Rex Rienits
Rex Rienits (17 April 1909 – 1971) was an Australian writer of radio, films, plays and TV. He was a journalist before becoming one of the leading radio writers in Australia. He moved to England in 1949[1] and worked for a number of years there.[2] He later returned to Australia and worked on early local TV drama.
Biography
Rienits worked as a journalist and boxing promoter in Wagga Wagga.[3] He moved to Sydney where he continued to work as a journalist but also wrote for radio.
In 1939 he helped form the Playwright's Advisory Board.[4] In the mid-1940s he was hired by Henry Watt of Ealing Studios to prepare a research document on the Eureka Rebellion which formed the basis of the 1948 film Eureka Stockade.[5] He moved to England in 1949 and wrote scripts for radio, film and TV. His big breakthrough was a popular radio adaptation of Robbery Under Arms.[6]
He later returned to London, where he died of a heart attack in 1971.[7]
Personal life
His first marriage ended in divorce in 1932.[8] His second wife Josephine died in 1954.[9]
Selected writings
Radio
- Anti-Climax (1931) – a one-act play[10]
- For Auction (1931) – a one-act play[11]
- Art, for Art's Sake (1931) – a one-act play[12]
- Midnight Interlufe (1931) – a one-act play[13]
- Reunion (1938)[14]
- Margaret Catchpole (1945)
- He Found What He Wanted (1947)[15]
- Stormy Petrel (1948) – serial[16] – rebroadcast in 1953
- Robbery Under Arms (1949) – BBC radio adaptation of novel[17]
- Fulfilment (1951)[18]
- Wide Boy (1952)[19]
- A Shilling for Candles (1953) adaptation of novel by Josephine Tey for BBC radio[20]
- The Woman on the Beach (1953)[21]
- Front Page Lead (1954)[22]
- The Journey of Simon McEever (1954)[23]
- Joseph Proctor's Money (1954) adapted from story by W. H. Lane Crawford[24]
- Bligh Has a Daughter (1954)
- Close to the Roof (1960)
- John Lancaster (1961)
- Flying Doctor (1961) – serial
- Holiday Task (1961)
Films
- Eureka Stockade (1949) – original research for screenplay
- Assassin for Hire (1951) – screenplay, based on his 1950 TV play[25] – also a novel[26]
- Wide Boy (1952)
- Noose for a Lady (1953)
- River Beat (1954)
- Fabian of the Yard (1954)
- No Smoking (1955)
- Out of the Clouds (1955)
- Cross Channel (1955)
- Count of Twelve (1955)
- Walk Into Paradise (1956)
- Three in One (1957)
- Smiley Gets a Gun (1958)
TV Plays
- Assassin for Hire (September 1950) – aired on BBC
- The Million Pound Note (1950) – based on the novel by Mark Twain[27]
- Joseph Proctor's Money (1951) – TV play
- The Bodgie (1959) – TV movie
- Close to the Roof (1960) – TV movie
- Who Killed Kovali? (1960) – TV movie
TV Series
- The Passing Show (1951) (TV series) – writer of various episodes
- BBC Sunday Night Theatre – episode "No Smoking!" (1952)
- Patrol Car (1954) (TV series) – episode "Bombs in Piccadilly"
- The Vise (1955) (TV series) – "Count of Twelve"
- The Third Man (1959) – episode "Death in Small Installments"
- Jazz Boat (1960) – screenplay (original story)
- Jezebel (1963) – original story for episodes
- Riptide (1969) – story for episode "One Way to Nowhere"
Mini-Series
- Stormy Petrel (1960) – TV series
- The Outcasts (1961) – TV script[28]
- The Hungry Ones (1963) – TV script[29]
Books
- Eureka Stockade (1949) – non fiction
- Wide Boy (1952) – fiction
- Assassin for Hire (1952) – fiction
- The Voyages of James Cook (1969) – non fiction
Plays
- Slaves to Tradition (1931)[30]
- Hide Out (1937) – co written with S Howard, produced at the Independent Theatre[31]
- Lightning Strikes Twice (1944)[32]
(He also directed various plays including productions of Golden Boy[33])
References
- ↑ "This Week In Town.". The Sunday Herald. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 30 January 1949. p. 14. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ↑ "London Penthouse.". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 16 December 1953. p. 57. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ↑ "PERSONAL.". The Murrumbidgee Irrigator. Leeton, NSW: National Library of Australia. 26 March 1929. p. 3. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "LIFE and LETTERS.". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 17 June 1939. p. 8. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "EUREKA STOCKADE FOR FILM.". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 6 November 1946. p. 3. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "Australian's Television Play To Be Filmed.". The Sunday Herald. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 5 November 1950. p. 6. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "Rex Rienits dies in London.". The Canberra Times. National Library of Australia. 5 May 1971. p. 24. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "IN DIVORCE.". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 30 November 1932. p. 7. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "Author's loss.". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane: National Library of Australia. 26 January 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "BROADCASTING.". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 23 January 1931. p. 8. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "MONDAY'S PROGRAMMES.". The Queensland Times. Ipswich, Queensland: National Library of Australia. 28 February 1931. p. 14 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "2GB SYDNEY.". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. National Library of Australia. 15 April 1931. p. 5. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "2GB SYDNEY.". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. National Library of Australia. 29 April 1931. p. 4. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "BROADCASTING PUSH BUTTON TUNING.". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 16 November 1938. p. 8. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "5KA.". The News. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 6 June 1947. p. 7. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "STARS OF THE AIR.". Wodonga and Towong Sentinel. Vic.: National Library of Australia. 17 December 1948. p. 1. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ↑ "Australian Classic For B.B.C.". The Sunday Herald. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 18 December 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ↑ "To-day's Radia Programmes.". The Sunday Herald. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 22 April 1951. p. 9. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "BROADCAST OF PLAY CANCELLED.". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 7 February 1952. p. 9. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ http://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/A_Shilling_for_Candles_%28BBC_Radio,_09/Jan/1954%29
- ↑ "Advertising.". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 6 June 1953. p. 39. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "MARGARET'S COLUMN.". Illawarra Daily Mercury. Wollongong, NSW: National Library of Australia. 15 April 1954. p. 4. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "TAKES ROLE OF SALESWOMAN.". Illawarra Daily Mercury. Wollongong, NSW: National Library of Australia. 20 May 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "Women's Interests On The Air Easter In Athens.". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 24 June 1954. p. 5 Section: Women's Section. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "Australian's Television Play To Be Filmed.". The Sunday Herald. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 5 November 1950. p. 6. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ↑ "Latest Fiction.". The Advertiser. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 8 November 1952. p. 7. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ↑ "Studio Gossip.". The Sunday Herald. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 19 August 1951. p. 12. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ↑ "Perry Masan in three live shows.". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 21 June 1961. p. 19. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ↑ ""THE HUNGRY ONES".". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 10 July 1963. p. 17. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ↑ "WINNING PLAY.". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 15 May 1931. p. 12. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ ""HIDEOUT.".". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 17 April 1937. p. 10. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "THE AMATEUR THEATRE "HIAWATHA", AN ALL-GIRL SHOW.". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 19 October 1944. p. 7. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ ""GOLDEN BOY" IS STRONG DRAMATIC FARE.". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 13 December 1948. p. 8. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
External links
- Rex Rienits at the Internet Movie Database
- Rex Rienits at AustLit
- Rex Rienits at BFI
- Rex Rienits at AusStage
- Rex Rienits at National Film and Sound Archive