1978: December 2-8

The Sullivans' amazing Grace...
Actress Lorraine Bayly is made to look considerably older than her 36 years when playing the motherly Grace Sullivan in The Sullivans - with make-up applied to add wrinkles and darken her cheeks, having her hair tied back and wearing loose-fitting dresses.  In fact, when she is not in Grace Sullivan mode, she is barely recognised in public.  But when asked how long we can expect to see Grace on screen: "Well, we are negotiating at the moment and I've signed to continue to next year.  There's a strong possibility that Grace will be there when the war ends in 1945."

...is also TV's golden girl
The Sullivans' Lorraine Bayly (pictured, with co-stars Richard Morgan and Steven Tandy) has become the highest-paid series actress in the history of Australian TV.  The actress, who recently won Best TV Actress at the 1978 Sammy Awards, is not saying exactly what she is being paid but it is reported to be more than $1000 a week.  Meanwhile, the cast of The Sullivans are about to take a four-week break over Christmas and Bayly will also be taking an extended break during  1979 for a trip to Brazil. 

American TV accents ousting the ocker!
A survey of Australian TV commercials has found that almost one in three are using American-accented dialogue.  This compares to around ten per cent of commercials shown on British television.  The study, carried out by the University of Melbourne, showed that the ocker Aussie accent was rarely used in prestige commercials and that, except for big names like Paul Hogan, it was used more in program content rather than commercials.

Buddha's golden ransom
The telemovie Puzzle, one of a series of telemovies made between Australia's ABC and international Trans-Atlantic Enterprises, was originally to feature American actress Tina Louise.  A last minute withdrawal by Louise saw the role of glamorous Claudine Cunningham played by Australian actress Wendy Hughes.   To screen on ABC this week, Puzzle also features Robert Helpmann, Kerry McGuire (pictured) and US actor James Franciscus.

Briefly:
Colleen Hewett and Michael Aitken played husband and wife in ABC's The Truckies, and now have again been cast as partners for an upcoming guest appearance in Seven's Cop Shop.

Robert Coleby, one of the cast of ABC's new series Patrol Boat, will be joined in one episode by seven-year-old daughter Anja.  The young actress also appeared in an episode of Coleby's previous series Chopper Squad.

Viewpoint: Letters to the Editor
"I would very much like to congratulate anyone who had anything to do with Against The Wind.  It is a great pity that there aren't more shows like it." N Webster, QLD.

"I would like to add my voice to the many praising The Truckies.  With a bit of luck we may have another series.  Our family always enjoys the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas which ABC has occasionally shown, and hope for more." J Williams, VIC.

"As Countdown is primarily for teens and pre-teens, it should be more selective with the film clips chosen to be featured.  One in particular is Deadlock Holiday by 10cc, which in my opinion was very suggestive.  Film clips of this nature should only be shown to mature audiences.  Countdown viewers are at a very impressionable age and could be influenced in the wrong way."  B Baker, SA.

"I would like to congratulate Neil Inall and his excellent team of reporters on Horizon 5.  It is a pleasure to be able, daily, to view this program which is very interesting and informative." H Kerns, QLD.

What's On (December 2-8):
HSV7's summer tennis coverage continues with all-day coverage, from 11.00am to 6.00pm each day, of the women's Federation Cup from Melbourne and the Toyota Women's Classic from Sydney.

ABC has live coverage from Brisbane of the cricket First Test on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, from 11.55am to 7.00pm.

Wednesday night includes the series final of The Inventors on ABC, with the announcement of the winner of The Inventors Award selected from the 72 who have featured on the show during the year.  Presenting the award will be David Port, son of panelist Leo Port who passed away earlier in the year. Later in the evening, a Holiday special, Bill Peach In China, takes a rare look at life and tourism in China.

The Mike Walsh Show finishes up for 1978, ending its second year at the Nine Network after moving across from the 0-10 Network.

Sunday night movies are Dirty Weekend (HSV7), Goodbye Columbus (GTV9) and The Hornet's Nest (ATV0).

Source: TV Times (Melbourne edition), 2 December 1978.  ABC/ACP

1978: June 24-30

Cover: Ugly Dave hits back
Blankety Blanks panelist Ugly Dave Gray (pictured) answers his critics that say his jokes on the popular game show are too smutty. "I'm not saying we're perfect, we do get a bit naughty at times, but it's harmless. We don't try to shock or offend people," he tells TV Times. "I honestly don't think Blankety Blanks is rude. At the most it could be called cheeky. I don't think any kid would be hurt by watching Blankety Blanks, I strongly believe one of the reasons for its season is that has a double appeal - kids enjoy the atmosphere and the fun, which often gets a bit slapstick, and the adults like it because they can relate to the people that work on show." The game show, with host Graham Kennedy, is approaching its 400th episode.

