1990: March 31-April 6

Tammy’s springing into movies!
Tammy McIntosh’s career is set to leap even further than she had imagined.  The former Perth girl (pictured, with Andrew McFarlane) went from children’s program C’mon Kids to prime-time drama as nurse Annie Rogers in The Flying Doctors – and has drawn praise from Nine drama chief Alan Bateman:  “I really think this is the best Flying Doctors series ever and I’m particularly excited about Tammy.  She brings a real sparkle and energy to the show.”  Now it seems there could be a future for the 19-year-old on the big screen, with plans to head to Sydney to discuss a film role before returning to Melbourne for production of the next series of The Flying Doctors. 

Will Carol come back?
The Seven Network is in negotiation with Carol Willesee, estranged wife of current affairs identity Mike Willesee, over reinstating her for the leading role of Pippa Fletcher in Home And Away.  Willesee was originally appointed for the role when the pilot was being produced in 1987 but quit the show after two days’ filming.  Willesee cited the long hours and disruption to her family commitments as reasons for leaving and she parted company with Seven amicably.  Vanessa Downing, who ended up being cast as Pippa, is now set to leave the show when her contract expires later in the year, leading to the negotiations between Seven and Willesee.  But a Seven spokesperson said that “nothing has been resolved.”  Willesee recently completed a guest role in Nine’s Family And Friends (pictured).

Farewell to a golden girl
Pat McDonald, the much-loved actress through her long-serving roles in Number 96 and Sons And Daughters, has died from cancer.  The multi-Logie award winner first became ill only six months ago when she collapsed just minutes before stepping on to the stage for the Sydney production of Alex Buzo’s play, Shellcove Road.  Ten days before her death in hospital, McDonald asked that she be carried to her resting place in a pink hearse.  Close friend Stuart Wagstaff, speaking at McDonald’s farewell at St Stephen’s church in Sydney, conceded “we could not find one – it seems there is not much call for a pink hearse in Sydney – so we had to settle for white.”  The funeral was attended by many of her former Number 96 and Sons And Daughters colleagues – including Ron Shand, Johnny Lockwood, Elisabeth Kirkby, Jeff Kevin, Thelma Scott, James Elliott, Joanna Lockwood, Leila Hayes, Brian Blain, Tom Richards and Danny Roberts.  A one-time TV Week Gold Logie winner (in 1974), one of McDonald’s last TV appearances was in the opening number of the 1989 TV Week Logie Awards, appearing alongside other female Gold Logie winners Lorrae Desmond, Hazel Phillips, Rowena Wallace and Denise Drysdale.

Briefly…
Former Sons And Daughters star Brian Blain is on the comeback trail after a horrific motorcycle accident which nearly killed him.  Suffering five broken ribs and a broken collarbone, Blain says that if it wasn’t for his crash helmet he would have broken his neck too.  The 53-year-old actor is making a return to television in a guest role on A Country Practice, working alongside old friend Shane Porteous with who he started his acting career with in Brisbane.

Showbiz couple John Orcsik and Paula Duncan moved to Sydney two years ago to avoid work-related separations – but now the pair each find themselves in demand in separate cities.  Orcsik (pictured) has been performing in Melbourne in David Williamson’s play Siren, and is set to follow the show on a national tour, while Duncan has been appearing in Sydney-based soap Home And Away, with producers pushing for a long-term commitment.

Neighbours producers have decided to write out the popular character of Sharon Davies, played by 19-year-old Jessica Muschamp who says the decision may have been a “blessing in disguise.”  Muschamp told TV Week, “As good as it had been, they probably felt that Sharon didn’t have as much of a family base as some of the other characters.”  She will finish with Neighbours in five weeks and is already committed to English pantomime performances over Christmas and is considering mini-series and theatre roles in Australia.

John Laws says…
”Why did Nine’s Family And Friends (pictured) struggle so desperately in the ratings in prime time?  It’s something of a mystery, because the show is no worse than any other of the other top-rating soaps screening at the moment.  Yet viewers rejected it and Nine has banished it to 5.30pm.  Why should this be?”

