and had followed his career from his days as a promising new, young member of the US Senate.  He followed  American politics and culture  closely and was teased by his colleagues at the Abbey for the copy of Time magazine he always seemed to have with him.  'Here he comes - Mr.Time!', they'd josh.

Now the news was breaking across a London tea-time and rush hour, first that Kennedy had been shot, and then a while later the terrible confirmation that his wounds had been fatal.

Millions lost a new found hero in that hour and none felt the blow more keenly than TP McKenna.

STAGE: STEPHEN D, ST.MARTIN'S THEATRE - 1963

TV: BBC SUNDAY PLAY - THE FLY SHAM (1963)

BBC SUNDAY PLAY: THE FLY SHAM by Tom Murphy

TX Date: 19th May 1963


This play marked TP's first appearance on British Television. It was a drama written by in which he appeared with his close friend and colleague, Donal Donnelly.

TP recalls: "The play [STEPHEN D] was such an enormous success in London, it was startling.  The offers literally came pouring in.  One of the co-originators of 'Z Cars', John McGrath approached me with the script of Tom Murphy's 'The Fly Sham'.  It interested me a lot and Donal Donnelly had a big part.  When I saw the credits go up on the screen, I go the shock of my life, because I was co-starring in it.  That was my first television play for the BBC and it established a marvellous precedent, with fees and so on.  You could only go up after that.  The rest of the year was sold.  And I enjoyed it so much that I eventually wrote my letter of resignation to the Abbey."

STAGE: A LITTLE WINTER LOVE, EBLANA (1963)

STAGE: THE GINGER MAN, ROYAL COURT THEATRE (1963)

Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon / Royal Court, London - November 1963

London revival of the play. First opened at the Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon on November 5, 1963, then moved to the Royal Court Theatre, London on November 20, 1963. Produced and directed by Philip Wiseman, Spur Productions. English Stage Company.

Anna Gilcrist took over the role of Marion when the production moved to Royal Court as Susan Hampshire had a film commitment.

Sebastian Balfe Dangerfield - Nicol Williamson

                                  Marion Dangerfield - Susan Hampshire/Anna Gilchrist

                  Miss Lily Frost - Margaret Tyzack

          Kenneth O'Keefe - T.P. McKenna

TV: THE AVENGERS - TROJAN HORSE (1964)

LOVE STORY: A WORD IN SEASON (1964)

Tx Date: 14th July 1964

Love Story was a long running series of one-off TV plays (1963-1974) produced by ATV at their Elstree Studios (now the home of Eastenders).

As the title of the strand suggests the theme of the dramas was love in all its many forms with scenarios varying from the tender and warm to the cruel and quirky.

These were rarely soft dramas however and the main script editor for the strand, Stella Richman**, despite being exhorted by Lew Grade to avoid low ratings, worked hard to prove that quality did not have to be the enemy of popularity.

TP's involvement in the series started in 1964 with A Word In Season in which he starred with Diana Coupland (pictured below.  Subsequent appearances followed with Give My Love To The Pilchards (1965), Toccata for Toy Trumpet (1965), Egg on the Face of the Tiger (1968) and A Man Alone (1968).

Among those artists he would appear with were Charles Gray, Dennis Waterman, Joanna Dunham and Lynn Redgrave

**You can read more here about Stella Richman in this obituary piece by the writer Frederic Raphael.

Production Stills

This sequence of production stills are from TP's first 'Love Story' (with Diana Coupland).  There's no record of the story line but it can probably be deduced that Ms. Coupland has fallen for one of McAlpine's Fusilers.

It is not known if any of these dramas still exist on tape but the chances they will have been wiped.  Video tape was expensive and so master tapes were often wiped for re-recording on.

 
 

 

FILM: TALES OF EDGAR WALLACE - 'DOWNFALL' (1964)

The film 'Downfall' marked TP's UK film debut and his first significant screen role, albeit in a support feature or 'B' movie. It was part of the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series which was produced out of the small Merton Park Studios in South London.

TP plays the part of Martin Somers who has been successfully acquited by his barrister (Maurice Denham) of the 'L Plate Murder'. Denham then hires him as his chauffeur to aid his rehabiliatation. However it soon begins to look as if his kindly employer has every intention of having him put back in the frame.

It's an efficient and compelling thriller which still airs on television to this day.

