Half an Hour with Robert Helpmann
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| Half an Hour with Robert Helpmann | |
|---|---|
 The Age 31 March 1964 | |
| Written by | William Sterling |
| Directed by | William Sterling |
| Presented by | Robert Helpmann |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Production company | ABC |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | March 31, 1964[1] |
Half an Hour with Robert Helpmann is a 1964 Australian television program featuring Robert Helpmann.[2] Helpmann was in Australia for the Adelaide Arts Festival at the time and the program was devised to illustrate his versatility.[3]
According to Filmink "in under thirty minutes, its star tries to do pretty much everything in the showbiz handbook: Shakespeare, pop songs (one ballad, one dance number), ballet, crime drama. You know how in the sitcom Will and Grace the character Jack had a one-man show he was always talking about, Just Jack? Half an Hour with Robert Helpmann is a little like that."[4]
Over half an hour Helpmann does a variety of solo acts including:
- singing a ballad
- performing the role of Oberon and Hamlet
- dancing a solo
- singing the song "Surfer Doll"
- re enacting his appearance in Box for One (with Carole Potter providing female voices).
It was shot at the ABC's studios in Melbourne. A copy of the production is at the National Film and Sound Archive.
Later that year the ABC did a half hour documentary on Helpmann for The Lively Arts.[5]