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Maurice Francis
Maurice Francis (4 July 1907 – 1 December 1962) was an Australian radio writer. He was one of the most prolific writers of radio dramas in the 1930s until the 1950s and was noted for his association with George Edwards. Francis was born in Durban, South Africa on 4 July 1907. He started work as a journalist. He broke into radio through offering a play to George Edwards. According to Sumner Locke Elliott who worked with Francis the author: Was capable of turning out hundreds of situations a week, often 20 15-minute scripts a day. This was facilitated by the fact that he dictated at rapid speed and as one steno finished she raced the script to the typewriter while the next episode was being dictated to another steno who then rushed it to the typewriter while a third began. Mr Francis was also capable of keeping as many as seven or eight long running stories in his head without ever getting the characters or events mixed up. A 1936 article called him "The man who supplies the ammuni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Edwards (actor)
George Edwards (born Harold Parks, 11 March 1886 in Kent Town, South Australia; died 28 August 1953) was an Australian actor, comedian, vaudevillian and producer, known as The Man of a Thousand Voices. Biography Edwards was a pioneer of the radio serial in Australia. Prior to that he was a comedian, vaudeville artist, acrobatic dancer and stage performer. It is claimed that he changed his name from Harold Parks to George Edwards at the behest of Edward Branscombe, who was putting together an up-market act and did not want anyone associated with low-brow music hall, and that he took the name from English theatrical impresario George Edwards.Australian Old Time Radio entry He performed in a radio drama adaption of Robert Louis Stevenson's '' |
Durban
Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South Africa, on the Natal Bay of the Indian Ocean, Durban is the Port of Durban, busiest port city in sub-Saharan Africa and was formerly named Port Natal. North of the harbour and city centre lies the mouth of the Umgeni River; the flat city centre rises to the hills of the Berea, Durban, Berea on the west; and to the south, running along the coast, is the Bluff, KwaZulu-Natal, Bluff. Durban is the seat of the larger eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, which spans an area of and had a population of 4.2million in 2022 South African census, 2022, making the metropolitan population one of Africa's largest on the Indian Ocean. Within the city limits, Durban's population was 595,061 in 2011 South African census, 2011. The city has a humid subtr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sumner Locke Elliott
Sumner Locke Elliott (17 October 191724 June 1991) was an Australian (later American) novelist and playwright. Biography Elliott was born in Sydney to the writer Sumner Locke and the journalist Henry Logan Elliott. His mother died of eclampsia one day after his birth. Elliott was raised by his aunts, who had a fierce custody battle over him, fictionalised in Elliott's autobiographical novel, '' Careful, He Might Hear You''. Elliott was educated at Cranbrook School in Bellevue Hill, Sydney. World War II Elliott became an actor and writer with the Doris Fitton's The Independent Theatre Ltd. He was drafted into the Australian Army in 1942 but was not posted overseas, working as a clerk in Australia. He used those experiences as the inspiration for his controversial play, '' Rusty Bugles''. In October 1948, it achieved the notoriety of being closed down for obscenity by the New South Wales Chief Secretary's Office. However, the place of ''Rusty Bugles'' in the history of Austr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
They Never Come Back (play)
''They Never Come Back'' is a 1945 Australian play by Maurice Francis Maurice Francis (4 July 1907 – 1 December 1962) was an Australian radio writer. He was one of the most prolific writers of radio dramas in the 1930s until the 1950s and was noted for his association with George Edwards. Francis was born in Durb .... Francis was Australia's most prolific radio writer, regularly working for George Edwards. He decided to produce his own stage play, ''They Never Come Back'' and put it on in opposition to J.C. Williamson's. It was a rare Australian play to deal with a contemporary issue at the time, in this case trauma of returned servicemen. The play was a financial disaster and led to Francis having to declare bankruptcy. The court ordered no action be taken against him. Francis said "Although the critics reported it as a good play, the public wouldn't go to the Assembly Hall. After three weeks, the Chief Secretary closed the show, as there were no fire curtains. I was glad, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Sun (Sydney)
''The Sun'' was an Australian afternoon tabloid newspaper, first published in Sydney under that name in 1910. History ''The Sunday Sun'' was first published on 5 April 1903. In 1910 Hugh Denison founded Sun Newspaper Ltd (later Sun Newspapers Ltd) and took over publication of the old and ailing ''Australian Star'' and its sister ''Sunday Sun'', appointing Monty Grover as editor-in-chief. The ''Star'' became ''The Sun'', and the ''Sunday Sun'' became ''The Sun: Sunday edition'' on 11 December 1910. According to the claim below the masthead of that issue, it had a "circulation larger than that of any other Sunday paper in Australia". Denison sold the business in 1925. In November 1929 Associated Newspapers Ltd was formed by merging Sun Newspapers Ltd and S. Bennett Ltd, publishers of '' The Evening News''. Sun Newspapers Ltd and S. Bennett Ltd were de-listed on the Stock Exchange and replaced with Associated Newspapers Ltd. Associated Newspapers Ltd then took over ''Smith's W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
First Light Fraser
