Alice Through the Looking Glass [scenes]

Summary

BBC production of scenes from Nancy Price’s Little Theatre production of Lewis Carroll’s Alice Through the Looking Glass. The Radio Times Television Supplement of 15 January 1937, p. 12, stated that this was ‘a living reproduction of the original Tenniel drawings’.

Theatre play

Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll [more information]

Play synopsis

'Alice Through the Looking Glass is the sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865). The themes and settings of Looking-Glass make it a kind of mirror image of Wonderland: the first book begins outdoors, in the warm month of May, uses frequent changes in size as a plot device, and draws on the imagery of playing cards; the second opens indoors on a snowy, wintry night exactly six months later [...], uses frequent changes in time and spatial directions as a plot device, and draws on the imagery of chess. In it, there are many mirror themes, including opposites, time running backwards, and so on’ (this synopsis of the book is sourced from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Through_the_Looking-Glass, accessed 12 November 2012).

Production history

The play version of Lewis Carroll’s book was staged by Nancy Price at the Little Theatre, London in the winter of 1936-37; it is not yet known if it was created especially for this production, or had been staged previously.

Date of transmission

Friday 22 January 1937

Time

3.33pm (28 mins)

Series

Theatre Parade

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Theatre company

Nancy Price’s Little Theatre

Credits

Television Presentation by

George More O’Ferrall (1907-1982)

Book by

Lewis Carroll

Musician

Jonathan Field (piano)

Cast

Dennis Allen
Ernest Butcher	Tweedledee
Ursula Hanray	Alice
Andrew Leigh	Tweedledum
David Lewis
Elizabeth Maude	White Queen
Elvina Mullins
Fred O’Donovan (1889-1952)	White Knight
Esmé Percy	Humpty-Dumpty
Paul Peters
Robert Syers
Betty Thorogood
Pin White

Additional details

Origination

Live from studio

Vision original

Monochrome

Later transmissions

Broadcast again on Friday 22 January 1937 at 9.38pm.

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Print sources

Title

BBC Television Programme Records: vol. 1, 1937-38 (Book)

Reference

London: British Broadcasting Corporation, 1938

Linking notes

listing on p. 6

Title

Radio Times, 15 January 1937 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing on p. 12 of Television Supplement

Title

Radio Times, 19 March 1937 (Magazine)

Linking notes

two images from the production on pp. 4 and 5 in ‘The Televising of Drama’, an article by George More O’Ferrall

Title

Radio Times, 5 February 1937 (Magazine)