How He Lied to Her Husband

Summary

This BBC Television production of How He Lied to Her Husband was the first play by George Bernard Shaw to be televised from Alexandra Palace (Radio Times Television Supplement, 2 July 1937, p. 3). The production was followed by three minutes of commentary on the play by Bernard Shaw himself.

Theatre play

How He Lied to Her Husband by [George] Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) [more information]

Play synopsis

This one-act comedy is set in the drawing-room of a London flat. ‘Aurora is distressed because she has misplaced some poems, in which she is identified by name, written for her with declarations of love by the impetuous Henry. She suspects her sister-in-law Georgina stole them from her workbox and is concerned she will read them to Aurora’s husband Teddy. Henry suggests they confront Teddy with the truth, "quietly, hand in hand" and depart [...] for their planned evening at the theatre. (Henry has purchased tickets for Candida - the popular Shaw comedy which Henry and Aurora’s situation closely resembles - because Lohengrin was sold out.) The two engage in a discussion about the merits of revealing their affair until Teddy arrives and confronts Henry with his poetry. The young man tries to convince him they were inspired by Aurora, the goddess of dawn, rather than his wife, and assures him he has no interest in the woman Teddy married, which the cuckolded man finds so insulting he demands Henry admit how desirable Aurora is. Henry finally confesses his love for Aurora, which pleases Teddy so much he proposes he have the poems published on "the finest paper, sumptuous binding, everything first class" as a tribute to his wife. "What shall we call the volume?", Teddy asks. "To Aurora, or something like that, eh?", to which Henry replies, "I should call it How He Lied to Her Husband" ' (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_He_Lied_to_Her_Husband, accessed 19 November 2013).

Production history

First staged in 1905. Cecil Lewis later directed a film version of it, and in 1937 it was the only play that Shaw had allowed to be seen in the cinema.

Date of transmission

Thursday 8 July 1937

Time

3.36pm (29 mins)

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

George More O’Ferrall (1907-1982)

Playwright

[George] Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

Cast

D. A. Clarke-Smith
Greer Garson
Derek Williams

Additional details

Origination

Live from studio

Later transmissions

Broadcast again on Thursday 8 July 1937 at 9.30pm.

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

adultery / infidelity; comedy; poetry and literature, as theme

Audiovisual sources

Title

How He Lied to Her Husband

Archive

Alexandra Palace Television Society [more information]

Email

apts@apts.org.uk

Website

http://www.apts.org.uk/archive.htm

Access

The Society’s archive holdings are available for consultation for anyone researching the history of British television. A charge is imposed for some services.

Notes

Available on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R_-17Hqsko (accessed 18 April 2014)

Print sources

Title

BBC Television Programme Records: vol. 1, 1937-38 (Book)

Reference

London: British Broadcasting Corporation, 1938

Linking notes

listing on p. 56

Title

Bernard Shaw and the BBC (Book)

Author/creator

L. W. Connolly (Author)

Reference

Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008

Linking notes

pp. 91-92

Title

Radio Times, 2 July 1937 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing on p. 3

Title

Radio Times, 24 December 1937 (Magazine)

Linking notes

Image on p. 7 of the Supplement as part of article "Television: Great Strides Were Made in Coronation Year’ with caption: ‘Bernard Shaw posed this picture of characters in his play, How He Lied to her Husband, for the production at Alexandra Palace.'

Title

Starlight Days: The Memoirs of Cecil Madden (Book)

Author/creator

Cecil Madden, Jennifer Lews (ed.) (Author, editor)

Reference

London: Trevor Square Productions, 2007

Linking notes

pp. 108-109

Title

Television (Newspaper review)

Author/creator

Joyce Grenfell (Author)

Reference

The Manchester Guardian, 11 July 1937, p. 28

Notes

'Bernard Shaw’s entertaining playlet... might have been written for television. A very good performance was given on Thursday with Greer Garson and D. A. Clarke-Smith in chief parts. After the afternoon show "g.B.S" himself appeared before the camera and was amusingly rude to the child of his less mature genius.'