TV: DR.FINLAY'S CASEBOOK (1964)

Tx Date:  3rd May 1964

FILM: GIRL WITH GREEN EYES (1964)

STAGE: JULIUS CAESAR, ROYAL COURT - 1964

Lindsay Anderson's 1964 Royal Court production of Julius Caesar marked a return to the Shakespeare canon for when he was cast as Cassius, originally to Nicol Williamson's Brutus, but later to Ian Bannen.

With a strong director, a strong cast and one of the Bard's classics it had been a keenly anticipated production, however the critical reception was not good. Nonetheless, it was an excellent opportunity for TP introducing him to an established company with an emphasis on director led productions and ensemble playing. That ensemble including a catch of rising stars such as Ian Bannen, Daniel Massey, Graham Crowden, Ronald Pickup and, making his debut in a support role, a young Anthony Hopkins.

TP would return to the Royal Court in 1970 for another Lindsaay Anderson production, The Contractor (David Storey), and again in 1980 for The Seagull (Chekov trans. Thomas Kilroy).

TP as Cassius & Ian Bannen as Brutus

TP with director Lindsay Anderson

Cast List

LOVE STORY: TOCCATA FOR TOY TRUMPET (1965)

Tx Date: 17th August 1965   Written by Hugh Leonard

LOVE STORY: GIVE MY LOVE TO THE PILCHARDS (1965)

Tx: 21st September 1965, ATV

This was the second of TP's four appearances in ATV's single plays strand, Love Story, in a story by Edna O'Brien.  He appeared opposite Joanna Dunham and they are both pictured here in a production still.

STAGE: THE GAME (GAIETY THEATRE), 1965

FILM: YOUNG CASSIDY, 1965

Young Cassidy is a 1965 film which is loosely based on the autobiographical tales of Irish playwright, Sean O'Casey.  It was a project begun by the legendary John Ford,  however he was taken ill shortly after filming had commenced and replaced as director by Jack Cardiff.

TP's involvement in the film was as a brother of Cassidy, Tom.  They become reunited when Tom is on leave from the British Army.  In short measure, they slap each other on the back, head out for a celebratory drink and end up in a great big, pub fight.  All a bit oirish and clearly with shades of The Quiet Man.

TP with Rod Taylor (centre) and Jack McGowran (left)

TP's scenes were in the few minutes of the film that are actually directed by Ford,  though this was not to be the most auspicious of collaborations as would transpire.

Setting up the scene they were to shoot at the start of the day's filming, Ford, in his famed autocratic manner decided that it was too long. He called over his assistant and regarding the pages of the script he indicated the portion of the scene to be dumped. 

Our fledgling movie star, TP McKenna, with a big chunk of his part disappearing before it was even shot saw red and burst out at Ford. 'But you can't do that! That's half my scene!!' Ford eyed this young buck with due contempt (and his good eye) and replied, 'Oh, can't I?' Summoning back the assistant, he grabbed the script and in front of TP and the entire company, he ripped out the relevant pages and threw them to the floor, 'I JUST DID!'

As to whether or not, in proper Ford film style, he then spat on the strewn pages for added effect is not known, much as it would suit the narrative of this short tale, however TP learnt a firm lesson about just who calls the shots on a film set.

A moment of harmony before the big 'foight' breaks out

Jack Cardiff intriguingly captured on location atop a prop coffin

Lobby cards for 'Young Cassidy'

TV: THE AVENGERS - DEATH AT BARGAIN PRICES (1965)

Tx Date: 23rd October 1965

TP as department store manager, Wentworth, with a unique line in customer service.

STAGE: TOO TRUE TO BE GOOD, GARRICK THEATRE (1965)

This was TP's second West End appearance following his debut in 'Stephen D' at the St.Martin's Theatre. With Liz Fraser he joined the cast replacing Kenneth Haigh (who was leaving for a production on Broadway) in the role of the burglar and managed to make his own mark in the role.

For TP this was a very enjoyable run. Firstly, there was the attraction of the Garrick Theatre on Charing Cross Road, always considered a comfortable theatre by actors, then there was the opportunity to work with George Cole, James Bolam and the great Alastair Sim, whom he would watch very closely from the wings.

At this time he would also make the acquaintance of Beryl Reid and Eileen Atkins who were then appearing in The Killing of Sister George at the Duke of York's on St.Martin's Lane. The two theatres backed on to each other and their dressing rooms were grouped around a common court yard across which the members of the two companies would exchange pre-show banter.