The Boy David

Summary: 1057 BBC Television production of Barries’ The Boy David. Film sequences were by the BBC Film Unit. Trewin, writing in The Listener noted that ‘camera troubles aside’ the actors in the television revival ‘had reached the heart of the piece’ (19 December 1957, pp. 1046-47). The Manchester Guardian’s television critic, however, was far less kind in sweeping away the ‘remarkable technical disasters’ which beset the production which had been transmitted from the BBC’s Scottish studios: ‘There was ten minutes’ delay at the beginning and fifteen minutes’ breakdown not long after. This was made much worse by the confused way the gap was filled: first with a jolly film about how horses and men are trained for the Royal Horse Guards, then with repeated apologies (so unnecessary to keep showing an embarrassed announcer), finally with mistakes such as an announcement of the ‘Hall of Fame’ but with a caption of Nicholas Nickleby. When the play recovered it battled along with only one camera, which is always a handicap’ (13 December 1957, p. 7)'
Theatre play: The Boy David by J. M. Barrie (1860-1937) [more information]
Play synopsis: J. M. Barrie’s final play, The Boy David, concerns the shepherd boy who became the Old Testament’s King David.
Production history: It was first performed in Edinburgh in 1936.
Date of transmission: Thursday 12 December 1957
Time: 8.02-9.30pm
Channel: BBC Television
Production company: BBC

Producer

Finlay J. Macdonald

Playwright

J. M. Barrie (1860-1937)

Composer

Thomas B. Wilson

Conductor

Colin Davis (conducted a section of the BBC’s Scottish Orchestra)

Designer

Frederick Knapman

Cast

Title: Christmas past at the BBC: the second half of the 1950s. Part 2 (Blog article)
Author/creator: Amanda Wrigley (Author)
Reference: http://screenplaystv.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/christmas-past-bbc-1950s-2, published 31 December 2012

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British Universities Film & Video Council