''Box for One'' is a live television play which has been presented three times, twice on British broadcaster

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

and once on Australian broadcaster

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. It is a drama about a "

spiv In the United Kingdom, the word spiv is slang for a type of petty criminal who deals in illicit, typically black market, goods. The word was particularly used during the Second World War and in the post-war period when many goods were rationed du ...

", and the entire 30-minute drama takes place in a London telephone box. It was written by Peter Brook.

Premise

A London "spiv" enters an outdoor telephone booth. He dials a number and asks if there is a message for him. As then goes to leave and the phone rings - it is a girl who is trying to find her boyfriend and has the wrong number. The spiv is on the run and is looking for help. He tries various people but they reject him.

1949 version

The 1949 version aired on BBC, and starring Marius Goring, Ivan Craig and Josée Richard. Broadcast live, it was likely never telerecorded, and is lost.

1953 version

The 1953 version also aired on the BBC, and was an episode of ''Wednesday Theatre''. It featured

Robert Helpmann Sir Robert Murray Helpmann CBE ( Helpman, 9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986) was an Australian ballet dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. After early work in Australia he moved to Britain in 1932, where he joined the Vic-Wells Ballet ...

and Harold Lang. This version is likely lost, as the BBC rarely telerecorded shows during 1953.

1954 Version

The play appears to have been filmed again in 1954 with

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Televisio ...

and Sid James.

1958 Australian TV version

The play had reportedly been written specifically for Robert Helpmanm, who was an Australian living in London. Helpman returned to Australia in 1958 to star in and direct a stage production of

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combina ...

's ''

Nude with Violin ''Nude with Violin'' is a play in three acts (later revised into two acts) by Noël Coward. A light comedy of manners, the play is a satire on "Modern Art", criticism, artistic pretension and the value placed on art. It is set in Paris in 1956 ...

''. In May 1958 Helpmann expressed an interest in appearing in the play on Australian television. "I'm mad about TV," he said. While performing in ''Nude with Violin'' in Melbourne, Helpman appeared in a production of ''Box For One'' on Australian broadcaster

. It aired live on ABC's Melbourne station

ABV-2 ABV is the name of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television station in Melbourne, Victoria. History The station began broadcasting on 19 November 1956 and is transmitted throughout the state via a network of relay transmitters. ABV ...

. A telerecording (also known as a

kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 1940 ...

) was made and shown in Sydney on station

ABN-2 ABN is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television station in Sydney. The station began broadcasting on 5 November 1956. Its original studios were located in Gore Hill and were in use up until March 2004, when they were co-located wit ...

. It is not known if the kinescope recording still exists. The ABC had just presented a one-woman play, a version of ''

Sorry, Wrong Number ''Sorry, Wrong Number'' is a 1948 American thriller film noir directed by Anatole Litvak, from a screenplay by Lucille Fletcher, based on her 1943 radio play of the same name. The film stars Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster. It follows a bedr ...

'' (1958).

Reception

The ''Australian Women's Weekly'' TV critic called it "''

'' written for men. I thought it wasn't as good a play, nor as well done as ''

'' done by Channel 2 several months ago."

References

External links

1949 version at IMDb1953 version at IMDb1958 version at IMDb
{{William Sterling Lost BBC episodes BBC Television shows 1958 television plays Australian television films Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Australian live television shows British live television shows English-language television shows Black-and-white British television shows 1949 television films 1953 television plays