John E. C. Appleton
Encyclopedia
John Edward Corby Appleton (20 October 1905 – 13 September 1990) was an Australia
n theatre and radio director and actor prominent in the 1950s.
Born in Walham Green
, England the oldest of eight children of an English father and an Australian-born mother, Frank and Irene, he was educated at Fort Street Boys' High School.
He joined the Sydney Evening News as a journalist but after six years was sacked for supporting striking workers. During this time he had been taking night classes at Julian Ashton
's art school and started a small business painting 24-sheet posters for billboards.
He then joined Doris Fitton
's Independent Theatre
, where he gained further experience as actor and producer.
in the 1934 film "When the Kellys Rode", which failed to find a distributor.
In 1936 he joined radio 2GB
's "B.S.A. Players" (from 1938 known as the "Macquarie Players"), which led to further employment with 2GB. There he teamed up with Jack Davey
and together set up an independent production company as his producer and announcer.
In 1940 he was engaged to fellow Independent Theatre actor Sheila Carter (1918–)
They married and by war's end had one child.
He spent the war years with the RAAF firstly with the American 19th Bomber Group, planning the secret Hobert (spelling?) airfield in Northern Australia, then as Intelligence Officer with 75 Squadron for 14 months. He was then involved in a group organising escape lines from New Britain
, followed by a stint with MI9.
His radio production company continued to grow. One notable client, from from 1947 to 1949, was Robert Menzies
' Liberal Party.
He took a very hands-on approach to the running of the Children's Session, including persuading Ruth Park
to write him a part, "Tabby Cat", in the Muddle-Headed Wombat serial.
He was outspoken on the damaging effects of TV on children's minds.
With his conservative outlook and RAAF demeanor, he was treated as an outsider by the governing clique of the ABC. He retired in October 1970.
As assistant producer
He served as producer for the Junior Theatre League and acted as judge for several of its annual drama festivals. and was producer for the Sydney Players Club based at St James's Hall
:
and:
at the Mercury Theatre (St James's Hall renamed)
and at the Metropolitan (for whom?):
.
He was active in the Pony Club movement.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n theatre and radio director and actor prominent in the 1950s.
Born in Walham Green
Walham Green
Walham Green is an area located on the border of Fulham and Chelsea , south-west London, United Kingdom. To the south is Parsons Green, south-west Fulham, north West Kensington, north-east West Brompton, east Chelsea and south-east is Sands End....
, England the oldest of eight children of an English father and an Australian-born mother, Frank and Irene, he was educated at Fort Street Boys' High School.
He joined the Sydney Evening News as a journalist but after six years was sacked for supporting striking workers. During this time he had been taking night classes at Julian Ashton
Julian Ashton
Julian Rossi Ashton was an Australian artist and teacher, known for his support of the Heidelberg School and for his influential art school in Sydney....
's art school and started a small business painting 24-sheet posters for billboards.
Amateur theatre
In 1928 he joined the Sydney Players Club, where his father was active, initially as an actor then producer, generally referred to as "Jack Appleton".He then joined Doris Fitton
Doris Fitton
Doris Alice Fitton Mason, DBE was an Australian actress and theatrical director who founded and for 35 years headed Sydney's Independent Theatre, staging a diverse range of local and international dramas, many for the first time in Australia, including Sumner Locke-Elliott's wartime comedy, Rusty...
's Independent Theatre
Independent Theatre
The Independent Theatre was a dramatic society founded in 1930 by Doris Fitton , and was also the name given to the building it occupied from 1938. It was named for London's Independent Theatre Society founded by J. T...
, where he gained further experience as actor and producer.
Professional and Wartime experience
At least partly because of his horsemanship, he was engaged to play Dan KellyDan Kelly
Daniel, Danny or Dan Kelly may refer to:*Dan Kelly , brother of Australian Ned Kelly*Dan Kelly , American ice hockey defenceman*Dan Kelly , Australian musician...
in the 1934 film "When the Kellys Rode", which failed to find a distributor.
In 1936 he joined radio 2GB
2GB
2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia broadcasting on 873 kHz, AM. It is one of Australia's most popular talk-back radio stations, and is the number one station in Sydney.-History:The station commenced broadcasting in August 1926...
's "B.S.A. Players" (from 1938 known as the "Macquarie Players"), which led to further employment with 2GB. There he teamed up with Jack Davey
Jack Davey
John Andrew Davey was a New Zealand-born star of Australian radio in the 1930s, '40s and '50s.-New Zealand:Jack Davey was born John Andrew Davey on 8 February 1907 and educated at King's College, Auckland...
and together set up an independent production company as his producer and announcer.
In 1940 he was engaged to fellow Independent Theatre actor Sheila Carter (1918–)
They married and by war's end had one child.
He spent the war years with the RAAF firstly with the American 19th Bomber Group, planning the secret Hobert (spelling?) airfield in Northern Australia, then as Intelligence Officer with 75 Squadron for 14 months. He was then involved in a group organising escape lines from New Britain
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
, followed by a stint with MI9.
