The Television Dramas

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The Television Dramas
GenreAnthology
Created byEdwin Tarkovsky
Narrated byRandall Mallory
Country of originGandoor
Original language(s)English
No. of programmes1
No. of episodes20
Production
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time60 minutes
Production company(s)GBC
Release
Original networkGBC Television[1]
Picture formatBlack-and-white
Audio formatMonoaural
Original release7 November 1936 (1936-11-07) – 20 March 1937 (1937-03-20)

The Television Dramas is a Gandoorese drama anthology television series that was aired on the GBC's experimental television network in Gandoor City from 7 November 1936 until 20 March 1937. The series was the first regularly scheduled scripted television series in Gandoor to rely entirely upon original scripts for its episodes.

Premise

The series was narrated by Randall Mallory, who would introduce viewers to the characters and setting of each week's episode and wish viewers goodbye at the end of each episode. Each episode of The Television Dramas was a standalone story featuring different cast members (although some minor actors would play different roles across different episodes), storylines, and settings, with episodes ranging from family dramas to police dramas.

Production

The series was created by Edwin Tarkovsky, a scriptwriter who had written several standalone made-for-television dramas for the GBC's experimental television network starting in late-1935. He proposed to his superiors the idea of a regularly scheduled program that relied entirely upon original scripts, rather than adapting theatrical dramas, radio dramas, or literature; which could prove that television could be just as good a home for dramatic productions as the theater, cinema, or radio.

Despite only airing for 20 episodes, production of The Television Dramas became more technically advanced during its run. Early episodes of the series were performed entirely on one set and were broadcast via a single unmoving camera. In contrast, later episodes of the series featured a moveable camera (while still relying on a single-camera setup), multiple sets, and the usage of pre-filmed inserts that were broadcast as part of the episode. These pre-filmed inserts were used to cover scene changes or for location footage that would have been impossible to mount live in the studio.

With the exception of the usage of the aforementioned pre-filmed inserts, The Television Dramas was broadcast live every Saturday evening from 8:00 PM until 9:00 PM.

Episode Status

Due to being broadcast live at a time when practical methods of preserving live television broadcasts did not yet exist, the entirety of The Television Dramas is considered lost. All that survives of the series are the scripts for all 20 episodes, several promotional photographs, and reviews of the series in contemporary newspapers and magazines.

Legacy

Despite the series' short run, limited availability (the series, like all programming broadcast on the GBC's experimental television network, was only broadcast within the Gandoor City Capital District), and lack of preservation, The Television Dramas would become well-known and famous in Gandoor for being the first Gandoorese television drama series to entirely use original made-for-television scripts instead of adapting theatrical or radio dramas to television. (It must be noted that the series was not the first example of an original made-for-television drama in Gandoor, but it was the first regularly scheduled program of its type. Previous original television dramas were aired as one-off programs.)

In 1956, the Gandoor Broadcasting Network (considered the descendant of the GBC's experimental network) produced and broadcast a new performance of 'The McHale Family Affair', the first episode of The Television Dramas in honour of the series' 20th anniversary. Just like the original production, this performance of the story was aired live, although it was also kinescoped onto 16 mm film during its broadcast. This kinescope recording was deposited into the Gandoorese Television and Film Archives in 1960.

New performances of all 20 episodes were broadcast from 7 November 1986 until 20 March 1987 on GBN to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Television Dramas. This new production of the series was also broadcast live, something which had become increasingly rare for GBN television dramas since the advent of videotape in the late 1950s. However the GBC decided that prerecording the series would defeat the spirit and history of the program, although it was recorded during its live broadcasts for repeat airings.

Notes

  1. GBC Television was the unofficial nickname given to the GBC's experimental television network that was on the air from 1935 until 1941