Williamson submitted a storyline called Return from Vietname about a conscript, Graham, who discovers his wife, Karen, has left him for an economist, Neville.
The play was originally titled Third World Blues but the MTC requested this be changed to Juggler's Three.
[4][5] The first production was very well reviewed and later transferred from Russell St Theatre to Harry M. Miller's Melbourne Playbox Theatre, which was rare for Australian plays at the time[6] Williamson later called the play "a hysterical and unresearched piece of melodramatical nonsense.
[5] Williamson rewrote the play after researching by talking to Vietnam veterans and counsellors saying "I slowly started to realise just how traumatic war and combat is for most participants."
He also made key structural changes saying "the original was virtually in farce form - there was something like 39 entrances and exits.