Program Highlights (March 31-April 6):
Saturday:  HSV7 crosses to Carrara, Brisbane, for Saturday night AFL – Brisbane Bears versus Richmond – with commentators Sandy Roberts, Peter McKenna, Don Scott and boundary reports from Bill McDonald.
Sunday:  The afternoon is dominated by sport – NBL (HSV7), AFL (HSV7), Figure Skating (GTV9), Davis Cup Tennis (on SBS, taking the Seven Network coverage due to that network’s AFL commitments) and Rugby League (ATV10).  Sunday night movies are Firewalker (HSV7), The Razor’s Edge (GTV9) and Off Limits (ATV10).
Tuesday:  In ABC’s drama GP, Steve (Michael O’Neill) is devastated when he discovers that a close friend has AIDS.  He has to reconcile himself to his friend’s homosexuality and help him to cope with the trauma.
Wednesday:  ATV10 presents a re-run of mini-series My Brother Tom, starring Gordon Jackson, Keith Michell, Christopher Cummins and Tom Jennings.
Thursday:  In Home And Away (HSV7), how much longer can Sophie (Rebekah Elmaloglou) put off revealing her lack of literacy skills? 
Friday:  HSV7 presents Friday night AFL coverage of Richmond versus North Melbourne from the MCG.

Source: TV Week (Victoria edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide.    
31 March 1990. Southdown Press.

1978: November 25-December 1

How Georgiou stays a jump ahead
The cops featured in Crawford Productions' police dramas are used to high-speed car chases, but actor John Orcsik (pictured) from Cop Shop is just at home on a horse.  A former bodybuilder and karate student, Orcsik for several years owned and operated a horse riding school in Western Australia: "I gave it away in the end because I was working on my body at the time and as I built myself up I became too heavy for the horses."  Orcsik is glad to be able to include horse-riding as a skill when applying for acting roles, but it has only been called upon in the ABC series Ben Hall and in a guest appearance on Tandarra.

Mark's taste of Hollywood
Returning from the Cannes Film Festival saw pop star and actor Mark Holden make a stop in Hollywood, and three months later he's still there.  Originally planning to visit the US to gather songs for his new album, Holden has ended up with a producer and has been arranging and recording tracks, proposing them to record companies, and also attending an acting school.

Germaine to look us over
Aussie ex-pat Germaine Greer is heading to Australia to make a documentary on Sydney as part of the Canadian-produced series Cities Of The World.  Other cities to be featured in the series include Leningrad, Rome, Stockholm, Berlin, Toronto, Jerusalem, New York and Dublin.  The series, being produced by British-born John McGreevy, is expected to air towards the end of 1979.

Tiny talented Tina
According to her mother, 10-year-old Tina Arena (pictured) "had been making singing and chattering noises almost from the day she was born, and when she was two we knew she would have to do something in showbusiness."  The youngster's penchant for singing led to her parents entering her into the Young Talent Time new talent segment.  Tina recalls, "I won the heat and the quarter finals, but I lost the semi-finals.  I wasn't disappointed and I enjoyed myself, but it was a complete surprise when Johnny Young asked if I would join the team. "  The young star is hopeful of an acting career when she is older.

Briefly:
Staff at Melbourne's ATV0 have been amused by the placement of sets for the new series Prisoner.  The replica prison wall, exercise area and vegetable garden are all located next to the channel's administration offices.

Former Number 96 star Harry Michaels (pictured) is celebrating the first anniversary of his weekly daytime variety program Greek Affair which he hosts and produces for the 0-10 Network.  The program is also screened in Cyprus and Michaels is also negotiating to sell the program to the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.

ABC sports commentator Norman May has tipped England to win the Australia-England Test Series which starts in Brisbane this week.  Joining May on ABC's summer cricket coverage will be former Test captain Bobby Simpson, Keith Miller and Frank Tyson.

Newly-retired naval officer Commander Alun Evans has joined ABC as an advisor on the new series Patrol Boat.

Viewpoint: Letters to the Editor:
"ABC has one big weak point.  It does not show good quality full-length movies on a regular basis."  D Irving, NSW.

"What is wrong with the stations they they spend thousands on such rubbish as Micro Macro (pictured) and Blankety Blanks?  They are an insult to the average person's intelligence.  Do they really think we are so dumb?"  A McCallum, VIC.

"I'd like to see foreign films on TV (with subtitles of course), and every TV station having its own theatrette in town, to take the place of 'news theatres'.  Why shouldn't someone, who has an hour or two to spare, be able to pop into a mini-theatre to pay to watch on a maxi-screen, the program that they could have been watching had they stayed at home."  P Cunningham, NSW.

What's On (November 25-December 1):
The Seven Network's summer tennis coverage begins with the Queensland Open from Brisbane on Saturday and Sunday, followed by the Federation Cup, the women's equivalent of the Davis Cup, from Monday through to Friday, live from Kooyong in Melbourne.

