The Dock Brief (1960 film)

The Dock Brief is a 1960 Australian TV play directed by Ray Menmuir and starring Reg Lye and Moray Powell. It was based on the play by John Mortimer.[4]

The Dock Brief
Ad from 'The Age' 17 Feb 1960
Based onplay The Dock Brief by John Mortimer
Written byGeorge F. Kerr
Directed byRaymond Menmuir
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time60 minutes[1] or 50 minutes.[2]
Production companyABC
Release
Original networkABC
Original release27 January 1960 (Sydney)
17 February 1960 (Melbourne)[3]

Premise

The barrister Morgenall is given a brief to defend a bird seed seller, Fowle, accused of murdering his wife.

Cast
  • Reg Lye as Fowle
  • Moray Powell as Morgenhall

Production

The play was made in Sydney under the direction of Ray Menmuir. A radio version of the play had been performed in Australia the previous year.[5]

Menmuir said "as first seen the characters are quite comical but as the play progresses we begin to laugh with them rather than at them."[6]

Douglas Smith designed the set which consisted of two areas: the prison cell and the imaginary courtroom. Special effects were used to create a "courtroom of the imagination" for a later scene.[7]

Reception

The Sydney Morning Herald called it "beautifully acted" praising Menmuir's "admirably deft and very imaginative production."[8]

References
  1. "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 25 January 1960. p. 21.
  2. "TV Guide". The Age. 11 February 1960. p. 33.
  3. "Advertisement". 17 February 1960. p. 5.
  4. "The P.M.G.'s private eye". The Australian Women's Weekly. 27 (37). Australia. 17 February 1960. p. 68. Retrieved 22 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "TV Presentation of Prize Drama About a Brief". The Age. 11 February 1960. p. 23.
  6. "Comedy and Pathos at the Bar". TV Times. 10 March 1960. p. 7.
  7. "Courtroom for Two". Sydney Morning Herald. 25 January 1960. p. 22.
  8. ""Dock Brief" Telecast from ABN". Sydney Morning Herald. 28 January 1960. p. 5.
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