Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1980s
    Movies - 1980s Movies - D 3 Mins Read

    Duet for Four (1982)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Small businessman Ray Martin (Mike Preston) needs money not only to expand his toy business but for his estranged wife who runs a gallery in the house they once shared and who has installed a boyish sculptor along with some dubious artefacts; for his academically-inclined live-in companion in another house and her two sons; and for his own daughter who is pregnant and the youth who impregnated her.

    The script by David Williamson takes care of all the interlocking emotional and commercial developments, moving swiftly in and out of the different houses, pads, board rooms, hotel lobbies, airports, coastal resorts and beds.

    There are times when the action could be equated with a rather long television commercial, which is a tribute to its glossy competence.

    A lot of the people are recognisably real, including badgered Ray Martin, though Mike Preston, who has such difficulty getting his words out, may not have been the most inspired casting.

    There must be many crabby girlfriends like Barbara Dunstan (Wendy Hughes) cantankerously flinging off to bed while Ray dashes to the side of his estranged wife Margot (Diane Cilento) at the ring of a telephone.

    Margot herself is desperately addicted to suburban glamour, in evening gowns which might appear somewhat glamorous for a gala night at the casino in Monte Carlo.

    She has trouble getting the young sculptor out of the house when she catches him cheating but shows how decent she really is by keeping a vigil at the hospital bed of her daughter Caroline (Sigrid Thornton).

    While these marital/extra-marital/paternal complications are taking place, a business predator from America, Al Geisman (Michael Pate) is keeping everybody in the toymaking industry on tenterhooks. On the face of it he simply wants Ray’s company to distribute his products in Australia but in reality, wants control and 51% of the profits.

    Pate’s Geisman is well done, the bonhomie underlined with arrogance and egotism. Al was originally an Australian, as he keeps reminding everyone. He likes a bit of fun, too, and makes a clumsy pass at Ray’s secretary, Jacki (Clare Binney).

    The people who emerge in the best condition from Duet For Four are Michael Pate, Sigrid Thornton, Arthur Dignam in a small role as Ray’s lawyer, and Rod Mullinar as Ray’s competitor.

    Ray Martin
    Michael Preston
    Barbara Dunstan
    Wendy Hughes
    Al Geisman
    Michael Pate
    Margot Mason
    Diane Cilento
    Terry Byrne
    Gary Day
    Diane Sanders
    Vanessa Leigh
    Cliff Ingersoll
    Warwick Comber
    Caroline Martin
    Sigrid Thornton
    Jacki Nesbitt
    Clare Binney
    Doug Quincey
    Arthur Dignam
    Bernie Crittendon
    Peter Stratford
    Ken Overland
    Rod Mullinar
    Dougal Dunstan
    David Morley
    Erik Dunstan
    Justin Morley
    Mary Dunstan
    Leah Steventon
    Toby Carroll
    Doug Bowles
    James Metcalf
    Arthur Barradell-Smith

    Director
    Tim Burstall

    Related Posts

    • Dave (1993)
      Dave (1993)
      Kevin Kline plays Dave Kovic - an ordinary guy who runs a small employment agency in Baltimore. There isn't much to…
    • Doctor at Sea (1955)
      Doctor at Sea (1955)
      One year after the highly successful Doctor In The House, Dirk Bogarde returned as the hapless medic Doctor Simon Sparrow.…
    • They Live (1988)
      They Live (1988)
      John Nada (wrestler-turned-actor Roddy Piper) is an unemployed drifter who finds construction work in Los Angeles and befriends Frank Armitage…
    • Frontline
      Frontline
      1 9 9 4 - 1 9 9 7 (Australia) 39 x 30 minute episodes Set in the studio of a…
    • Hey You!
      Hey You!
      1 9 6 7 (Australia) 16 x 30 minute episodes This Australian sitcom was produced by ATV-0 Melbourne and written by…
    • Americana (1981)
      Americana (1981)
      Filming of Americana began in 1973 when David Carradine was the star of the popular Kung Fu series and continued…
    • Dominique (1978)
      Dominique (1978)
      Based on the 1948 short story What Beckoning Ghost by Harold Lawlor, Dominique stars Cliff Robertson as a businessman named…
    • Sam's Luck
      Sam's Luck
      1 9 8 0 (Australia) 6 x 30 minute episodes Over six episodes, the ABC series Sam's Luck told the story of…

    Australia
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleEgg and I, The
    Next Article So Haunt Me

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Johnny & The Hurricanes
      Although they scored four Top Thirty hits in their native USA, […]
    • Queen and I, The
      1 9 6 9 (USA) 13 x 30 minute episodes The ‘Queen’ in […]
    • Funny Face (1957)
      Audrey Hepburn stars in her first screen musical (and did all […]
    • Larami Toys
      US toy company Larami Corp. of Philadelphia, PA, was founded in […]
    • Colt .45
      1 9 5 7 – 1 9 6 0 (USA) 67 x 30 minute episodes Wayde […]
    • Jason of Star Command
      1 9 7 8 – 1 9 8 1 (USA) 16 x 15 minute episodes 12 x 30 […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.