Morning’s War, The

Synopsis: Episode twelve in a fifteen-part televised series comprising Shakespeare’s history plays from Richard II to Richard III (the two tetralogies), effectively presenting a chronological history of British royalty from 1377 to 1485. This episode covers Henry VI, Part 3, Acts I-III.
Series: Age of Kings, An
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Television
Transmission details: 6 Oct 1960 at 21:45 (Channel: BBC)
Duration: 60 mins

Director

Michael Hayes

Producer

Writer

Music

Art Direction

Contributor

Arthur Bliss; Eric Crozier; Lionel Salter

Cast

Terry Scully	King Henry VI
Mary Morris	Queen Margaret
John Greenwood	Edward, Prince of Wales
Frank Windsor	Earl of Warwick
Paul Daneman	Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III
Adrian Brine	Marquess of Montague
Anthony Valentine	Sir John Mortimer
David Andrews	Son that killed his father
Derek Ware	Gabriel
Edgar Wreford
Jack May	Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York
Jane Wenham	Lady Elizabeth Gray
Jeffry Wickham	Duke of Norfolk
Jeremy Bisley	Nobleman
Jerome Willis	Lord Clifford
John Murray Scott	Messenger
John Ringham	Father that killed his son
John Warner	Humphrey
Julian Glover	Edward, Earl of March, later Edward IV
Kenneth Farrington	Earl of Northumberland
Leon Shepperdson	Earl of Westmorland
Patrick Garland	George, Edward’s brother, later Duke of Clarence
Robert Lang
Terence Lodge	Duke of Exeter
Terry Wale	Edmund, Earl of Rutland
Timothy Harley	Sinklo
Tony Garnett	Messenger

Notes: As Rothwell/Melzer note in their entry for this production, the usual time slot for this series was usurped by the broadcast of a professional boxing match.
Commercially available on DVD as part of a 5-disc box set from BBC Warner (released March 2009). A written transcript of the series is being held at the Birmingham Central Library as part of their Shakespeare Collection.
General: As Michael Brooke notes, this production was "the most conceptually ambitious Shakespeare project ever attempted for either film or television." Each episode involved expenses of £4.000 and a cast of 600. The rehearsal period took thirty weeks.
History: Transmitted in the US on PBS’ WNEW-TV channel 28 March 1961.
Awards: Directors Guild of Great Britain Award for Excellence in Directing (Peter Dews)

1962 The George Foster Peabody Award
Textual information: Script editor Michael Cozier cut the texts into 60 -75 minute episodes which, for the most part, comprised half a complete play.
Reviews: Michael Brooke, "Age of Kings, An (1960)", http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/527213/index.html
Rothwell, Kenneth S., and Annabelle Henkin Melzer, Shakespeare on Screen: An International Filmography and Videography (London: Mansell, 1990), entry 191, pp.106-107.

SHAKESPEARE