Heartbreak House

Summary

BBC Television production of George Bernard Shaw’s Heartbreak House.

Theatre play

Heartbreak House by [George] Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) [more information]

Play synopsis

In Heartbreak House, which is subtitled A Fantasia in the Russian Manner on English Themes, Ellie Dunn arrives at Captain Shotover’s eccentric house in Sussex on the eve of the First World War. It is a bold mix of farce and tragedy, satirizing the English leisured classes.

Production history

First published in 1919 and first played at the New York’s Garrick Theatre in 1920.

Date of transmission

Sunday 2 February 1958

Time

8.00-10.00pm

Series

Television World Theatre

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Michael Barry

Playwright

[George] Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

Designer

Roy Oxley

Cast

Tony Britton	Hector Hushabye
Judy Campbell	Hesione Hushabye
Diana Churchill	Lady Utterword
Mark Dignam	Captain Shotover
Colin Keith-Johnston	Mazzini Dunn
David Markham	Randall Utterword
William Mervyn	Boss Mangan
Harold Scott	Billy Dunn12/12/201312/12/201312/12/2013
Josephine Stuart	Ellie Dunn
Marda Vanne	Nurse Guinness

Additional details

Notes

This production is estimated to have been seen by 6.5 million viewers (source: ‘Cost to BBC of Competitive Television’, The Times, 13 March 1958, p. 14).

Play tags

adultery / infidelity; farce; tragedy; wartime, as theme or setting

Audiovisual sources

Title

Heartbreak House (BBC, 1958)

Archive

BBC Information and Archives [more information]

Address

White City
London
UK

Telephone

+44 (0)20 8008 2288

Website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/informationandarchives/

Access

BBC Information and Archives is not open to the public.

Print sources

Title

Cost to BBC of Competitive Television (Newspaper article)

Author/creator

Anonymous

Reference

The Times, 13 March 1958, p. 14

Title

Heartbreak House (BBC, 1958, 1977) (Blog article)

Author/creator

John Wyver (Author)

Reference

http://screenplaystv.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/heartbreak-house-bbc-1958-1977, published 21 August 2012

Title

Heartbreak House: BBC Television (Newspaper review)

Reference

The Times, 3 February 1958, p. 12

Title

Magazine for the Middle Brow: A New Lively Programme (Newspaper review)

Reference

The Manchester Guardian, 3 February 1958, p. 4

Title

Radio Times, 31 January 1958 (Magazine)

Linking notes

illustrated listing on p. 7 and article on p. 4

Title

Sparks and Thuds (Newspaper review)

Author/creator

Maurice Richardson (Reviewer)

Reference

The Observer, 9 February 1958, p. 13