1979: November 3-9

Sammys golden night out
The fourth annual Australian TV and Film Awards, the Sammys, have been presented at Sydney’s Seymour Centre.  Winning the Gold Sammy awards, for excellence in performance during the year, were daytime TV host Mike Walsh and singer and TV presenter Marcia Hines.  For Walsh it is his second Gold Sammy and Hines also won a Sammy for Best Variety Performer.

But the biggest hit of the night was the mini-series Against The Wind, taking out four awards including Best Drama Series, Best Actor in a TV series (Gerard Kennedy) and Best Actress in a TV Series (Kerry McGuire).

1979 Sammy Awards TV category winners Gold (male): Mike Walsh Gold (female): Marcia Hines Chips Rafferty Memorial Award: Stanley Hawes Best Actor in a Single TV Performance: John Hargreaves (A Good Thing Going) Best Actress in a Single TV Performance: Belinda Giblin (Say You Want Me) Best Actor in a TV Series: Gerard Kennedy (Against The Wind) Best Actress in a TV Series: Kerry McGuire (Against The Wind) Best Variety Performer: Marcia Hines Best Drama Series: Against The Wind Best Comedy Program: Neutral Ground (Tickled Pink) Best TV Play: The Plumber Best Variety Program: Hollywood (TV Follies) Best Documentary: The Last Tasmanians Best News Coverage: Pentridge Riot (GTV9 Melbourne) Best Current Affairs Program: 60 Minutes Best Sports Coverage: Australian Open Golf (Nine Network) Best Children’s Series: Top Mates Best Light Entertainment Series: Parkinson In Australia Best Art Direction: Quentin Hole (Ride On Stranger) Best Writer (TV Series): Peter Yeldham (Run From The Morning) Best Writer (TV Play): Peter Weir (The Plumber) Best Editing: Michael Balson (Mutiny On The Western Front) Best Costume Design: Clare Griffin (Against The Wind)

Trapping Lorraine was a piece of cake!
It was Lorraine Bayly’s sweet tooth that led her into being featured on the Seven Network’s This Is Your Life.  TV Times reporter Joanna Parsons and photographer David Murray were asked by the show to invite Bayly (pictured) to an interview while she was in Sydney attending the Sammy Awards.  The interview was to take place in a hotel restaurant where TIYL host Roger Climpson and camera crew would sneak into the restaurant via the kitchen and quietly set up at a table behind Bayly.  The maitre d’hotel would then present Bayly with flowers “sent by the gentleman sitting at the next table.”  Then Bayly would turn around to find Climpson to declare “Lorraine Bayly, This Is Your Life.”  But the plans for the mock interview almost went awry when Bayly suggested the interview be conducted in her hotel room.  It was a quick-thinking Parsons, knowing Bayly’s weakness for chocolate cake, who then responded, “but they have the most wonderful chocolate cake in the restaurant.  Wouldn’t you like to try it?”  Bayly fell for it and the set-up continued as planned.  Bayly then responded, “Do you mean the interview wasn’t really…?”  Parsons assured her that it was still a genuine interview, to be published soon in TV Times.

They’re off!
In the lead-up to the Melbourne Cup, TV Times talks to four of Australia’s top race callers about the ‘race that stops a nation.’  ATV0 race caller Clem Dimsey (pictured) admitted that when he first called the Melbourne Cup for the 0-10 Network last year, he lost a stone in weight due to the tension.  Although Dimsey has called the Melbourne Cup race on a number of prior occasions, last year was the first as part of a nationwide coverage of the race.  Dimsey’s tip for the Melbourne Cup is a New Zealand horse, Kankama.  ABC race caller Joe Brown will notch up a milestone when he calls the Melbourne Cup for the 32nd time, equalling the record set by the late Ken Howard.  “It’s the highlight of the working year,” he says.  Brown has tipped Dulcify for the Melbourne Cup.  Radio 3UZ caller John Russell, who will also call the race for the Macquarie Radio Network and the Nine Network, has called the Melbourne Cup only twice before now but had been the understudy for veteran caller Bert Bryant for 23 years.  Russell is reluctant to give a tip for the big race as he is involved in various phantom race calls involving big prizes, though he does name Dulcify, Kankama and Our Big Gamble as good chances.  The Seven Network and radio 3DB’s Bill Collins will be calling the Melbourne Cup for the 26th time this year, but still admits to getting nerves before the race.  “I still remember the nerves before I called my first cup and the drama still gets to me these days.  The build-up is impossible to resist,” he says.  Collins, nicknamed ‘The Accurate One’, was reluctant to give a cup tip too far in advance but did feel that Dulcify and Double Century should do well.

