The Ivory Tower

Summary

1950 BBC live studio production of William Templeton’s political drama The Ivory Tower.

Theatre play

The Ivory Tower by William Templeton (1913-1973) [more information]

Play synopsis

'Set at the time of a Communist coup in an East European country, [the play] involv[es] political machinations, questions of conscience and physical danger, centring around the character of Jan Daubek, the retiring Foreign Minister.' (source: http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b7f289e80; accessed 18 September 2014)

Production history

First produced at the Vaudeville Theatre in 1948.

Date of transmission

Sunday 16 July 1950

Time

9.00-10.45pm

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Campbell Logan

Playwright

William Templeton (1913-1973)

Sets / Settings

James Bould

Cast

Iris Baker
Elizabeth Henson
W. E. Holloway
Francis Lister
Alan [or Allan] McClelland
Hector Ross
Michael Shepley

Additional details

Origination

Live from studio

Vision original

Monochrome

Later transmissions

Presented again at 8.00pm on Thursday 20 July 1950.

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

Communism; Eastern Europe; politics

Print sources

Title

Radio Times, 14 July 1950 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing, p. 37; article by Lionle Hale, ‘A Tragedy of Conscience’, p. 37