His radio production company continued to grow. One notable client, from from 1947 to 1949, was Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
' Liberal Party.
Australian Broadcasting Commission
He was appointed Supervisor of Children's Programmes for ABC Radio in 1952. By this time he was married with three daughters.He took a very hands-on approach to the running of the Children's Session, including persuading Ruth Park
Ruth Park
Ruth Park, AM was a New Zealand-born author, who spent most of her life in Australia. Her best known works are the novels The Harp in the South and Playing Beatie Bow , and the children's radio serial The Muddle-Headed Wombat , which also spawned a book series .-Personal history:Park was born in...
to write him a part, "Tabby Cat", in the Muddle-Headed Wombat serial.
He was outspoken on the damaging effects of TV on children's minds.
With his conservative outlook and RAAF demeanor, he was treated as an outsider by the governing clique of the ABC. He retired in October 1970.
Theatre
He acted in a great number of amateur productions (aided by his very "proper" English accent) including:- The School for Scandal (Sheridan) with Sydney Players' Club at St James' HallSt James' Hall, SydneySt James' Hall, sometimes written as St James's Hall, was a building which stood at 171 Phillip Street, Sydney, near King Street. It figured prominently in the history of small theatre in Australia...
- Scrapped (Alma Brosnan) with Turret Theatre at their Milsons Point clubhouse
- The Passion Flower (Benavente) with Turret Theatre
- The Last Enemy (Frank Harvey - an Australian writer) with Sydney Players' Club at St James' Hall
- Dutch Courage (Mac Luker - an Australian writer) with Sydney Players' Club at St James' Hall
- Intruders (Mac Luker - an Australian writer) with Sydney Players' Club at St James' Hall
- Art and Mrs Bottle (Benn Levy) with Sydney Players' Club at St James' Hall
- The Shadow of a Gunman (Sean O'CaseySeán O'CaseySeán O'Casey was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.- Early life:...
) with Independent Theatre at its clubrooms 175 Pitt St. - The Importance of Being EarnestThe Importance of Being EarnestThe Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...
(Oscar WildeOscar WildeOscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
) with Independent Theatre - Thunder RockThunder Rock (play)Thunder Rock is a 1939 play by Robert Ardrey.In the United States, Thunder Rock was produced by the Group Theater and opened 14 November 1939 and closed three weeks later. Lee J...
(Robert ArdreyRobert ArdreyRobert Ardrey was an American playwright and screenwriter who returned to his academic training in anthropology and the behavioral sciences in the 1950s....
) with Independent Theatre group
As assistant producer
- MacbethMacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
(Shakespeare) with Shakespearean Repertory Company
He served as producer for the Junior Theatre League and acted as judge for several of its annual drama festivals. and was producer for the Sydney Players Club based at St James's Hall
St James's Hall
St. James's Hall was a concert hall in London that opened on 25 March 1858, designed by architect and artist Owen Jones, who had decorated the interior of the Crystal Palace. It was situated between the Quadrant in Regent Street and Piccadilly, and Vine Street and George Court. There was a...
:
- The Small Hour (Sidney Barrington Gates)
- The RivalsThe RivalsThe Rivals, a play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, is a comedy of manners in five acts. It was first performed on 17 January 1775.- Production :...
(SheridanRichard Brinsley SheridanRichard Brinsley Butler Sheridan was an Irish-born playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. For thirty-two years he was also a Whig Member of the British House of Commons for Stafford , Westminster and Ilchester...
) - Doctor Knock (Jules RomainsJules RomainsJules Romains, born Louis Henri Jean Farigoule , was a French poet and writer and the founder of the Unanimism literary movement...
trans. Harley Granville-BarkerHarley Granville-BarkerHarley Granville-Barker was an English actor-manager, director, producer, critic and playwright....
) - Jonah and the Whale (James BridieJames BridieJames Bridie was the pseudonym of a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and surgeon whose real name was Osborne Henry Mavor....
) - Everyman of Everystreet (Mary D. Stocks)
- Libel (Edward Wooll)
- Peace and Quiet (Quintero brothers trans. Harley Granville-BarkerHarley Granville-BarkerHarley Granville-Barker was an English actor-manager, director, producer, critic and playwright....
) - Red Sky at Night (Dymphna CusackDymphna CusackDymphna Cusack AM was an Australian author.Born in West Wyalong, New South Wales, Dymphna Cusack was educated at St Ursula's College, and graduated from Sydney University with an honours degree in Arts and a diploma in Education...
- a member of SPC) - Dragon's Teeth (Shirland Quin)
- Haunted Houses (Geoffrey WhitworthGeoffrey WhitworthGeoffrey Arundel Whitworth CBE was an English lecturer and author who sought to promote amateur and professional theatre through the formation of the British Drama League, acting as its director for many years. Whitworth was instrumental in the founding of a National Theatre, and served the...
