Youth at the Helm

Summary

1950 BBC live studio production of Youth at the Helm, Hubert Griffith’s comedy adapted from Paul Vulpius’ German play.

Theatre play

Youth at the Helm by Hubert Griffith [more information]

Play synopsis

A farcical comedy adapted from Paul Vulpius’ German play. Young unemployed Randolph Warrender walks into the London and Metropolitan bank one day and installs himself at a vacant desk. He acts as though he is an employee and begins writing business letters to various concerns. No-one else there likes to admit they don’t know who he is and so he is left unchallenged. (Source: http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b7f2dc89a; accessed 12 February 2014.)

Production history

Youth at the Helm was performed in 1934 at the Westminster Repertory Theatre in Westminster, London, England with Alastair Sim, O.B. Clarence, David Bird, Vera Lennox, and Jack Melford in the cast. Harold French was director. Published London: Samuel French, 1935.

Date of transmission

Sunday 27 August 1950

Time

8.00-9.30pm

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Malcolm Baker-Smith

Playwright

Hubert Griffith

Original Play by

Paul Vulpius

Sets / Settings

Barry Learoyd

Cast

Alexander Archdale	Nicholson
Philip Ashley	Roberts
Erik Chitty (1907-1977)	Chairman of the London and Metropolitan Bank
Ivan Craig	William
James Dale	Lord Farley
Don Gemmell	Hollman
Philippa Hiatt	Yvonne
Walter Horsbrugh	Fitch
James Kenney	Office Boy
Elizabeth Melville	Dorothy Wilson
Olaf Pooley	Randolph Warrender
Ronald Simpson	Ponsonby
Herbert C. Walton	Old Gentleman

Additional details

Origination

Live from studio

Vision original

Monochrome

Later transmissions

Presented again at 8.30pm on Thursday 31 August 1950.

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

comedy; farce; German drama

Print sources

Title

Radio Times, 25 August 1950 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing, p. 38; article by Lionel Hale, Essence of a Good Hoax’, p. 37