Harry Pringle

Harry Noel Pringle (25 December 1903 – 30 March 1985) was an Australian radio and television producer who worked on light entertainment programmes in England and Australia.

Biography Harry Pringle was the son of Edith Ogilvie Benzley, and Harry Lempriere Pringle (1869, Hobart, Tasmania1914, London, England). His father was an operatic bass who sang at Covent Garden, London and the Metropolitan Opera, New York. Pringle worked in music hall, until in 1937 he became one of the first producers on BBC Television.

On 1 September 1939, BBC Television broadcasting was suspended because of the outbreak of World War II, and only resumed in June 1946. In 1940, Pringle relocated to Australia, where he was appointed to take charge of radio light entertainment for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). He created Out of the Bag (first broadcast, 31 August 1940), a radio series described by the editor of Wireless Weekly as "the best variety show yet heard here". In June 1941, he moved to 3DB, a commercial radio station in Melbourne. In 1944, he returned to ABC as federal director of light entertainment. In 1946, he resigned to return to the BBC. In 1947, he was reappointed by ABC to his former position. In 1949, he spent six months on leave in England; while there, he produced several more programmes for the BBC. He resigned from the ABC in 1954.

Selected productions The listings include the network for which the programme was made; the years in which Pringle was involved; and (where known) the number of episodes (in parentheses). Cabaret, BBC 193739, 1946 (68) Cabaret Cruise, BBC 193739, 1946, 1949 (15) Cafe Continental, ABC 195860 Comedy Cabaret, BBC 1938 (5) Intimate Cabaret, BBC 193738 (7) Out of the Bag, ABC (radio) 194041 Rooftop Rendezvous, ABC 1959 Tele-Variety, ABC 195758 (3) Variety, BBC 193739, 1946, 1949 (32) Western Cabaret, BBC 1939 (5)