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The Million Pound Note (TV play)

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"The Million Pound Note (TV play)"
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre episode
Directed byStephen Harrison
Written byRex Rienits
Based on"The Million Pound Bank Note" by Mark Twain
Original air dateOctober 15, 1950 (1950-10-15)[1]
Running time90 mins
Guest appearance
Arthur Hill

The Million Pound Note is a 1950 British television play based on the short story "The Million Pound Bank Note" by Mark Twain.

The script was adapted by Australian author Rex Rienits, the first play he sold to television although he had just adapted Robbery Under Arms for radio and another script of his Assassin for Hire aired first.[2][3] [4] He had also adapted the story for radio in July 1950 - the star of that was Arthur Hill who was in the television version.[5]

Reception

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The Evening Standard wrote "Rienits has concocted a play which comes entertainingly within the TV compass. Arthur Hill gave a well trimmed performance."[6] The Essex Newsman called it "one of the most enjoyable plays we have had for a very long time."[7] Another paper complained it "turned the original story into a full length romantic comedy with very weak and patchy results."[8] The Guardian called it "slow moving and had the rather heavy deliberation of a Mark Twain joke fully worked out it never looked or seemed anything other than a highly artificial air but it remained tolerably interesting while neither quite amusing enough nor quite dramtic enough to rank as first rate."[9] The Observer said it was "charming".[10]

Film version

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Producer Daniel Angel bought the film rights to the adaptation.[11] There was a film version of the story released in 1954. However Rienits is not credited.

Radio adaptation

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Rienits originally aapted the story for British radio in 1950[12] and this was performed again in 1951.[13]

This script was performed on Australian radio in 1951.[14][15] It was produced again for Australian radio in 1958[16] and 1964.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Television". Evening Standard. 14 October 950. p. 8.
  2. ^ "Australian's Television Play to be Filmed". Saturday Evening Express. Vol. 23, no. 36. Tasmania, Australia. 25 November 1950. p. 3. Retrieved 16 May 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ Australian Broadcasting Commission. (10 June 1950), "T.V. PLAY BY AUST. WRITER", ABC Weekly, Sydney: ABC, nla.obj-1692580649, retrieved 16 May 2025 – via Trove
  4. ^ "Radio". Evening Chronicle. 29 July 1950. p. 2.
  5. ^ "Television notes". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 18 October 1950. p. 2.
  6. ^ Campey, George (16 October 1950). "An unknown is televised". Evening Standard. p. 5.
  7. ^ "For television fans". Essex Newsman-Herald. 17 October 1950. p. 4.
  8. ^ "Television topics". Birmingham Weekly Post and Midland Pictorial. 20 October 1950. p. 15.
  9. ^ "Television". The Guardian. 18 October 1950. p. 3.
  10. ^ "Television". The Observer. 29 October 1950. p. 6.
  11. ^ "Studio Gossip". The Sunday Herald. Sydney. 19 August 1951. p. 12. Retrieved 6 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ 1950 radio version at Genome
  13. ^ 1951 radio version at Genome
  14. ^ "Saturday Night Play". South Coast Times And Wollongong Argus. Vol. LI, no. 16. New South Wales, Australia. 19 March 1951. p. 3 (South Coast Times FEATURE SECTION). Retrieved 16 May 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ Australian Broadcasting Commission. (17 March 1951), "Radio Plays for Next Week A.B.C.", ABC Weekly, Sydney: ABC, nla.obj-1442881650, retrieved 16 May 2025 – via Trove
  16. ^ Australian Broadcasting Commission. (2 July 1958), "A.B.C. radio plays for the week", ABC Weekly, Sydney: ABC, nla.obj-1446247026, retrieved 16 May 2025 – via Trove
  17. ^ "Plays on radio". The Age. 30 April 1964. p. 18.
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