Present_Laughter_(1967_TV_play)

Present Laughter (<i>Play of the Week</i>)

Present Laughter (Play of the Week)

1967 British television play

"Present Laughter" is a 1967 British television version of the play of the same name by Noël Coward. It aired as a Play of the Week. Peter O'Toole starred. It was a co-production between Associated Television and O'Toole's own company, Keep Films.[1] It aired in the United States in 1968.[2] It was O'Toole's first appearance on television after becoming a movie star and marked his debut on American television in a television drama.[3]

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Production

Coward – who originated the lead role on stage – advised O'Toole "Don't try and copy me. Be yourself."[1] Honor Blackman was offered the role of the seductress but asked to play the wife. She had a high-profile at the time due to her success in Goldfinger.[4]

The play was one of four two-hour specials Lew Grade of ATV sold to American television in October 1966 for £2.5 million along with episodes of The Prisoner and The Saint. It was shot in colour.[5]

Reception

The Leicester Mercury said "there was not a dull moment".[6]

The show was broadcast in the United States as part of a series of specials on ABC. The Los Angeles Times called it "great fun and it played beautifully on TV. O'Toole was a delight."[7]

References

  1. [1]
    Roberts, Diane (16 February 1967). "'Be yourself' said Noel to Peter O'Toole". Lincolnshire Echo. p. 6. Retrieved 20 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. [2]
    Kirkley, Donald (28 February 1968). "Look and Listen". The Baltimore Sun. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. [3]
    Sellers, Robert (2015). Peter O'Toole: The definitive biography. New York: Thomas Dunne Books. p. 395. ISBN 978-1-250-09594-7.
  4. [4]
    Baily, Kenneth (5 March 1967). "Why Honor said no to O'Toole". The People. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. [5]
    Greig, Ramsden (10 October 1966). "Lew Grade sells British TV shows for 7m dollars". The Evening Standard. p. 12.
  6. [6]
    "O'Toole showed superb flair in Coward play". Leicester Mercury. 1 March 1967. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. [7]
    McMinn, Alenee (29 February 1968). "'Present Laughter' on ABC series". Los Angeles Times. p. 78.


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