On the eve of her beloved son's society wedding, the highly respected Alicia Christie makes one defiant criminal gesture - a cry for help - when she steals a black chiffon nightdress from a reputable department store. This play is a psychological study of a woman driven finally to the edge due to the cumulative stresses and strains placed upon her by her demanding and divided family. The results are absorbing and deeply moving to witness.
The British adaptation was broadcast on 4 July 1959 as part of the BBC's 'Saturday Playhouse' series; the stars were Jane Baxter, Ralph Michael and Geoffrey Keen.
An Australian adaptation aired 25 February 1959 in Melbourne on ABC station ABV-2,[3] a kinescope of the program was shown in Sydney on ABN-2 on 11 March 1959. It was produced by Christopher Muir.
Edward Howell had played the role on stage and he travelled from Sydney to Melbourne to appear in the production.[2] It was Howell's seventh television production but his first in Melbourne – all the others had been in Sydney.[4]
It was Patricia Kennedy's fourth TV play. She said during rehearsal that TV acting "still does not give me the satisfaction of theatre, but television is exciting and demanding. I think it is a challenge for actors and the discipline is good."[5]