Briefly…
Many of the staff from Riverside were present for the baptism of Cop Shop’s latest addition, Prudence Jane Marion Benjamin, the daughter of Claire (Louise Philip, pictured) and Tony Benjamin (Greg Ross).  Prudence, played by a baby boy named Zigi Barrett, took to the filming calmly with only a small cry of protest towards the end of filming.  The episode airs this week in Sydney and Melbourne, next week in Brisbane and later in Adelaide.

Three former TV cops, George Mallaby, Leonard Teale and Warwick Randall, have recorded safety messages for Melbourne radio station 3MP.

The Seven Network is negotiating to buy the TV rights to the film Cathy’s Child, the film which won three awards at the recent Sammys.  However, it will be some time before the film appears on TV as it has still yet to be released in cinemas in Perth and many country areas.

ATV0 newsreader Bruce Mansfield likes to dress well.  His current favourite tie is a classy number with a rose motif.  Anyone can buy a similar one, if prepared to pay $75.

Actress Penny Ramsey has made a return to work, after seven years as a full-time housewife and mother of two, as the wife of deputy governor Jim Fletcher (Gerard Maguire) in Prisoner.  The daughter of actress Lois Ramsey has had a varied career, including appearing on The Mavis Bramston Show as a teenager in the ‘60s, hosting a children’s show and appearing in the stage musical Hair.

Viewpoint: Letters to the Editor:
”After more than 10 years of journalists using the word “charisma” I have a vague notion of what it means.  Could you ask ABC journalists in Canberra if I have to wait as long to crack on to ‘hiatus’?” W. Murphy, NSW.

“I would like to express my extreme disappointment at the way ABC deprived us of the presentation of the awards at both the State of Origin Australian Rules carnival and the 1979 grand final in Western Australia.  On 6 and 8 October, ABC were good enough to televise the State of Origin matches.  This included something like nine hours of top-class football, and surely, if this was possible an extra half-hour at the conclusion was possible.  When they returned to the studio it was only to show an absolutely pathetic cartoon, The White Seal, or, on the weekend of the WA grand final, a repeat of Countdown.  Remember that country viewers are, unfortunately, stuck with only this one annoying channel.” L. Beaton, WA.

“Lately, I don’t think Prisoner has had its usual quick humour and zest.  This seems to have come about only since the character of Noelene Bourke (Jude Kuring) left the series.  Although she was unpopular, I believe she put the finishing touches to the show.  She and her daughter, Leanne (Tracey-Jo Riley), should be reintroduced.  Having a youngster in the program is a good idea, as it keeps us in contact with the difficulties of the young.” D. Harvey, NSW.

What’s On (November 3-9):
Weekend sport includes the NSW Open Championship Golf, from The Lakes in Sydney, live on ABC.  ATV0’s coverage of the Melbourne Cup Carnival kicks off on Saturday with Michael Williamson hosting the Derby Day Sportsman’s Breakfast, followed by Phil Gibbs and Clem Dimsey’s preview of the Derby Day races and then ATV0 crosses to Flemington for five hours of live coverage of all the day’s races.

GTV9 presents the first in a series of Australian-made specials featuring Ronnie Corbett, of The Two Ronnies.  The special features guest stars Pamela Gibbons, Chris Kirby and June Bronhill.

ATV0’s Melbourne Cup coverage starts with a half-hour special on Monday night followed by a 90-minute preview on Tuesday morning.  At midday, ATV0 crosses to Flemington for five hours coverage of all the day’s races for Melbourne Cup Day.  Phil Gibbs and Michael Schilberger head the coverage, with Annette Allison providing interviews with special guests during the day.  Clem Dimsey calls the day’s races.

