The Shadow of a Gunman

Summary

1957 Associated-Rediffusion production for ITV of The Shadow of a Gunman by Seán O’Casey.

Theatre play

The Shadow of a Gunman by Seán O’Casey (1880-1964) [more information]

Play synopsis

Set during the Irish War of Independence, this play centres on the mistaken identity of a building tenant who is thought to be an IRA assassin. Synopsis: ‘Donal Davoren is a poet who has come to room with Seumas Shields in a poor, Dublin tenement slum. Many of the residents of the tenement mistake Donal for an IRA volunteer (gunman on the run). Donal does not refute this notoriety, especially when it wins him the affection of Minnie Powell, an attractive young woman in the tenement. Meanwhile, Seumas’ business partner, Mr Maguire hides a bag full of Mills Bombs in Seumas’ apartment before participating in an ambush in which he is killed. The city is put under curfew as a result of the ambush, and Donal and Seumas do not discover the grenades until the Auxies are raiding the tenement. Minnie Powell takes the bag and hides it in her own room. The Auxies find nothing of note in Seumas’ room, but take off Minnie Powell, who is later killed trying to escape’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_of_a_Gunman).

Production history

Dated to 1923, this play is the first in O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy, the other two being Juno and the Paycock (1924) and The Plough and the Stars (1926).

Date of transmission

Thursday 11 July 1957

Time

9.15-10.15pm

Series

Television Playhouse

Channel

ITV

Production company

Associated-Rediffusion (1955-1964)

Credits

Director

David Boisseau

Playwright

Seán O’Casey (1880-1964)

Designer

George Haslam

Cast

Eddie Byrne	Seumas Shields
Patrick [Pat] Connor	An Auxiliary
Jack Cunningham	Mr Mulligan
Harry Hutchinson	Mr Gallogher
Paddy Joyce	Tommy Owens
Natalie Kent	Mrs Henderson
Patrick Magee	Mr Maguire
Carnel McShary	Mrs Grigson
Joan Phillips	Minnie Powell
Tony Quinn	Adolphus Grigson
Jerome Willis	Donal Davoren

Additional details

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

IRA (Irish Republican Army); politics; Republic of Ireland, as theme or setting

Print sources

Title

TV Times, 5 July 1957 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing, p. 21