Maximum nostalgia at PBCJ Watch-Party

It was a night of meeting, greeting and reminiscing among friends, theatre practitioners, members of the broadcasting industry and viewers of Lime Tree Lane, one of the first television dramas in the region, which ended in 1997. From all accounts, the recent, inaugural staging of the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica’s (PBCJ’s) Watch-Party was a hit.

It was standing-room-only in Studio National, the largest drive-in studio in the English-speaking Caribbean. CEO Keith Campbell explained to the audience that in the early years before the advent of recording technology, commercials and programmes were live and so, a commercial for a Morris Minor, for example, would involve the talent actually driving the car onto the studio floor, then stepping out to sell the product.

The featured presentation for the evening, Lime Tree Lane, one of the vintage programmes from the archives of the PBCJ, had everyone laughing and remembering when they would be glued to their television sets to catch a slice of life through the Jamaican comedy.

The icing on the cake for the audience was to be able to ‘press flesh’ with the stars of Lime Tree Lane, including Dorothy Cunningham (Miss Zella); Silton Townsend (Mas Gussie); Dr Patrick Prendergast (Sammy); Christopher Daley (Johnny); and Andrea Anderson (Tiny). It was a treat to watch the actors on the screen and see an older version of them right there actively participating in the event.

Senior citizen Shirley Hutchinson declared that she enjoyed every minute of the event and added, “It was so wonderful to see Christopher Daley as a nine-year-old on the screen acting, and then see him here as a big man with his family.”

Describing the event as a brilliant idea, theatre stalwart Dorothy Cunningham said that while it was a trip down memory lane for the seniors, for the younger members of the audience, most of whom had never seen Lime Tree Lane, it provided an opportunity for discovery.

“They were seeing excellent, low-budget productions that were filmed with minimal sets, with actors, directors and crews that created magic,” Cunningham said.

With a commitment to showing vintage as well as contemporary content, PBCJ Watch Party also presented the top three films in the JCDC’s 2024 Short Film Competition. These were Shattered, by Sabrina Thomas (1st place); Undertow, by George Malcolm Walker (2nd place); and She Saw, by Seana’Kay Wright (3rd place).

Fae Ellington was in her ‘ackee’, effortlessly using her knowledge and skill as a broadcaster, actress and host to guide the evening’s proceedings. There was laughter aplenty, and people felt like they were all in one big living room enjoying an evening together.