The Nine Network's usual daytime line-up of US soap operas takes a break for summer, with re-runs of Australian dramas Division Four and Silent Number appearing in the schedule.

ABC's weekly game show Micro Macro moves from Friday nights to Monday at 6.25pm.

The 1978-79 season of World Series Cricket starts on Tuesday with Australia versus the West Indies, telecast live from the Sydney Cricket Ground, on GTV9 from 2.20pm through to 10.30pm.  The following day features Australia versus The World.

On Wednesday night, HSV7 presents a repeat of the one-hour special John Denver In Australia, while ATV0 screens a repeat of the Holiday Survival Test showing viewers how to avoid common accidents over the upcoming holiday period.

The first cricket Test, Australia versus England, starts on Friday with live coverage on ABC from the Brisbane Cricket Ground.  Coverage starts at 11.50am and continues through to 6.30pm.

Friday night sees the final edition of ABC's long-running current affairs program This Day Tonight, ending an almost twelve-year run.

Sunday night movies are Baffled (HSV7), Kotch (GTV9) and an Australian film Squeeze A Flower (ATV0) featuring Rowena Wallace, Jeff Ashby and Barry Crocker.

Source: TV Times (Melbourne edition), 25 November 1978.  ABC/ACP

1978: May 27-June 2

What makes Bert run?
Bert Newton (pictured, with wife Patti) has taken on a lot in the last three years - marriage, fatherhood, five mornings a week on radio 3UZ, two nights a week on The Don Lane Show, his own weekly show New Faces, TV commercials and was King of Melbourne's annual Moomba festival - but sees no danger of repeating the famous breakdown he suffered in the early 1960s. Now approaching 40, Newton reflects on that earlier period: "A breakdown was inevitable and I even had the warnings. But who takes heed of such things at that age?"

Gwen Plumb, TV's genial menial
Ada Simmons, the gossipy kiosk lady of Nine's The Young Doctors, would think Gwen Plumb (pictured) is a bit posh. After all, Plumb is everything Ada Simmons isn't - sophisticated, self-assured and independent. Plumb looks back on over 30 years in show business - from early days as a copywriter with Sydney radio station 2GB, to working on stage in London's West End and hosting her own popular radio and television shows in Sydney in the 1960s.

Greatest show on Earth kicks off!
ABC's coverage of the soccer World Cup begins this week - with live coverage of the opening match between West Germany and Poland, highlights and delayed coverage of other matches, and live coverage of the final for third place to be played on 25 June, and the final on 26 June.

Chopper Squad's Hollywood connection
Chopper Squad actor Robert Coleby has confessed to TV Times that his real name is actually Robert Taylor. When he graduated from acting school in London, he was encouraged to assume a new name rather than keep his real name to avoid any comparison at that time to the Hollywood actor of the same name. He chose the name Coleby when browsing the London telephone directory for inspiration and found only two Colebys listed for the whole of London.

By Georgiou, it's Detective Orcsik!
Cop Shop's newest recruit John Orcsik (pictured) might have been born in Hungary, but has lived in Australia most of his life and considers himself only as "Australian" - yet the 32-year-old actor has played everything from a Irish priest in The Sullivans, an Arab guerilla in the telemovie Harvest Of Hate, and is now playing a Greek-born detective in Cop Shop: "Crawford Productions have been good to me, but some other production companies have ruled me out because I look 'too European'." The first time he played a run-of-the-mill Australian was in the soap Number 96. When he's not in Melbourne filming for Cop Shop, Orcsik spends his time in Sydney with girlfriend Margaret and two-year-old son Simon.

Viewpoint: Letters to the Editor
"How refreshing it was to see such a superb production as ABC's Loss Of Innocence. It was well acted and set perfectly to present the top-class product we should always be able to enjoy." J. Browing, QLD.

"Why is it what when we have many of own fine young actors and actresses in Australia - like Nick Hedstrom in The Restless Years - people have to make ridiculous statements like "they say he's another Brando"? He doesn't look like Marlon Brando, and surely he would much rather be popular as himself and not because "they" say he's another Brando. I wonder who "they" are?" S. Gerry, NSW.

"On Sydney ATN7 news I had the displeasure to see an item about the murder of a security guard where the camera followed a trail of blood out of the building, along the footpath to a pool of blood next to the body under a sheet. I would rather watch supposedly violent TV shows which I do not believe influence children than to see real death and violence which could give anyone nightmares." J. Wright, NSW.

What's On (May 27-June 2):
ABC presents Rocturnal, a late-night music series based on the ABCFM program of the same name, hosted by David Woodhall.

