The Case of Private Hamp
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by James Lansdale Hodson
| The Case of Private Hamp | |
|---|---|
| Based on | Return to the Wood by James Lansdale Hodson |
| Directed by | Colin Dean |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 55 mins |
| Production company | ABC |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | 17 October 1962 (Sydney)[1] |
| Release | 28 November 1962 (Melbourne)[2] |
| Release | 1 January 1963 (Brisbane)[3] |
The Case of Private Hamp is a 1962 Australian television film which aired on the ABC. Despite the wiping of the era, a copy of the presentation exists as a kinescope recording.[4]
It was based on a 1955 novel by James Lansdale Hodson which was turned into the 1964 film King and Country. The novel had been adapted for radio in Melbourne in 1957.[5][6]
The court martial of Private Arthur Hamp who was accused of desertion in Passchendaele, France, 1917. He is defended by Hargreaves.
Cast
- Edward Hepple as Private Hamp
- John Llewellyn as Lt Webb
- Ric Hutton as Captain Hargreaves
- John Armstrong as Cpl Haslem
- Donald Philps as Col Eckersley
- Rhod Walker as court martial president
- Richard Howe as Lt Midgeley
- James Scullin as Cpl Barnes
- Richard Parry as Captain O'Sullivan
- Ron Haddrick as padre
- John O'Sullivan as Johnson
- Don Pascoe as sergeant major
Production
Designer Jack Montgomery created trenches by mixing bran with black earth. The cast was all male. Ric Hutton had just appeared in a TV production of Madam Butterfly.[7]
Hepple called it "a marvelous play about what I consider to be legalised murder. It should bring tears to the eyes of anyone who watches it."[3]
Reception
The TV critic for the Sydney Morning Herald said it featured "capable acting"[8]
The Sunday Sydney Morning Herald critic called it "a first rate piece of drama, with a case and a quality of acting that was well-nigh flawless."[9]
The Woman's Weekly called it "one of the strongest and most moving plays yet presented on TV."[10]
