Rod Taylor's Radio RolesRod Taylor's acting career evolved from his work as an artist and started in radio, which was booming in Australia during the 1950s. While still attending East Sydney Technical and Fine Arts College, he saw Sir Laurence Olivier and the Old Vic company in "Richard III," and was inspired to become an actor.
And it was a radio honor -- the Rola Award as actor of the year -- that sent Taylor on his way to Hollywood in 1954. The award carried a grant for a trip to England, but he stopped in Los Angeles on the way, where a talent agency had a look at him. He had no intention of leaving Australia for good. But, as he said in a 1961 interview, "When I stepped off the plane ... and their faces fell visibly, I thought, 'OK, you don't like me. I'll stay!' " Here are just a few of Taylor's radio roles in his native Australia, when he was billed as Rodney Taylor: "The Bader Story" / "Reach for the Sky"(1954)Taylor played heroic British airman Douglas Bader in this radio serial on Australian station 3DB. The show told the story of Bader, who was a real-life World War II flying ace despite having lost both legs in a 1931 aviation accident. "The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama" calls this "probably the finest work Rod did in Sydney radio." In that book, veteran Australian actor John Ewart also recalled:
There were 52 half-hour episodes of this show, which was one of three series adapted by scriptwriter Morris West from novels by Paul Brickhill. The other two follow ... "The Dambusters" (1954)Taylor played pilot David Shannon in this dramatization of Paul Brickhill's best-selling novel about World War II. The documentary series focused on the 617 Dambusting Squadron and is full of air force adventure. There were 26 half-hour episodes, and the cast also featured Charles "Bud" Tingwell. The show is available on CD from Radio of Yesteryear. "The Great Escape" (1954)Taylor took part in this dramatizaiton of Paul Brickhill's factual account of the efforts of Allied prisoners to break out of a German prison camp. There were 26 half-hour episodes that aired at 9 p.m. Tuesdays on 2UE. (Yes, it's the same story that was dramatized in movie form, starring Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, etc., in 1963.) "Tarzan" (1954)Taylor became famous across Australia for his performance as Tarzan. The show aired at 6 p.m. Monday to Friday on 2GB. It was one of many action-adventure serials for young listeners that were so popular in the 1950s. Other actors took over the Tarzan role after Rod left the show. Listen to a brief clip of Rod, as Tarzan. "The Informer"It was while listening to this show that writer-producer Martin Rackin heard a young man playing the part of a Brooklyn hoodlum. The accent was so perfect that Rackin thought he'd found an American actor working Down Under. Instead, he had found Rod Taylor, who he soon cast in "Long John Silver" and sent on his way to Hollywood. "Wings Off the Sea"Taylor played Lt. Cmdr. Sherwood in a serial drama based on J.E. MacDonnell's Korean War novel. It aired Mondays a 9 p.m. on 2UW. "The Amazing Mr. Malone" (1950-51)Taylor was a guest performer on this series about a New York criminal lawyer who trouble has a way of finding. The American were scripts carefully adapted for Australian radio. "Strange Life of Deacon Brodie" (1950-51)Taylor played a character named Patterson in this 52-episode radio serial. The 15-minute episodes aired Monday to Thursday at 10:15 a.m. on Australian radio station 2UW. It's the true story of the man who inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Actor Bruce Stewart played Deacon Brodie, a pillar of the establishment who turned arch criminal and terrified Edinburgh in the late 18th century. "Three Roads to Destiny"Taylor played Tam in this colorful and adventurous saga of a family in the 19th century. The story ranges from England, through America, across the Pacific to the Far East and ultimately Australia. There were 208 episodes of this 15-minute show, which aired at 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday on 3KZ. "Night Beat" "Night Beat" was broadcast nationally in Australia for nine years and featured the human interest stories of a newspaper columnist on the night beat. Taylor was in episodes during 1950. "Blue Hills" Taylor was one of more than 1,000 actors who played a part in "Blue Hills," the world's longest-running radio serial. Its 5,796 episodes ran on Australia's ABC Radio for 27 years from Monday, Feb. 28, 1949, until Thursday, Sept. 30, 1976. "The Golden Fool"Taylor was one of the cast members of the 1950s Australian radio show that aired in 52 15-minute episodes. It was the dramatic story of a family conflict in the High Veldt region of the Transvaal in South Africa. "Danger in Paradise"Taylor was a cast member in this radio adaptation of Octavus Roy Cohen's popular mystery novel. It's a story of romance and murder set against the backdrop of glamorous girls and fast-talking men in New York's biggest ad agency. There were 52 episodes in 15-minute segments. "The Right to Happiness"Taylor appeared in this1950s radio drama serial about a valiant woman's fight to love and be loved. More than 1,200 episodes aired in 15-minute segments. |
Rodney Taylor dramatizes
Rod Taylor and John Meillon
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