Avril bows out in an excellent play
“Take Three Girls” continues to go from strength to strength and this series, now sadly about to end, must surely rate among the most popular television fare of the last few years. Of the three girls, the unpolished but talented Avril is perhaps the most interesting and the final play in which she is the principal, “Roses Round the Door,” was one of the best of them all.
Julia Jones, who wrote all four of the Avril plays, and John Matthews who directed them, have been a most effective combination. In "Roses Round the Door,” Avril was faithful to her earlier yearning to “be on me own” and there was a touching conflict between her desire to accept the offer of art study in Paris and her loyalty to her stricken family when her mother, harassed by her noisy family, her awful home and the housework, displayed an equally keen desire to be on her own by walking out on them. A key figure in the situation was Avril’s father, Barry Pond, hopelessly inadequate to cope with the domestic situation, and the play depended largely on him. Jack Watson did a magnificent job as Mr Pond, whose only answer to a crisis was to don his old army beret and revert to the role of sergeant-major.
The studies of the people in “Roses Round the Door” were fascinating. Again Angela Down as Avril was superb, making Avril a thoroughly credible girl, sturdily independent, tough, but tied firmly to her family. There was a beautfu] scene with her friend Edwin (Christopher Mitchell) when she un-
burdened herself of her problems. The appeal of inexperienced youth was brought home tellingly. Television of this quality could be watched all evening without loss of interest; and the appeal of the series was again enhanced by the subdued but haunting background music of The Pentangle. "Roses Round the Door” had a happy ending. To Avril, intent on escape from her depressing background, Paris is “Just a place.” But: “I’m brushing up on me French,” she announced cheerfully.
For the final show in the Des O’Connor series, there was an impressive array of visiting talent, including Keith Michell, Terry-Thomas and the eccentric but talented musician from an early "Black and White Minstrels Show," George Chisholm.
There was a delightful minute by an unidentified eccentric dancer, but the main guests were not used to best effect. Terry-Thomas had his moments, but Chisholm was wasted, and so was Keith Michell, as a singer The O’Connor and associate version of “The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God” was funny, but the show in general was of very moderate quality.
There was a lot of fun, and a distinct touch of pathos, in “Dad’s Army,” where Wilson became commissioned and also appointed manager of the Eastgate branch of the bank. Captain Mainwaring, naturally, saw these developments as “a web of intrigue” but poor Wilson held rank and post only briefly, his bank being bombed out five minutes after he had taken control. So he was back to Walmington, and back to his sergeant’s stripes. The highlight of the halfhour came from Fraser. When, through one of Pike’s displays of ineptitude, all the other members of the platoon <thought they had been promoted to sergeant in place of Wilson, Fraser gave a delightful caricature of the typical army sergeant.— PANDORA.
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Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32977, 25 July 1972, Page 4
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567Avril bows out in an excellent play Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32977, 25 July 1972, Page 4
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