John Glennon (writer and actor) explained

John Glennon (born 1931) is an American stage actor, writer, screenwriter, and playwright.

Career

As an actor, his notable Broadway credits include roles in productions of Saint Joan, Six Characters in Search of an Author, Richard III, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Taming of the Shrew, and King Richard II, and he was stage manager on How to Be a Jewish Mother.[1]

Glennon sold his first script to CBC in 1957, when he was performing in Saint Joan on Broadway.[2]

He is known for his television writing credits on Armchair Mystery Theatre, Armchair Theatre, Ruth[3] and Rope (both 1959)[4] [5] , ITV Play of the Week (from 1957 - 1961), Playdate, BBC Sunday-Night Play, and Encounter.

Australia

Glennin travelled to Melbourne on 8 August 1959 to present two plays for GTV-9, starting with Ruth, which was a part of Shell Presents and directed by Rod Kinnear. He was also to help coach Australian writers and producers on US drama techniques.[6] The producers wanted Lyndall Barbour to play the lead. She was tracked down to a hotel room in Paris and John Glennon travelled from London to persuade her to accept the part. He also co-starred in the production. The play was produced in Melbourne at the GTV 9 studios.[7] [8] [9] While rehearsing it Glennon said he was working on a play about Australians in London.[10] The TV critic from the Sydney Morning Herald called it "a highly original and diverting play" where Glennon's writing was "in an attractively inventive and individual way that sometimes shades into the eccentric".[11] Another version aired as a BBC Sunday-Night Play in 1962, starring Constance Cummings, again written by John Glennon, and this time directed by Henry Kaplan."[12]

Rope was the other 1959 Australian TV play he wrote and starred in, also part of Shell Presents and again directed by Kinnear, based on the play by Patrick Hamilton. Glennon played one of the lead roles.[13] [14] Glennon made several changes to the play, including cutting the time down from two hours to an hour, shifting the action from 1929 to present day New York, and moving the local from one-room to a four-room penthouse. "Whereas the original dealt with distance," said Glennon, "you can now eliminate long speeches and convey the same idea by gesture or by a bit of business magnified a hundred fold by that eagle eyed camera."[15] The Sydney Morning Herald critic praised "John Glennon' s clever, perceptive and highly mannered performance... and the tensions which producer Rod Kinnear was able to generate by some thoughtful camera work, and some very skilful organisation on a large and attractive set."[16] The Age TV credit praised the set, credit sequence and some of the acting but had reservations about some of the performances and the direction.[17]

According to Filmink "Glennon is one of a number of people who came down under in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s to help “instruct” Australians how to make television drama... This was very much in the long tradition of Australian cultural institutions being impressed by a foreign accent, particularly one from England or America."[18]

Select Credits

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Critical Digest Volume 5. T. M. Kraus.
  2. "Spotlight on Scriptwriters: John Glennon. The Stage and Television Today; London. Iss. 4064,  (Mar 5, 1959): a7. Via Proquest.
  3. Web site: John Glennon. https://web.archive.org/web/20230614142950/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2baf3814ec. dead. June 14, 2023. British Film Institute. 12 March 2021.
  4. Jacka. Liz. Turnbull. Sue. November 2006. Australian Television History: An Introduction. Media International Australia. 121. 1. 65–67. 10.1177/1329878x0612100110. 157925216 . 1329-878X.
  5. Web site: Vagg. Stephen. 2019-02-17. 60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s. 2021-03-05. FilmInk. en-AU.
  6. Web site: The Age - Google News Archive Search. 2021-03-05. news.google.com.
  7. Web site: 14 Sep 1959, Page 13 - The Sydney Morning Herald at Newspapers.com. 2021-03-05. Newspapers.com. en.
  8. News: 1959-09-16. TV Highlights. 5. Biz (Fairfield, NSW : 1928 - 1972). 2021-03-05.
  9. Web site: 13 Sep 1959, Page 102 - The Sydney Morning Herald at Newspapers.com. 2021-03-05. Newspapers.com. en.
  10. Web site: The Age - Google News Archive Search. 2021-03-05. news.google.com.
  11. Web site: 21 Sep 1959, Page 6 - The Sydney Morning Herald at Newspapers.com. 2021-03-05. Newspapers.com. en.
  12. Forgotten Australian Television Plays: Ruth. Filmink. Stephen. Vagg. 30 July 2023.
  13. Web site: 1959-09-17 . Role in Rope for Glennon . 2021-03-05 . The Age.
  14. News: 1959-11-04. I.V. HIGHLIGHTS. 11. Biz (Fairfield, NSW : 1928 - 1972). 2021-03-05.
  15. Web site: 1959-09-24 . Rope Cut for TV Showing . 2021-03-05 . The Age.
  16. Web site: 1959-10-16 . "Rope"- A Live Play on ATN 7 . 2021-03-05 . The Sydney Morning Herald . en.
  17. Web site: 1959-10-05 . Rope Had Some Fine Features . 2021-03-05 . The Age.
  18. Forgotten Australian Television Plays: Ruth. Filmink. Stephen. Vagg. 30 July 2023.

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