Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows a scene from the television series Mother and Son in which Uncle Tom (Peter Gwynne) dies shortly after the funeral of another family member. Maggie (Ruth Cracknell) and Uncle Tom are having a conversation on the couch when he suddenly collapses, dies and falls across her lap. In the kitchen a conversation about death and teeth is interrupted when Maggie enters to tell Arthur that Uncle Tom has died. He assumes she is talking about Uncle Andrew, whose funeral they have just attended.

Educational value points

• The clip is taken from an episode of Mother and Son, a series produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The program first aired in January 1984 and ran for 10 years. It consisted of six series, each containing seven 30-minute episodes. The focus of the series is the fraught relationship between 40-year-old live-at-home son Arthur and his mother Maggie, who is at turns forgetful, mildly senile, quick-witted and manipulative.

• The clip is an example of a genre of comedy referred to as situation comedy or sitcom. Situation comedies generally use a central cast of characters who reappear in every episode with each episode developing a particular subject or ‘situation’. The characters are often related, as here, or are acquainted through their work or location. Verbal jousting, misunderstandings, conflicts and their resolution are important aspects of situation comedy.

• The kind of humour illustrated in this clip is known as ‘black comedy’ due to the dark nature of the subject matter. In black comedy, subjects such as death, illness, war, horror, accidents and misfortune are dealt with in a humorous or satirical manner. The humour in this scene is grounded in the seriousness of the situation (the death of Uncle Tom), Maggie’s slow comprehension and her inability to convince the other characters of what has occurred.

• The filmmaker employs a variety of techniques to enhance the comic elements. Uncle Tom and Maggie engage in physical comedy to augment the humorous elements contained in the death scene and the characters engage in quick verbal repartee, which contributes to the misunderstandings and mishaps that occur during the clip. Canned laughter, a technique commonly employed in television comedy, is used to create the feeling of a live audience.

• Geoffrey Atherden scripted Mother and Son, a program that was an enduring favourite of Australian audiences. It has been translated into many languages and in 1997 Atherden rewrote the script for the British Broadcasting Corporation, renaming it Keeping Mum. Atherden was a member of the writing team for the first series of ABC’s The Aunty Jack Show (1972) and was the creator of the television comedy series Grass Roots (2000–03).

• The clip features actor Ruth Cracknell OAM (1925–2002). Cracknell’s career in radio, revue, theatre, television and film spanned 56 years, but it was through the role of Maggie Beare in Mother and Son that she became celebrated throughout Australia. Renowned as a comic and stage actor, Cracknell also appeared in a number of Australian films including Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978), Spider and Rose (1994) and Lilian’s Story (1995).

• Garry McDonald (1948–), who plays Arthur, first appeared on Australian television in 1973 in the ABC’s The Aunty Jack Show. While working on this program he created Norman Gunston, a fictitious television personality. McDonald received critical acclaim in his roles as Gunston and as Arthur in Mother and Son. He is a celebrated stage actor who has appeared in a variety of movies, including Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) and Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002).