) - The Maitlands (Ronald MacKenzie)
- A Sleeping Clergyman (James BridieJames BridieJames Bridie was the pseudonym of a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and surgeon whose real name was Osborne Henry Mavor....
) - Bees on the Boat Deck (J. B. PriestleyJ. B. PriestleyJohn Boynton Priestley, OM , known as J. B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster. He published 26 novels, notably The Good Companions , as well as numerous dramas such as An Inspector Calls...
) - In Theatre Street (Henri-René LenormandHenri-René LenormandHenri-René Lenormand was a French playwright. He was born on May 3, 1882 in Paris. His plays, steeped in symbolism, were recognized for their explorations of subconscious motivation, deeply reflecting the influence of the theories of Sigmund Freud. He was the son of a composer, and was educated at...
)
and:
- Judgment Day (Elmer RiceElmer RiceElmer Rice was an American playwright. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his 1929 play, Street Scene.-Early years:...
) assisting Doris FittonDoris FittonDoris Alice Fitton Mason, DBE was an Australian actress and theatrical director who founded and for 35 years headed Sydney's Independent Theatre, staging a diverse range of local and international dramas, many for the first time in Australia, including Sumner Locke-Elliott's wartime comedy, Rusty...
for Independent Theatre at the Conservatorium of Music. - Two Gentlemen of Soho (A. P. HerbertA. P. HerbertSir Alan Patrick Herbert, CH was an English humorist, novelist, playwright and law reform activist...
) for Independent Theatre at its clubrooms 175 Pitt St. - There Is No Armour (by Australian writer Lynn Foster) for Independent Theatre at its clubrooms 175 Pitt St.
- Misalliance (George Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
) for John AldenJohn AldenJohn Alden is said to be the first person from the Mayflower to set foot on Plymouth Rock in 1620. He was a ship-carpenter by trade and a cooper for Mayflower, which was usually docked at Southampton. He was also one of the founders of Plymouth Colony and the seventh signer of the Mayflower Compact...
at St James' Theatre, North Sydney - It All Takes Time (by Australian writer John Watson) for Independent Theatre at St James' Theatre, North Sydney
at the Mercury Theatre (St James's Hall renamed)
- Love in Albania (Eric LinklaterEric LinklaterEric Robert Russell Linklater was a British writer, known for more than 20 novels, as well as short stories, travel writing and autobiography, and military history.-Life:...
) - Dragon's Mouth (Jacquetta HawkesJacquetta HawkesJacquetta Hawkes was a British archaeologist.Born Jessie Jacquetta Hopkins, the daughter of Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins, she married first Christopher Hawkes, then an Assistant Keeper at the British Museum, in 1933. From 1953, she was married to J. B. Priestley...
and J. B. PriestleyJ. B. PriestleyJohn Boynton Priestley, OM , known as J. B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster. He published 26 novels, notably The Good Companions , as well as numerous dramas such as An Inspector Calls...
) - Day's Mischief (Lesley StormLesley StormLesley Storm was the pen-name of Mabel Cowie also known by her married name of Mabel Clark.She was a Scottish writer, who wrote a number of plays, some of which were filmed. Black Chiffon and Roar Like a Dove were major hits...
)
and at the Metropolitan (for whom?):
- Richard II (Shakespeare)
- Jitta's Atonement (George Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
) - Carnival of ThievesLe Bal des VoleursLe Bal des Voleurs is a play written by French playwright Jean Anouilh first staged at Théâtre des Arts, Paris on 17 August 1938....
(Jean AnouilhJean AnouilhJean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1943 play Antigone, an adaptation of Sophocles' Classical drama, that was seen as an attack on Marshal Pétain's...
)
Radio
- The Terrible Twins (2CH play) (actor)
- Beau GesteBeau GesteBeau Geste is a 1924 adventure novel by P. C. Wren. It has been adapted for the screen several times.-Plot summary:Michael "Beau" Geste is the protagonist. The main narrator , by contrast, is his younger brother John...
(2CH serial) (as "Digby") - The New Adventures of Tiger Bryce (2CH serial)(as actor)
- Adventure (2UW series)
- Dithering with Davey (2GB, 2UE series)
- Dr Davey, the Happiest Man on Earth (2GB series)
- 100 Years in Australia (2GB, 2CA series)
- The Heroic Past (2UE series)
- These Old Homes (2GB, 2UE) series
- The Romance of Canada (2GB series)
- Uncle Remus
- Hester's Diary (2CH serial)
- Death Takes Small Bites (2UW series)
- Death By Horoscope (2UW 3DB series)
- Three Roads to Destiny (3KZ serial)
- ABC Children's Hour
Other Interests
He wrote a number of radio broadcasts for commercial radio on historic Australian homes, the scripts of which are held in the Mitchell LibraryMitchell Library
The Mitchell Library is a large public library and centre of the public library system of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The library was established with a bequest from Stephen Mitchell, a wealthy tobacco manufacturer, whose company, Stephen Mitchell & Son, would become one of the constituent members...
.
He was active in the Pony Club movement.