Motoring expert Peter Wherrett, host of popular shows Torque and Marque, returns to TV to present a 40-minute special, Torque About A Crisis, on ABC.  Wherrett examines the Federal Government’s campaign to educate drivers about improving the efficiency of their vehicles with proper treatment and improved driving style.

ATV0 presents a repeat of the documentary, The Last Tasmanian, a recent winner at the Sammy Awards.

GTV9’s Friday night movies is ABBA The Movie, the 1977 production featuring the story of a radio disc jockey (played by Robert Hughes) following the pop group on their Australian tour in order to get an interview with them.  The movie also features Tom Oliver, formerly of Number 96 fame.

Sunday night movies: The Hindenburg (HSV7), Nightmare In Badham County (GTV9), Holocaust 2000 (ATV0).  ABC presents the latest in its series of Australian plays, Money In The Bank, starring Tom Richards (Matlock Police), Barbara Stephens and Max Meldrum.

Source: TV Times (Melbourne edition), 3 November 1979.  ABC/ACP

1979: July 28-August 3

Cover: Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Corbett (The Two Ronnies) 

For the love of Mike
For a group of 50 housewives, the daily chores will have to wait another day as they head into TCN9’s studios to be in the audience for The Mike Walsh Show.  The group, organised by a Padstow primary school as a fund-raiser, is one of many similar groups that flock to TCN9’s Willoughby studios, some from as far as Orange in the central west of NSW, for the 90-minute show.  For studio audience members, housewives Lyn Albrew and Bev Williams, watching the show at home is part of their daily routine and admit that without it many chores, such as ironing, would never get done.  Narabeen mother Judy Allen and her parents, Leslie and Peggy Searle, are also in the studio audience.  “It has a good variety of things and there are some interesting interviews.  It’s better than watching soap operas,” Mrs Allen told TV Times.  John Lynch, one of the few males in the Orange contingent, looks around for some other men in the audience.  “There aren’t many of us, are there?” 

The Australian Invasion!
Australian TV is making its presence felt in the US market – ending the usual one-way traffic of TV programming from the US.  The Seven Network’s hit mini-series Against The Wind was sold to the Taft Broadcasting Network for a six-figure sum and will go to air next month.  Paramount Pictures has bought the overseas distribution rights to the ABC series Patrol Boat while another ABC drama, Golden Soak, has been bought by the Interamerican Entertainment Company of USA.  The 0-10 Network’s hit series Prisoner (pictured) has also been sold to US and Canadian broadcasters.  Canada’s Global TV has purchased 26 episodes of the series, while a Los Angeles-based TV station has bought fourteen episodes.  Prisoner will launch in August on the LA station in a two-hour prime-time debut and will continue weekly thereafter.  American TV distributor Hal Golden has also approached the Nine Network with a view to packaging The Don Lane Show for US distribution, while singer Julie Anthony’s Gold Coast TV special has been syndicated to a network of 50 US TV stations.

Three firsts for restless Victoria
As well as playing the ditzy Raeleen in The Restless Years, Victoria Nicolls is embarking on a few career firsts.  Her first single, Midnight Rendezvous, has just been released.  She also wrote the flip-side song, Until Then, and is starring in a six-week season of Just Us And A Piano, co-starring David Collins and The Restless Years colleague Zoe Bertram, at a Sydney venue.  Nicolls has also signed a three-year contract as a lyricist for ATV-Northern Songs. 

Briefly…
Former The Restless Years star Sonny Blake (pictured) appears in this week’s episode of ABC’s Patrol Boat, playing the part of a heavily-tattooed father-to-be among the crew of HMAS Ambush.

Sydney electronics retail whiz Dick Smith is preparing to make a TV pilot with the Tasmanian Film Corporation.  The pilot, and possible series, will feature Smith and his family tracing the voyage of Captain James Cook along the eastern seaboard of Australia.

Simon Townsend has reportedly been given $1.5 million to produce his new daily children’s show for the 0-10 Network – an amount that has done a lot to raise the status of children’s TV production.

Viewpoint: Letters to the Editor:
”Regarding TV advertisements for insecticides (or anything in that group): must they be shown at meal times?  I don’t know how other viewers feel but I certainly object to an ad for the elimination of cockroaches to be shown right at 6.00pm.” H. Jones, QLD.