ABC boosts drama
TV Times reports that ABC is to boost its amount of drama output by 16 hours to exceed 100 hours of TV a year. As well as series such as Catspaw, Truckies and Patrol Boat, the national broadcaster is looking to add more one-off productions and short-run dramas. Two new series, The Oracle and Ride On Stranger, are already in production, and ABC is hoping to add a science-fiction series Locusts And Wild Honey, and a children's drama All The Green Years.

Broadening Horizons
ABC's afternoon rural affairs program Horizon-5 promises to offer an alternative to daytime soaps and variety shows like The Mike Walsh Show. The program is into its third year and as well as covering rural issues, Canberra-based reporter Stewart McLennan says the show is gaining a following in capital cities as well. McLennan and a camera crew have also just completed a trip to Western Australia to film a six-part special report on success stories and farming innovations within the state which he says would be of interest to eastern states audiences.

Now it's the Doctors Down Under
The Seven Network has finalised plans to produce an Australian version of the British Doctor comedies. The thirteen-part series, titled Doctor Down Under, will be taped later in the year at the studios of ATN7 Sydney and will feature Robin Nedwell and Geoffrey Davies from the British original. The network is also in advanced stages of planning a further seven episodes of the Australian version of Father Dear Father, and is also planning a local remake of Love Thy Neighbour.

Toothy smiles home at last
In the 1960s, Australian writer Marcia Hatfield had created a cartoon series concept titled The Toothbrush Family - but could not gain any local interest in the proposal. She instead took the idea to America's CBS network which, in 1976, signed up a multi-million-dollar deal to produce a 20-episode cartoon series as well as merchandising of dental-care products and syndicated comic strips. The success of the program, seen in up to 3 million American households, led to Hatfield being invited to be a guest speaker at the World Health Organisation. The series, which aims to educate children on dental care with characters such as Tom and Tess Toothbrush (pictured), Flash Fluoride, Nev Nailbrush and Susie Sponge, has now been sold back to Australia and is to screen as part of the Super Flying Fun Show on the Nine Network.

Viewpoint: Letters to the Editor
"I have watched Peter Couchman since he was on This Day Tonight. I used to like him very much, but what has ATV0 done to him lately? He used to have the features of a young male, vital, passionate, enthusiastic, with strong opinions. Now he wears make-up which softens his features. He seems insecure, an old lady's sweetie, and soon will begin to talk like Johnny Young!" F. Ross, VIC.

"May I congratulate the networks for their wisdom in showing American mini-series such as Captains And Kings, Rich Man Poor Man, Roots, 79 Park Avenue and Testimony Of Two Men. The series made compelling viewing, and really brighten up an otherwise dull six to eight hours of viewing." L. McKenzie, SA.

"I wish to voice my disapproval at the way in which Crawford Productions wrote Maggie Dence out of The Sullivans. For Aunty Rose to drown was a tragedy indeed. Surely, her part could have been disposed of in a more acceptable way than to have her die in such a manner? Even John has a chance of returning to the scene at a future date. Why not Rose?" Y. Johnson, QLD.

What's On (June 24-30):
As the World Cup reaches its conclusion, ABC screens a live telecast of the playoff for third place, at 3.45am Sunday morning, and the following morning at 3.15am presents live coverage of the World Cup final from Buenos Aires, Argentina. The final is replayed on Monday evening.

HSV7 presents the premiere of the landmark US mini-series Holocaust, reliving the nightmare of the Nazi regime which claimed more than six million lives. The series, which included a cast of 150 actors and 1000 extras, avoided employing Hollywood actors but rather chose performers from stage backgrounds such as Meryl Streep, Rosemary Harris and George Rose. Starting with a three-hour premiere on Monday night, the mini-series continued in two-hour episodes on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and a two-and-a-half-hour final chapter on Thursday.

The premiere episode of the Seven Network's Father Dear Father In Australia airs on HSV7 - featuring Patrick Cargill from the British original, and Australian actors Bill Kerr, Sally Conabere and Sigrid Thornton.

Sunday night's movies are The Oregon Trail (HSV7), The Fortune (GTV9) and Burn (ATV0). GTV9 follows its movie with coverage of the US Open Golf Championships.

Source: TV Times (Melbourne edition), 24 June 1978. ABC/ACP