Fisher's Ghost Explained

Fisher’s Ghost
Premiere:	29 September 1960
Place:	Sydney Teachers' College^[1]
Genre:	operetta

Fisher's Ghost is a 1960^[2] Australian operetta. It is based on the legend of Fisher's ghost which had previously inspired the 1924 film from Raymond Longford.^[3]

Operetta

The operetta was composed by John Gordon and was originally performed at Sydney Teachers' College on 29 September 1960.^[4] It was revised for television.

Douglas Stewart wrote a play based on the same story which premiered shortly after the operetta.

Cast of 1960 production

• Ereach Riley
• Alan Light as George Worral
• Ross Whatson
• Pamela Coleman as Mrs Hurley
• Wilhelmina Bermingham as Miss Hurley

1963 TV adaptation

Starring:	Ereach Riley
Music:	John Gordon
Country:	Australia
Language:	English
Producer:	Robert Allnut
Released:	(Sydney) 29 Sept 1963 (Melbourne)^[5]

The operetta was broadcast on the ABC. It was the first television opera with an Australian historical background.^{[6] [7]}

Cast

• Ereach Riley as Birdlime the pickpocket
• Edmund Bohan as John Hurley
• Marilyn Richardson as John Hurley's sister
• Donald Philps as Fred Fisher

Reception

The Sydney Morning Herald thought the production had "musical merit" but had "serious" dramatic problems and needed to be revised.^[8]

See also

• List of television plays broadcast on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1960s)

External links

• Operetta details at AustLit
• TV adaptation at AustLit

Notes and References

1. Book: Canon: Australian Journal of Music. 1960. Issues 10-18 - Page 51.
2. Book: Dorottya Fabian. John Napier. Diversity in Australia's Music: Themes Past, Present, and for the Future. 30 October 2018. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 978-1-5275-2066-0. 116–.
3. 'Fisher, Frederick George (1792–1826)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/fisher-frederick-george-15178/text26370, accessed 30 May 2016.
4. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19600930&id=qPpjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GeYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2011,10744967&hl=en Review of 1960 production in Sydney Morning Herald 30 Sept 1960
5. News: The Age. Ghost Story from Convict DaysUsed for TV Opera. 26 September 1963. 8.
6. News: GHOST LEGEND FROM THE PAST . . 31 . 17 . Australia . 25 September 1963 . 29 May 2016 . 17 . National Library of Australia.
7. Stephen. Vagg. Filmink. Australian Film Musicals You Probably Didn't Realise Existed. December 23, 2019.
8. "Ghost Opera on Television", Sydney Morning Herald, 23 September 1963