“Does anyone have this sort of trouble with their local commercial channel?  You’ll get used to watching your favourite show on a certain night, and then without warning it is presented on another night.  ABC has never failed to let us know when a new show is starting and what it replaces, and they never swap programs around.” P. Criddle, WA.

The following letters were part of a group received from a class of nine-to-ten year olds from Bass Hill public school in NSW, after they had completed a class on the mass media – particularly TV:

"Children’s TV isn’t very good.  I think Channels Ten, Nine and Seven should put on less advertisements.  If Channel Nine did, they would be the most watched channel in Sydney.”  J. Power.  (TV Times responds:  Nine would maintain it is the most-watched channel in Sydney, notwithstanding the ads.)

“I think you should take off Search For Tomorrow, Days Of Our Lives, Superman and The Young Doctors and put more shows on like Scooby Doo.”  J. Coleman

“In the holidays and on weekends, there are too many adult shows.  Most cartoons are put on in the morning when everyone sleeps in.  On Tuesdays, The Love Boat is on when children go to bed and we don’t get to watch it.” P. Barker

“The worst thing about TV is the advertisements.  For example, if you watch a show for an hour, nearly a quarter of it is advertisements.” L. Kayrooz

What’s On (July 28-August 3):
John Farnham, Julie McKenna and Jimmy Hannan present ABC’s Saturday Special – The Magic Of Col Porter.

Sunday Spectrum (ABC, Sunday afternoon) includes a special on Greek-born singer Demis Roussos in Australia.

This Fabulous Century (HSV7, Sunday) looks at one of Australia’s most famous symbols, the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  Host Peter Luck looks at the bridge’s origins, construction and controversial opening in 1932.

In Skyways (HSV7, Monday and Thursday), flight attendant Robyn’s (Judy Morris) attraction to her flatmate, Jacki (Deborah Coulls) leads to awkward results when she tries to seduce her.  Meanwhile, Peter Fanelli (Bill Stalker, pictured) becomes suspicious of a teenage girl in transit at Pacific International Airport.

One-Day Miller, the comedy spin-off from the Tickled Pink series, debuts on ABC on Friday night.  Starring Tony Llewellyn-Jones, Penne Hackforth-Jones, Lucky Grills and Willie Fennell.

Sunday night movies: Cat Ballou (HSV7), Five Days From Home (GTV9), The Offence (ATV0).

Source: TV Times (Melbourne edition), 28 July 1979.  ABC/ACP

1979: 21st TV Week Logie Awards

After more than twenty years in television it had been a long time coming – but the 21st anniversary TV Week Logie Awards finally saw Bert Newton win his first Gold Logie.

Newton, a veteran Logies host as well as host of New Faces and sidekick on The Don Lane Show, had been nominated several times over the years for the Gold Logie and had seen colleagues Graham Kennedy and Don Lane already take home gold statuettes in previous years.  In accepting his Gold Logie, Newton mentioned his mother, Gladys: “I want her to experience what I am experiencing now.  We lost her daughter, my sister Alice – she was my greatest fan – a couple of years ago.  Mum, this is for your daughter and my sister.”  Newton then phoned his mother from his Hilton Hotel suite immediately after the show.

As well as winning the Gold Logie, Newton also won the award for most popular male personality in Victoria.

The awards presentation was held on Friday 16 March 1979 at Melbourne’s Hilton Hotel and televised nationally through the Nine Network and relayed to thirty regional channels across Australia.

The night provided some famous moments – Robin Williams, from Mork And Mindy, was a comic hit on the night, and champion boxer Muhammad Ali provided a moment that would be recalled in Logies history for many years to come.  Host Newton had quipped, “I like the boy..!” to Ali – a comment that is largely innocent in Australia but the term “boy” has racist connotations in America.  Some rapid adlibbing from the normally unflappable Newton saved the moment from turning nasty.

But it was a moment that was close to not happening at all, as Ali had only agreed to appear at the awards night less than 24 hours before showtime and had only arrived at Melbourne airport minutes before the show started.  A police escort rushed him to the Hilton Hotel and through the crowds of onlookers waiting to catch a glimpse of him.

