{{Short description|Television series}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} {{italic title}} '''''The General Motors Hour''''' was an Australian radio and television drama series.
==Radio== The radio series was a regular one hour drama broadcast over the Macquarie Radio Network at 8 pm on Thursdays.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=21-27 May 1960 |title=[Title not known] |magazine=The Listener In TV}}</ref> It is believed to have commenced in the late 1940s and lasted into the early 1960s. Producers included Robert Peach<ref>{{Cite news |date=2004-01-28 |title=Radio star in tune with the times |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/radio-star-in-tune-with-the-times-20040128-gdi8pw.html |access-date=2020-06-19}}</ref> and Harry Dearth.<ref>{{Cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |first=Diana R. |last=Combe |title=Henry Alan (Harry) Dearth (1908–1964) |volume=13 |edition= |year=1993 |id2=dearth-henry-alan-harry-9934 |access-date=2020-06-19 }}</ref> The announcer was John Dease. 15 episodes are available on the RadioEchoes website.<ref>{{Cite web |title=General Motors Hour |url=http://www.radioechoes.com/?page=series&genre=Drama&series=General%20Motors%20Hour |access-date=2019-03-01 |website=RadioEchoes}}</ref>
==Television== The television version of ''The General Motors Hour'' was a loosely scheduled occasional series which aired on Australian television from 1960 to 1962. The series aired on ATN-7 in Sydney and GTV-9 in Melbourne, as well as on other affiliated stations across Australia. The presentations ranged from adaptations of overseas stage plays and anthology episodes, to locally-written drama and a documentary.<ref name="day">{{cite magazine|date=2 December 2025|access-date=2 December 2025|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-television-plays-the-one-day-of-the-year/|title=Forgotten Australian Television Plays: The One Day of the Year}}</ref>
Its first show was a production of ''The Grey Nurse Said Nothing''.<ref name="grey">{{Cite magazine |last=Vagg |first=Stephen |date=2020-11-17 |title=Forgotten Australian TV Plays: The Grey Nurse Said Nothing |url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-tv-plays-the-grey-nurse-said-nothing/ |magazine=Filmink |access-date=2020-11-17}}</ref>
Three of the TV episodes - ''Suspect'', ''Candida'', and ''Shadow Of The Vine'' - had been produced by English producer Peter Cotes for HSV-7 in 1961, but were shelved due to lack of sponsorship. Sponsorship was provided by GM-H in 1962, and plays were run on HSV-7 and TCN-9 under the ''General Motors Hour'' title.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1962-05-31 |title=Peter Cotes Dramas Out Of Storage |page=3 |work=The Age |department=TV & Radio Guide |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MbJVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=G6wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7021%2C4687140 |access-date=2014-10-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1962-04-26 |title=Australian Drama on Two Channels |page=1 |work=The Age |department=TV & Radio Guide |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gcVVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yMUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7065%2C3474254 |access-date=2020-05-03}}</ref>
===List of known TV episodes=== *''The Grey Nurse Said Nothing'' (1960, drama) *''This Is Television'' (1960, variety, documentary)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Musgrove |first=Nan |date=1960-07-20 |title=Dreams for winners and losers |volume=28 |page=55 |work=The Australian Women's Weekly |issue=7 |location=Australia |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46234370 |access-date=2020-09-06 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> *''Thunder on Sycamore Street'' (1960, drama) *''You, Too, Can Have a Body'' (1960, drama) *''Shadow of a Pale Horse'' (1960, drama)<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Vagg |first=Stephen |date=2023-09-13 |title=Forgotten Australian Television Plays: Shadow of a Pale Horse |url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-television-plays-shadow-of-a-pale-horse/ |magazine=Filmink |access-date=2023-09-18}}</ref> *''The Concert'' (1961, drama)<ref>{{Cite news |date=1961-06-01 |title=TV Programmes |page=7 |work=The Age |department=TV & Radio Guide |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bqQRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vecDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6991%2C148611 |access-date=2014-10-16}}</ref> *''Long Distance'' (1961) *''Suspect'' (1961, drama) *''Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' (1962, melodrama)<ref>{{Cite news |date=1961-08-17 |title=Author, 23 in Rare Double |page=2 |work=The Age |department=TV & Radio Guide |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=46FVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5KwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5894%2C2538753 |access-date=2014-12-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1961-08-17 |title=TV Programmes |page=7 |work=The Age |department=TV & Radio Guide |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=46FVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5KwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4438%2C2561457 |access-date=2023-09-28}}</ref> *''The One Day of the Year'' (1962, drama) *''Candida'' (1961, comedy) *''Manhaul'' (1962, drama) *''Shadow of the Vine'' (1962, drama)<ref>{{Cite news |date=1962-10-05 |title=TV Programmes |page=8 |work=The Age |department=TV & Radio Guide |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ATpVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RpUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5237%2C644709 |access-date=2014-10-09}}</ref>
==See also== *''Shell Presents'' - 1959-1960 occasional series *''Killer in Close-Up'' - 1957-1958 anthology of four half-hour plays on ABC
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb title|qid=Q109592122|title=The Grey Nurse Said Nothing}} *{{IMDb title|qid=Q24905576|title=Thunder on Sycamore Street}} *{{IMDb title|qid=Q119475295|title=Shadow of a Pale Horse}} *{{IMDb title|qid=Q7755028|title=The One Day of the Year}} *{{IMDb title|qid=Q30600153|title=Candida}} *{{IMDb title|qid=Q18356350|title=Manhaul}}
{{Rod Kinnear}} {{David Cahill}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:General Motors Hour}} Category:1940s Australian radio dramas Category:English-language radio programs Category:1960 Australian television series debuts Category:1962 Australian television series endings Category:Australian anthology television series Category:Black-and-white Australian television shows Category:English-language Australian television shows Category:The General Motors Hour Category:1950s Australian radio dramas Category:1960s Australian radio dramas