First published in 1974, but performed by NIDA in 1970, The Legend of King O'Malley was a controversial play for its time. In the thick of the Vietnam War, the authors themselves, as well as the actors were directly influenced by the issue of conscription. Each of the characters, legislations, and events are based on real life, therefore, both the events of the time it is set in, the early 20th century, and the time when the play was written, 1960's, have influenced the authors.

Ultimately, The Legend of King O'Malley is about politics. In writing this play, I believe Boddy and Ellis were encouraging ignorant Australians to examine the political and social construction of their country. They were also addressing the issues that were affecting them the most at the time, conscription and war. Faced with the possibility of being dragged away at the drop of a hat, Ellis and Boddy used their talents to make their opinions heard. The idea of using satire and various acting and production styles to convince their audience takes the edge off of the serious nature of the play and the issues that it a

From this we can see the passion that is woven into the script and the origins of many of the ideas. We know that King O'Malley was a real person, born in 1854 who founded "The Waterlily Rockbound Church, the Redskin Temple of the Cayuse Nation" and died in Melbourne in 1953, but the character as portrayed in 'The Legend', was derived predominantly from two of the strongest influences on Ellis's own life, Sibley and Bill Marwood. Just as O'Malley's characteristics stem primarily from influences in the authors lives', the religious connotations throughout the play are similarly derived.

Just as the events of the play are based on fact, so too are the circumstances to a degree. The opening scenes, with their preaching and giving are derived from the childhood experiences of one or both of the authors. In his introduction to the play, Bob Ellis explains;

In conclusion, the authors were not only influenced by events of their time, but also by the historical incidents. By writing The Legend of King O'Malley, Bob Ellis and Michael Boddy are encouraging their audiences to look into the history of Australia and consider how things could have be done differently. They have also discussed controversial issues of their era

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Approximate Word count = 824
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)