This live television special presents excerpts from a traditional stage pantomime for a home audience.
The principal boy, Aladdin (Marjorie Sandford), is tricked by the evil magician Abanazar (Philip Godfrey) into retrieving a magical lamp. With the help of the Genie of the Ring (Gillian Leach), Aladdin escapes his clutches and uses the lamp’s power to win the hand of Princess Luvlee (Ruth Miller). Comic support is provided by Aladdin’s mother, the dame Widow Twankey (Rex London), and his brother, Wishee Washee (Jack Anton), in this condensed version of the classic tale.
This broadcast was not a pantomime created for television, but a live presentation of excerpts from a popular stage production devised by theatrical producer Bertram Montague. The programme is a significant example of the early BBC’s function as a cultural conduit, bringing the spectacle and tradition of a large-scale theatrical show to a domestic audience. Rather than adapting the form for the studio, the broadcast acted as a window onto an existing performance, relying on the conventions of the stage and the direction of its original creator. It illustrates a moment when television was still defining its relationship with older, more established forms of entertainment.
Broadcast: BBC, 1 Episode, 7 January 1951
Devised by: Bertram Montague
Written by: Barry Lupino, Arty Ash
Lyrics by: Barry Lupino, Arty Ash
Producer: Rex London
Director: Bertram Montague
Choreography by: Harriet James
Main Cast: Marjorie Sandford (Aladdin), Rex London (Widow Twankey), Philip Godfrey (Abanazar), Jack Anton (Wishee Washee), Ruth Miller (Princess Luvlee), Arthur Stanley (Grand Vizier), Clive Drummond (Emperor Wangchow), Gillian Leach (Genie Of The Ring)
