'WHEN Professor Ferguson stands trial for the murder of Garry Fletcher, he is accused of Murder With Malice! But was it murder? Did he do it with wilful intent or in the defence of the Japanese girl, Smiling Azalea? With the background of Japan, where most things take on a different perspective, Professor Ferguson deliberately shot Garry Fletcher because he attempted to chop down a tree. Can a tree affect a girl’s life? Is this defence warranted? Only a person who has lived in Japan—a person who knows their customs—can answer these questions! Only a person who has lived in close contact with these people could know how each cut of the axe biting into the tree could cause excruciating agony to the young girl, Smiling Azalea. Professor Ferguson stands trial for his life because he attempted to save this girl. The decision of the jury as to whether or not Professor Ferguson committed Murder With Malice closes the play on a tense and logically satisfying note.'
Source: 'For Next Week', ABC Weekly, 14 July 1951, p.13.
Broadcast on 2UE on 17 July 1951 (the final in the first series of Actor's Choice).
Cast: Rosemary Miller.
