Machinal

Summary: 1960 ABC Television production for ITV of Machinal by Sophie Treadwell.
Theatre play: Machinal by Sophie Treadwell (1885-1970) [more information]
Play synopsis: 'Inspired by the real life case of convicted and executed murderer Ruth Snyder [...] the play follows a young woman who works as a low level stenographer and lives with her mother. She follows the rituals that society expects of a woman, however resistant she may feel about them, and subsequently marries her boss, whom she finds repulsive. After having a baby with him, followed by an affair with a younger man who fuels her lust for life, she is driven to murder her husband. She is found guilty of the crime and is executed in an electric chair.' Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinal.
Production history: Its 1928 Broadway premiere, directed by Arthur Hopkins, is considered one of the highpoints of Expressionist theatre on the American stage.
Date of transmission: Sunday 14 August 1960
Time: 10.00-11.00pm
Series: Armchair Mystery Theatre
Channel: ITV
Production company: ABC Television (1955-1968)

Director

Philip Saville

Producer

Leonard White

Playwright

Sophie Treadwell (1885-1970)

Designer

Assheton Gorton

Introduced by

Donald Pleasance

Cast

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