Rainbow City screening

Errol John and Gemma Jones in Rainbow City. Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

Errol John and Gemma Jones in Rainbow City. Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first episode of Rainbow City, a six part series made at Gosta Green in 1967, was screened at the Midlands Arts Centre on Saturday 15th October, as part of the Flatpack Festival.

The drama starred Errol John as a black lawyer, and Gemma Jones as his white wife. It the test of time remarkably well, being well made and very watchable. The episode we saw tackled issues of racism, and immigration, which are obviously as relevant today as in the 1960s.

Here is the entry from the Radio Times for 5th July 1967, courtesy of the BBC Genome project: http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/9a9e4b546dae447391293d00d0408d6d:

Created by JOHN ELLIOT in What Sort of a Boy? by JOHN ELLIOT and HORACE JAMES
Cast in order of appearance:
Music by RAM JOHN HOLDER and MICHAEL McKENZIE
Designed by Margaret Peacock Produced and directed by JOHN ELLIOT
From the Midlands
Contributors

Designed By: Margaret Peacock
Directed By: John Elliot
John Steele: Errol John
Dennis Jackson: Horage James
Rawlings: Graham Weston
Pitt: Colin Skipp
Noel Hall: Calvin Butler
Receptionist: Ianthe Agelasto
John Sleele: Errol John
Inspector: Frank Veasey
Secretary: Yolande Fermin
Works Supervisor: Leslie Dunn
Mrs Jackson: Myrtle Robinson
Mary Steele: Gemma Jones
Sister: Frances Dunn
Nurse: Nina Baden-Semper
Schoolteacher: Dolores Mantez
Clergyman: Ian Copper
Youth Leader: Calvin Lockhart
Carol Wright: Ann Curthoys
Mark Andrews: Lloyd Reckord

 

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Rainbow City screening

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

 

 

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Five out of six episodes of the 1960’s drama series: Rainbow City, still exist. Episode one is being screened tomorrow (Saturday 15th October 2016) at 11am in the Hexagon Theatre at the Midlands Arts Centre. The screening will be followed by a discussion, chaired by Lez Cooke, from Royal Holloway, University of London, who has been researching these early dramas. The series was made a Gosta Green, which was the BBC production centre which preceded Pebble Mill. It was considered a progressive drama, featuring an inter-racial couple, and a predominantly black cast.

 

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