Gala Performance

Gala Performance

June 19, 1962 TV Episode A Rubovian Legend

Studio
British Broadcasting Corporation, Gordon Murray Puppets Production
Distributor
British Broadcasting Corporation

Characters

Queen Caroline of Rubovia, King Rufus of Rubovia, Lord Chamberlain, Sir Albert Weatherspoon, Grand Duchess Arabella of Humperstein, Prince Rupert of Rubovia, King Boris of Borsovia

Credits

Directing

Director
Gordon Murray

Producing

Producer
Gordon Murray

Writing

Writer
Gordon Murray

Animation

Animator
Bob Bura, John Hardwick, Audrey Atterbury

Voices

Voice
Violet Lamb (Queen Caroline of Rubovia), Derek Nimmo (King Rufus of Rubovia), Roy Skelton (Lord Chamberlain, Prince Rupert of Rubovia, King Boris of Borsovia), James Beattie (Sir Albert Weatherspoon), Pamela Binns (Grand Duchess Arabella of Humperstein)

Music

Music
Patrick Harvey

Crew

Creator
Gordon Murray
Set Decoration
Andrew Brownfoot, Margaret Brownfoot
Puppeteers
Bob Bura (Pongo), John Hardwick (Lord Chamberlain), Audrey Atterbury (Weatherspoon)

Production notes

A series of puppet plays for children produced in a television fantasy world of kings and queens, castles, magic, and not to mention dragons and an organ pedal pumping cat. Drawing heavily on some of the more opulent fashions of the past, the stories might appear to be set several hundred years ago, while yet being curiously modern in some respects. Shown in the BBC Puppet Theatre.

After making the first three Rubovia plays using Kim Allen's puppets, Gordon Murray realized that in order to take Rubovia to a whole new level, major changes were required. During a two-year hiatus in production beginning around May 1956, he was assisted by fledging designer Andrew Brownfoot in a redesign, from scratch, of the whole Rubovian Legends idea.