''First Light Fraser'' was a popular Australian radio serial created by Maurice Francis. It began in 1942 and concerned a British secret agent who worked behind enemy lines, played by John Nugent-Hayward. The series was one of the most popular in Australia in its day. Several actors played Fraser. Max Afford Malcolm R. Afford (8 April 1906 – 2 November 1954), known as Max Afford, was an Australian playwright and novelist. He created the fictional hero Jeffrey Blackburn. Biography Early years Afford was born in Adelaide, South Australia, the y ... wrote many episodes when Francis went into the army. It was adapted into a 1945 book by Francis. Francis assigned his royalties to the official receiver when he went bankrupt. Premise The adventures of a British secret agent. References {{reflist 1940s Australian radio serials Radio serials by Max Afford ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
They Never Come Back
''They Never Come Back'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and starring Regis Toomey and Dorothy Sebastian. In the film, a boxer is framed for theft and imprisoned. Following his release, he has a fistfight with the man who framed him. Plot Distracted just before the fight by the news that his mother has died, boxer Jimmy Nolan is defeated in the ring. As he and his sister Mary attend the funeral, Jimmy also deals with an injured arm from the fight. At a nightclub Jerry Filmore owns, Jimmy meets dancer Adele, who is Filmore's romantic interest as well. A ticket taker at the door, Ralph Landon, takes $500 from the till and plants it on Jimmy, framing him. Jimmy goes to jail. Ralph falls in love with Mary and confides to her that he owed $1,000 to Filmore and set up her brother on his behalf. Jimmy gets out of jail, accepts a fight and wins a $1,000 prize, settling Ralph's account with Filmore. It leads to a fistfight between the two men. Jimmy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Present Again
''Present Again'' is a 1952 Australian play by Maurice Francis Maurice Francis (4 July 1907 – 1 December 1962) was an Australian radio writer. He was one of the most prolific writers of radio dramas in the 1930s until the 1950s and was noted for his association with George Edwards. Francis was born in Durb .... It premiered at the Independent Theatre in Sydney. It was produced by the Dramatic Group of Liberal Party Younth Clubs. The ''Sydney Morning Herald'' said "The play begins with fair promise as a period piece, but Mr Francis soon abandons these pretentions to costumed style and elegance, and allows his imagination to ramble waywardly downhill towards the humour standards of hard-working concert parties and the desperate topicalities of a musical comedy funnyman morbidly hungry for laughs. And, to give Mr Francis his due, he gets more laughs than he misses." References {{reflist External linksPresent Againat Ausstage 1950s Australian plays 1952 plays ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Go West, Young Man (play)
''Go West, Young Man'' is a 1952 Australian play by Maurice Francis Maurice Francis (4 July 1907 – 1 December 1962) was an Australian radio writer. He was one of the most prolific writers of radio dramas in the 1930s until the 1950s and was noted for his association with George Edwards. Francis was born in Durb .... Reception The ''Sydney Morning Herald'' said "Apart from the last act, where the threads seem to be lost for a time, Mr. Francis lays out' his plot in an entertaining way, though he has obviously written too fast and too 'uncritically to make the most of some of the situations. The humour is glib, often mechanical, occasionally laboured, sometimes tasteless-as when the hero cavorts around the stage in blonde curls and satin lingerie." ''ABC Weekly'' said "there is always room in the theatre for a good farce, and judging by the shrieks of delight I must suppose that this is one. Mr. Francis evidently believes that the safe recipe for laughter in the theatre is th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1907 Births
Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 9 – The " Mud March", the first large procession organised by The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies ( NUWSS), takes place in London. * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. * February 12 – The steamship ''Larchmont'' collides with the ''Harry Hamilton'' in Long Island Sound; 183 lives are lost. * February 16 – SKF, a worldwide mechanical parts manufacturing brand (mainly, bearings and seals), is founded in Gothenburg, Sweden. * February 21 – The English mail steamship ''Berlin'' is wrecked off the Hook of Holland; 142 lives are lost. * February 24 – The Austrian Lloyd steamship ''Imperatrix'', from Trieste to Bombay, is wrecked on Cape of Crete and sinks; 137 lives are lost. March * March ** The steamship ''Congo'' collide ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1962 Deaths
The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – The office of Pope John XXIII announces the excommunication of Fidel Castro for preaching communism and interfering with Catholic churches in Cuba. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the worst Netherlands, Dutch rail disaster. * January 9 – Cuba and the Soviet Union sign a trade pact. * January 12 – The Indonesian Army confirms that it has begun operations in West Irian. * January 13 – People's Socialist Republic of Albania, Albania allies itself with the People's Republic of China. * January 15 ** Portugal abandons the United Nations General Assembly due to the debate over Angola. ** French designer Yves Saint Laurent (designer), Yves Saint Laurent launches Yves Saint Lau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australian Journalists
Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Australians, indigenous peoples of Australia as identified and defined within Australian law * Australia (continent) ** Indigenous Australians * Australian English, the dialect of the English language spoken in Australia * Australian Aboriginal languages * ''The Australian'', a newspaper * Australiana, things of Australian origins Other uses * Australian (horse), a racehorse * Australian, British Columbia, an unincorporated community in Canada See also * The Australian (other) * Australia (other) * * * Austrian (other) Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the count ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
