Margaret Catchpole (radio play)
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| Running time | 60 mins[1] (8:00 pm – 9:00 pm) |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Australian |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | ABC |
| Starring | Bebe Scott |
| Written by | Rex Rienits |
| Directed by | Charles Wheeler[2] |
| Original release | 22 April 1945[3] |
Margaret Catchpole is a 1945 Australian radio drama by Rex Rienits about Margaret Catchpole.[4][5] It was one of several dramatisations of Australian historical figures by Rienits.[6]
Plays on Australian subjects were relatively rare on Australian radio at the time and Margaret Catchpole was listed by Leslie Rees as among the most notable of the 1940s.[7]
The play was repeated later in 1945[8] and was re-recorded in 1958.[9] One listener called it one of the best plays of 1945.[10]
Catchpole's life was also dramatised by the ABC in 1950 as an episode of Famous Women[11] and she was the subject of a "talks" episode in 1953.[12]
According to the ABC Weekly, it told "the story of a strong-minded, attractive English girl who was sent out to New South Wales early in the nineteenth century and who aroused public interest by rejecting the offer of marriage made by a well-set-up free settler of good character. Why Margaret Catchpole was transported and why she refused marriage are unfolded in this chronicle play which holds its suspense to the end."[13]