A Phoenix Too Frequent (television)

A Phoenix Too Frequent is a stage play by Christopher Fry.

It has been adapted for television at least 10 times. A possible 11th version may have aired as part of British series ITV Television Playhouse in 1959, but this is not confirmed. Additionally, a search of the National Archives of Australia website suggests a version may have been produced in 1966 for Australian television that is different to a 1957 version produced there.

1946 version

A version aired in 1946 on the BBC. Cast included Hermione Hannen, Eleanor Summerfield and Alan Wheatley. Broadcast live, this transmission was not recorded, and as such the broadcast is lost.^[1]

1951 version

A version aired in 1951 as part of British television series BBC Sunday-Night Theatre. Cast included Jessie Evans, Diana Graves and John Justin.^[2] This version aired live, and the live transmission was not recorded.^[3]

1955 version (UK)

A version aired in 1955, again on the BBC. Cast included George Cole, Jessie Evans and Noelle Middleton.^[4] This version aired live, and a telerecording still exists of the program.^[5]

1955 version (West Germany)

A version aired 1955 on West German television. Cast included Sigrid Marquardt, Käte Jaenicke and Günther König.^[6]

1956 version

A version aired in 1956 on Danish television.^[7]

1957 version

A version aired in 1957 on Australian television, on the ABC. Produced by Paul O'Loughlin, it aired live in Sydney on July 24th 1957. A telerecording (kinescope) was made of the broadcast and later shown in Melbourne on September 11th 1957.^[8] Cast included Dinah Shearing, James Condon and Audrey Teesdale. Archival status of this version is not known.

1959 version

A version aired in 1959 on Swiss television. Cast included Ingeborg Luescher, Beatrice Schweizer and Wolfgang Schwarz.^[9]

1960 version

Per IMDb, a version aired 1960 on Finnish television.^[10]

1963 version

A version aired in 1963 on West German television. Cast included Dinah Hinz, Charles Brauer and Angelika Hurwicz.^[11]

1966 versions

A version aired in 1966 on Austrian television. Cast included Christiane Hörbiger, Carla Hagen and Walter Reyer.^[12]

The ABC produced a version in Melbourne in the same year, airing on July 6th 1966. The play starred Sean Scully, Lynette Curran, and Fay Kelton, and was produced by Oscar Whitbread.