John E. C. Appleton


John Edward Corby Appleton was an Australian theatre and radio director and actor prominent in the 1950s.

Early life

Born in Walham Green, England the oldest of eight children of an English father and an Australian-born mother, Frank and Irene, he was educated at Fort Street Boys' High School.
He joined the Sydney Evening News as a journalist but after six years was sacked for supporting striking workers. During this time he had been taking night classes at the Julian Ashton Art School and started a small business painting 24-sheet posters for billboards.

Amateur theatre

In 1928 he joined the Sydney Players Club, of which his father Frank was an active member, initially as an actor then producer, known as "Jack Appleton".
He then joined Doris Fitton's The Independent Theatre, where he gained further experience as actor and producer.

Professional and Wartime experience

At least partly because of his horsemanship, he was engaged to play Dan Kelly in the 1934 film "When the Kellys Rode", which failed to find a distributor.
In 1936 he joined radio 2GB's "B.S.A. Players", which led to further employment with 2GB. There he teamed up with Jack Davey and together set up an independent production company as his producer and announcer.
In 1940 he was engaged to fellow Independent Theatre actor Sheila Carter
They married and by war's end had one child.
He spent the war years with the RAAF firstly with the American 19th Bomber Group, planning the secret Hobert airfield in Northern Australia, then as Intelligence Officer with 75 Squadron for 14 months. He was then involved in a group organising escape lines from New Britain, followed by a stint with MI9.
His radio production company continued to grow. One notable client, from 1947 to 1949, was Robert Menzies' Liberal Party.

Australian Broadcasting Commission

He was appointed Supervisor of Children's Programmes for ABC Radio in 1952. By this time he was married with three daughters.
He took a very hands-on approach to the running of the Children's Session, including persuading Ruth Park to write him a part, "Tabby Cat", in the Muddle-Headed Wombat serial.
He was outspoken on the damaging effects of TV on children's minds.
With his conservative outlook and RAAF demeanor, he was treated as an outsider by the governing clique of the ABC. He retired in October 1970.

Theatre

He acted in a great number of amateur productions including:
As assistant producer
He served as producer for the Junior Theatre League and acted as judge for several of its annual drama festivals. and was producer for the Sydney Players Club based at St James's Hall:
and:
  • Judgment Day assisting Doris Fitton for Independent Theatre at the Conservatorium of Music.
  • Two Gentlemen of Soho for Independent Theatre at its clubrooms 175 Pitt St.
  • There Is No Armour for Independent Theatre at its clubrooms 175 Pitt St.
  • Misalliance for John Alden at St James' Theatre, North Sydney
  • It All Takes Time for Independent Theatre at St James' Theatre, North Sydney
at the Mercury Theatre
and at the Metropolitan :

Radio

  • The Terrible Twins
  • Beau Geste
  • The New Adventures of Tiger Bryce
  • Adventure
  • Dithering with Davey
  • Dr Davey, the Happiest Man on Earth
  • 100 Years in Australia
  • The Heroic Past
  • These Old Homes series
  • The Romance of Canada
  • Uncle Remus
  • Hester's Diary
  • Death Takes Small Bites
  • Death By Horoscope
  • Three Roads to Destiny
  • ABC Children's Hour

Other interests

He wrote a number of radio broadcasts for commercial radio on historic Australian homes, the scripts of which are held in the Mitchell Library.
He was active in the Pony Club movement.