The Skin of Our Teeth (film)

The Skin of Our Teeth
Advertisement from SMH 21 Feb 1959
Based onplay The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder
Written byPhilip Albright
Directed byAlan Burke
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time90 mins[1]
Original release
Release25 February 1959 (1959-02-25) (Sydney)[2]
Release6 May 1959 (1959-05-06) (Melbourne)[3]

The Skin of Our Teeth is a 1959 Australian television play based on the play by Thorton Wilder. It starred John Ewart.[4]

Premise

The story of life on Earth as lived by Mr and Mrs Antrobus, and their two children - and their maid, Sabina.

Cast

Production

The film was directed by Alan Burke who had directed a production of Skin of Our Teeth on stage in Canberra in 1953[5] and had spent a day talking to Wilder in the US at the latter's New Haven home.[6] Burke had met him through a letter of introduction while on a UNESCO scholarship. Burke considered the meeting with Wilder one of the most important of his life.[7]

"He is the most knowledgeable man I've ever met," said Burke. "He is a great humanist and has great faith in mankind."[8]

Two sets were used, one for the Antrobus house the other for Atlantic City boardwalk.[9]

Reception

Burke said although the play had "tiny ratings... it represented the big break-through in the production of television plays."[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Tv Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 25 February 1959. p. 10.
  2. ^ "All the TV Programmes". ABC Weekly. 25 February 1959. p. 31.
  3. ^ "TV Guide". The Age. 6 May 1959. p. 5.
  4. ^ Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
  5. ^ ""THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH" BY REPERTORY". The Canberra Times. Vol. 28, no. 8, 174. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 7 November 1953. p. 4. Retrieved 9 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "CANBERRA DIARY". The Canberra Times. Vol. 28, no. 8, 171. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 10 March 1954. p. 4. Retrieved 9 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ Oral interview with Alan Burke
  8. ^ "Cast of 30 in New Live Show". Sydney Morning Herald. 23 February 1959. p. 13.
  9. ^ "Untitled". The Age. 30 April 1959. p. 23.
  10. ^ Interview with Alan Burke at ABCTV Gore Hill
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