Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

The Scent of Fear

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Directed by
  
John Llewellyn Moxey

Original air date
  
1959

Genre
  
Live television

Teleplay by
  
Ted Willis

First episode date
  
1960

The Scent of Fear is television play written by Ted Willis. It was originally written for British anthology series Armchair Theatre, adapted from the story "Stowaway" by Mary Higgins Clark. It was filmed for Australian TV in 1960.

Contents

Plot

A youth in an Iron Curtain country, to escape from police, hides in a plane that is to fly to the UK. An air hostess finds him and he begs her not to turn him in. She has to hide him from various policemen.

1959 British TV Version

The play was first filmed for British TV in 1959.

Cast

  • Anthony Quayle as Colonel Kralik
  • Lorenza Colville as Eva Kralik
  • Frederick Schiller as Neumann
  • Alexis Chesnakov as Pechka
  • Neil McCallum as Karl Schling
  • Dorothy Tutin as Joan Bridey
  • John Carson as Tom Brook
  • Barrie Cookson as Harry Mylner
  • Jack Stewart as Dusty Fraser
  • Jacqueline Ellis as Peggy Court
  • Carl Duering as Sten
  • Wolfe Morris as Mueller
  • David Ritch as Brandt
  • Walter Gotell as 1st Policeman
  • Jan Conrad as 2nd Policeman
  • 1960 Australian TV Version

    The Australian version was directed by James Upshaw. Broadcast live on ABC's Sydney station, it was kinescoped ("telerecorded") for showing on other ABC stations.

    Cast

  • Max Meldrum as the youth
  • Eric Reiman as policeman
  • Diana Perryman as Joan Bridey, the hostess
  • Owen Weingott as Sten, disguised Communist head of police
  • Production

    The show was filmed at ABC's Sydney studios with exteriors shot at Sydney's Kingsford Smith airport.

    Reception

    Sydney Morning Herald gave it a mixed review, but noted that "Max Meldrum made a superbly terrified fugitive" and "Owen Weingott was excellent as Sten, the disguised communist head of secret police".

    US Screening

    The play was bought for screening in the US by CBS in 1961 along with another Australian play, Outpost.

    References

    The Scent of Fear Wikipedia