Other overseas guests at the awards included Lauren Tewes (The Love Boat), Cicely Tyson (Roots), British actor David Hemmings, American actor Henry Silva, Days Of Our Lives stars Susan Seaforth Hayes and Bill Hayes and George And Mildred stars Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy.

A total of 43 awards were presented on the night.  The Nine Network’s long-running drama series The Sullivans  (pictured) claimed four Logie awards – including Paul Cronin and Lorraine Bayly for most popular lead actor and actress awards and The Sullivans winning most popular Australian drama series.

The Don Lane Show won most popular variety or panel show as well as most popular program in Victoria.

The Seven Network’s landmark 1978 mini-series Against The Wind (pictured) won three awards – Jon English for best new talent, Kerry McGuire for best performance by an actress in a supporting role and Against The Wind won best new drama.

The 0-10 Network won a special Logie for Outstanding Contribution to Community Service with its Have A Go campaign.  The campaign, initiated by Sir Kenneth Humphreys, chairman of TEN10 Sydney, was a series of commercials to motivate Australians to take a greater sense of pride in their country.  The campaign was later endorsed by the prime minister, Malcolm Fraser, as well as state governments. 

The film documentary The Last Tasmanian, aired on the 0-10 Network, won the Logie for best single documentary.  The film, three years in the making, traced the life and death of the Tasmanian aborigines and had been a hit around the world with French and Welsh language versions also made.

Regional television also won two awards.  The annual award for Most Outstanding Contribution by Regional Television was won by Goin’ Down The Road, a 30-minute documentary by Central Tablelands station CBN8.  The documentary about a rodeo rider was selected from a final list of four nominations – the others being Six Tonight (BTV6, Ballarat), Voices Of The River (TNT9, Northern Tasmania) and Bravo Boston (NBN3, Newcastle).

The Logie for most outstanding contribution to children’s television is usually won by a capital city network, but in 1979 the award was taken out by Rainbow, a series of five programs produced by Northern Rivers station NRN11.  The series, produced by Godfrey Philipp, featured children from local schools with each episode covering a different theme.

ABC won two Logies for its single drama, Bit Part, featuring veteran actor John Meillon.  And 12-year-old Warwick Poulsen won the industry voted award for most popular performance by a juvenile for his role in the telemovie Because He’s My Friend where he played a retarded child.  Actor Michael Aitken won a Logie for his script for Neutral Ground, an episode of the Tickled Pink comedy series.

The full list of winners from the 21st annual TV Week Logie Awards:

Viewers’ Voted Awards

Gold Logie: Bert Newton (New Faces, The Don Lane Show)

Silver Logie – Most Popular Actor: Paul Cronin (The Sullivans, Nine)
Silver Logie – Most Populat Actress: Lorraine Bayly (The Sullivans, Nine)

Most Popular Teenage Personality: John Paul Young
Most Popular Variety or Panel Show: The Don Lane Show (Nine)
Most Popular Comedy Show: The Paul Hogan Show (Nine)
Most Popular Drama: The Sullivans (Nine)

Best New Talent: Jon English (Against The Wind, Seven)

Industry Panel Awards

Best Performance By An Actor In A Major Role: John Meillon (Bit Part, ABC)
Best Performance By An Actress In A Major Role: Kerry McGuire (pictured. Against The Wind, Seven)

Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role: Peter Adams (Cop Shop, Seven)
Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role: Chantal Contouri (The Sullivans, Nine)

Best Performance By A Juvenile: Warwick Poulsen (Because He’s My Friend, ABC)

Best Single Drama Production: Bit Part (ABC)

Best TV Script: Michael Aitken for Neutral Ground (ABC)

Best Single Documentary: The Last Tasmanian (0-10 Network)
Best Documentary Series: A Big Country (ABC)

Best News Report: Bank Siege (QTQ9 Brisbane)
TV Reporter Of The Year: Bill Bennett (Willesee At Seven, Seven)

Best Sports Report or Documentary: Surfabout (Nine)
Outstanding Coverage of a Sports Event: Bathurst Hardie-Ferodo (Seven)

Outstanding Contribution to Community Service: Have A Go campaign (TEN10 Sydney)

Outstanding Contribution to Children’s TV: Rainbow (NRN11 Coffs Harbour, RTN8 Lismore)