Thursday night (actually, 2.00am Friday morning) sees ABC's live telecast of the World Cup soccer from Argentina - the opening ceremony and the first match between West Germany and Poland. The telecast is repeated Friday evening.

ATV0 presents the Grand Final of the talent quest Pot Of Gold, with host Tommy Hanlon Jnr and resident judge Bernard King. Although the series normally screened on weekday afternoons, the final was shown on Sunday at 5.00pm, marking the end of over three years of the program.

Sunday night movies are Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (HSV7), Lady Caroline Lamb (GTV9) and A Fistful Of Dollars (ATV0).

Source: TV Times (Melbourne edition), 27 May 1978, ABC/ACP.

1978: January 14-20

Cover: Cop Shop's Restless Mum
Actress Rowena Wallace is feeling that she's becoming typecast after a succession of roles which the 30-year-old has played a "homely wife" figure - a perception not helped by her naturally silver hair ("a hereditary thing") and that one of her earlier roles in the mini-series Power Without Glory had her play an aging role. Image problems aside, Rowena is happy in her new role in Seven's Cop Shop opposite actor George Mallaby (pictured with Rowena on the TV Times cover), although playing a housewife with a teenage daughter is a far cry from her trail-blazing teenage role in You Can't See Round Corners a decade earlier.

Sparring partners' birthday toast:
The 0-10 Network's daytime talent show Pot Of Gold has reached its 600th episode, celebrated by host Tommy Hanlon Jnr and resident judge Bernard King. The pair had an uneasy on-air partnership - Hanlon insisting King's vicious criticisms of contestants were too harsh, but King felt Hanlon was too soft on them. Over its 600 episodes, 4300 acts have appeared.

John finally cops the job:
Sydney-based actor John Orcsik has finally scored a role in a Crawford Productions series. The former Number 96 actor had auditioned for roles in Bluey and Homicide, and for the original casting of Cop Shop, and had missed each time - but now had been chosen by Crawfords to appear in a new Cop Shop role to fill the gap left behind by departing actor Tony Bonner.

The Sullivans' Greek connection:
Greek-born actress Chantal Contouri has just made her debut appearance in the World War II series The Sullivans, as a widow who becomes involved with some of the Australian soldiers fighting in Greece. The 27-year-old actress had made a recent trip to Greece and with husband Peter Walker had restored a peasant cottage into a home where the pair plan to spend time each year.

Max-In-The-Box bounces back:
Following the demise of the soap opera The Box, actor Barrie Barkla moved to Perth in the hope of distancing himself from his character from the series, TV executive Max Knight. But for Barkla, who has established himself at Perth's STW9 with on-air and backstage roles, it was harder to move on from the character than he had expected - especially given that The Box still had a considerable time to run still in Perth.

Viewpoint - Letters to the Editor:
"My complaint is not about the quality of Australian TV so much as the misrepresentation of Australians. There is no reflection on the mixture of races in Australia. I would like to see Italian or Indian teachers in the Grundy programs set in schools - for example, Glenview High." M.S., NSW

"I am evidently (and as usual) in the very small minority, but I remain completely amazed that a really hilarious show like Celebrity Squares should be replaced with a sort of B-class quiz effort called Blankety Blanks...." R.H.G., WA

"I thank Crawford Productions and the Seven Network for Cop Shop. It is not just another police series. It is a more realistic series, showing the pressure on police and their families." F.M., NSW.

What's On (Melbourne):
More cricket on GTV9 with World Series Cricket, but also there's cricket action on ATV0 with Tasmania versus South Australia in the Gillette Cup.

On weekday afternoons, with non-ratings still dictating the schedules, GTV9 presents re-runs of police drama Division 4, while ATV0 presents a magazine program Shoulder To Shoulder with journalist Mickie de Stoop. In the mornings, ATV0 starts the day at 7.00am with The Early Bird Show, GTV9 has the Holiday Fun Show in the same timeslot, and ABC has Sesame Street at 8.00am. HSV7 doesn't commence weekday transmission until 10.00am with Miss Patricia on Romper Room starting the broadcast day.

David Johnston and Honor Walters present the children's magazine program This Week Has Seven Days on HSV7. Among this week's topics are toffee making, macrame, safety when canoeing and resident vet Dr Tim looks at water dragons.

Sunday night movies are Honky Tonk (HSV7), The Chairman (GTV9) and Crooks And Coronets (ATV0).

Source: TV Times, 14 January 1978. ABC/ACP