''The General Motors Hour'' was an Australian radio and television drama series.

Radio

The radio series was a regular one hour drama broadcast over the

Macquarie Radio Network Nine Radio (formerly Macquarie Media Limited) is an Australian media company, owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and headquartered in North Sydney. The company operates radio stations nationally in the capital cities of Sydney, Melbou ...

at 8 pm on Thursdays. It is believed to have commenced in the late 1940s and lasted into the early 1960s. Producers included Robert Peach and Harry Dearth. The announcer was

John Dease Conly John Paget Dease (26 May 1906 – 1 February 1979) was a prominent Australian radio presenter and quiz show host at 2GB, Sydney, and through it, the Macquarie Radio Network from 1935 until at least 1969. He was born in Bhamo, Upper Burma ...

. 15 episodes are available on the RadioEchoes website.

Television

The television version of The General Motors Hour was a loosely scheduled occasional series which aired on Australian television from 1960 to 1962. The series aired on

ATN-7 ATN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Seven Network in Australia. The licence, issued to a company named Amalgamated Television Services, a subsidiary of John Fairfax & Sons, was one of the first four licences (two in Sydney, two ...

in Sydney and

GTV-9 GTV is a commercial television station in Melbourne, Australia, owned by the Nine Network. The station is currently based at studios at 717 Bourke Street, Docklands. GTV-9 is the home of the Australian Open tennis coverage. History GTV-9 was ...

in Melbourne, as well as on other affiliated stations across Australia. The presentations ranged from adaptations of overseas stage plays and anthology episodes, to locally-written drama and a documentary. Its first show was a production of '' The Grey Nurse Said Nothing''. Three of the TV episodes - ''Suspect'', ''Candida'', and ''Shadow Of The Vine'' - had been produced by English producer Peter Cotes for

HSV-7 HSV is a television station in Melbourne, Australia. It is part of the Seven Network, one of the three main commercial television networks in Australia, its first and oldest station. It launched in time for the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbou ...

in 1961, but were shelved due to lack of sponsorship. Sponsorship was provided by GM-H in 1962, and plays were run on HSV-7 and

TCN-9 TCN is the flagship television station of the Nine Network in Australia. The station is currently located at 1 Denison Street, North Sydney. The licence, issued to a company named Television Corporation Ltd headed by Frank Packer, was one of the ...

under the "General Motors Hour" title.

List of known TV episodes

*'' The Grey Nurse Said Nothing'' (1960, drama) *'' This Is Television'' (1960, variety, documentary) *''

Thunder on Sycamore Street Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

'' (1960, drama) *'' You, Too, Can Have a Body'' (1960, drama) *'' Shadow of a Pale Horse'' (1960, drama) *'' The Concert'' (1961, drama) *'' Long Distance'' (1961) *''

Suspect In law enforcement jargon, a suspect is a known person accused or suspected of committing a crime. Police and reporters in the United States often use the word suspect as a jargon when referring to the perpetrator of the offense (perp in dated U. ...

'' (1961, drama) *'' Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' (1962, melodrama) *''

The One Day of the Year ''The One Day of the Year'' is a 1958 Australian play by Alan Seymour about contested attitudes to Anzac Day. Origins The play was inspired by an article in the University of Sydney newspaper ''Honi Soit'' criticising Anzac Day and Seymour's own ...

'' (1962, drama) * ''Candida'' (1961, comedy) *''

Manhaul "Manhaul" is a 1962 Australian television film. It aired 8 September 1962 as part of ''The General Motors Hour'', an occasional series which presented various one-off productions. It aired on 8 September 1962 on ATN-7 in Sydney, on 8 September 196 ...

'' (1962, drama) *''

Shadow of the Vine "Shadow of the Vine" is a 1962 Australian television play adapted from a 1949 play by Beverley Nichols. It aired on 7 October 1962 in Sydney and Melbourne, and on 3 June 1962 in Brisbane and Adelaide. It was originally made for HSV-7 then present ...

'' (1962, drama)

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:General Motors Hour 1940s Australian radio dramas English-language radio programs 1960 Australian television series debuts 1962 Australian television series endings Australian anthology television series Black-and-white Australian television shows Australian English-language television shows 1950s Australian radio dramas 1960s Australian radio dramas

Radio

Television

List of known TV episodes

See also

References

External links