Outstanding Contribution by a Regional Station: Goin’ Down The Road (CBN8 Orange)

State Awards (Most Popular Male, Most Popular Female, Most Popular Locally-Produced Program):

VIC: Bert Newton (GTV9), Mary Hardy (pictured. HSV7), The Don Lane Show (GTV9)

NSW: Mike Walsh (TCN9), Noeline Brown (ATN7), The Mike Walsh Show (TCN9)

QLD: Paul Griffin (QTQ9), Jacki MacDonald (TVQ0), Country Homestead (QTQ9)

SA: Ernie Sigley (NWS9), Pam Tamblyn (ADS7), The Ernie Sigley Show (NWS9)

WA: Terry Willesee (STW9), Stephanie Quinlan (TVW7), Channel Nine News (STW9)

TAS: Jim Cox (TNT9), Kerry Smith, Saturday Night Show

Source: TV Week, 24 March 1979, 31 March 1979.

1979: January 27-February 2

Stardom and the single man
TV Times talked to a cross-section of showbusiness bachelors about the pros and cons of single life while in the public eye. For Don Lane, currently in a relationship, there was a time when he would question if a girl was interested in Don Lane, the person, or Don Lane on TV. Actor Terry Donovan has had to combine his professional and social life with raising a son, Jason, but is enjoying being a bachelor. Ugly Dave Gray said it took some adjusting, after the end of his marriage to wife Gail, to getting out and being social again, but admits to being the marrying kind, and "I'd really like kids if I marry again." For Sherbet singer Daryl Braithwaite, being single has the benefit of not having any responsibility, but the downside is that he tends to be the only member of the group to come home alone after being away on tour. But he is reluctant to get involved in a serious relationship again, for a while at least.

TV greets the Year of the Child
All networks are planning locally produced or imported programs focused on the International Year Of The Child (IYC), and most channels are planning increased quality and quantity for children's programs:

ARVO (ABC): New series to launch in April. To go to air weekday afternoons 4.00pm-6.00pm, and will include children's entertainment, such as Sesame Street, and reports and interviews with children about their own IYC projects. ABC is currently looking for a host for the program who gets on well with children, and bunyips, as ARVO's co-host will be a bunyip called Alexander.

Twin Towers (ABC): A new six-part children's drama is in production, starring John Ewart, Tessa Mallos, Ray Meagher, Justine Saunders and Candy Williams. Storylines for the new series have been developed with contributions from children at a Sydney primary school.

Earth Patrol (ABC): New drama series to debut in June and will screen in combination with the Earth Patrol Club which will provide a forum for children's involvement in community and environmental issues. Many of the episodes for Earth Patrol will be filmed in Sydney and Queensland.

Mad Dog Gang (Nine): New Zealand-based series to be screened in March.

Falcon Island (Nine): A Perth-based children's drama about the search for a wrecked sailing ship off the coast of Western Australia.

The Gene Machine (Nine): Seven-part British series about how genes affect the lives of humans and animals.

A Gift Of Song: The Music For UNICEF Concert (0-10): The official launch concert for IYC that took place in New York on 10 January. Performers include the Bee Gees, Olivia Newton-John, Kris Kristofferson, John Denver, Earth Wind And Fire, Andy Gibb, Rod Stewart, ABBA and Rita Coolidge. To be screened in Australia possibly in February or March.

The Seven Network has also obtained local broadcast rights to a mammoth 20-hour telethon in aid of IYC which will be beamed direct from the United States over two days in June to more than 30 countries worldwide. Seven's telecast is expected to include an Australian component featuring local personalities from the Seven Network, and rival network identities will also be invited to appear.

New shows for '79
The four networks - ABC, Seven, Nine and 0-10 - all unveil some of the new and returning shows for the coming 1979 season.

ABC: New Australian-made drama with The Oracle (starring John Gregg, pictured), Patrol Boat, Twenty Good Years, Ride On Stranger and One Day Miller, a spin-off of the comedy series Tickled Pink. Another new drama, Golden Soak, based on the novel by Hammond Innes, a six-part series co-produced by ABC with British and German interests. Also to come this year are new episodes of British series Are You Being Served?, The Two Ronnies, Doctor Who, The Goodies and George And Mildred. Peter Wherrett presents a new ten-part series Marque: 100 Years Of Motoring tracing the history of the motor car industry and takes a peek at where it's headed. There's new episodes of Holiday With Bill Peach and Mastermind. And a new era in current affairs with Nationwide replacing the long-running This Day Tonight.

Seven: A new series of Father Dear Father In Australia will also be joined by Australian versions of UK favourites Love Thy Neighbour and Doctor In The House. There's new local drama this year with the Melbourne-based airport drama Skyways. Journalist Peter Luck (pictured) presents a new 16-part documentary series This Fabulous Century. New imported series include CHiPs, The Incredible Hulk, The Upchat Line, Return Of The Saint, The Professionals, The Unknown War and Lillie. A new mini-series, Centennial, traces the lives of seven generations of Americans living in the Colorado area and boasts the largest production budget ever for a TV series. Returning this year are overseas series The Sweeney, Quincy, Welcome Back Kotter, Good Times, The Muppet Show, Eight Is Enough, Mind Your Language and The Dick Emery Show. There will also be more locally-made specials featuring Norman Gunston, Julie Anthony and Malcolm Douglas.

Nine: The long-awaited current affairs program 60 Minutes (pictured) makes its debut while returning favourites include The Mike Walsh Show, The Don Lane Show, The Paul Hogan Show, The Sullivans and The Young Doctors. New overseas drama with Vega$, Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, The Source and mini-series The Immigrants. New US comedy series Taxi, WKRP In Cincinnati, Who's Watching The Kids and Mork And Mindy. Returning US series include The Love Boat, Happy Days, Fantasy Island, Laverne And Shirley, Charlie's Angels, Hawaii Five-0, Donny And Marie and Family.

0-10: New Australian drama with the Melbourne-based Prisoner (pictured) starring Val Lehman, Peta Toppano, Carol Burns, Fiona Spence, Kerry Armstrong, Elspeth Ballantyne, Colette Mann, Sheila Florance, Patsy King and Mary Ward. New US comedy with Flying High and Grandpa Goes To Washington. New US drama includes Dallas, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, The American Girls, The Paper Chase, Sword Of Justice and Roots: The Next Generations, the next chapter to Alex Haley's saga of his ancestors' early life in America. A three-part mini-series, Pearl, tells the events surrounding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941. Returning US series include MASH, The Adventures Of Wonder Woman, Grizzly Adams, The Waltons, Project UFO, Alice and The Rockford Files.

Bush vet comes to town - again
Crawford Productions is to begin work later this year on a further thirteen one-hour episodes of drama Young Ramsay for the Seven Network. The series will again feature John Hargreaves as Peter Ramsay, the young city vet who goes bush. Co-star Serge Lazareff is also expected to return for the new episodes, though Barbara Llewellyn will not be returning. A replacement for Llewellyn has not yet been cast. It has been more than twelve months since the first series of Young Ramsay was shown in Melbourne.

The taming of a workaholic
In the five months since Brian Naylor resigned from Melbourne's Seven National News, there had been plenty of speculation as to who would replace him. However, none of that speculation seemed to include the former reporter that had been filling Naylor's position in the meantime, Mal Walden (pictured): "I must admit that all the newspaper reports at the time were very crushing for the ego. After all, I was doing the job at the time and it was embarrassing to be completely dismissed by the press. Even Pamela Graham, who was filling in my usual spot, got a mention. I just would have liked someone to acknowledge the fact that I was there." As it turned out, Walden was the one that management wanted for the role, although it did take a lot of convincing from station manager Ron Casey to get him to accept it. A former country radio announcer, Walden came to radio station 3DB in Melbourne in the late-1960s. Then in 1970, after a year-long hitch-hiking tour through Europe and Asia, Walden joined 3DB's sister TV station, HSV7, where he reported for the news, hosted the quiz show Jeopardy and filled in for David Johnston on the children's program This Week Has Seven Days. In 1974, Walden was the first reporter to arrive in Darwin after the city had been devastated by Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Day. "Naturally it is one of those jobs you never forget, but as a reporting job it wasn't hard. The news was everywhere. All you had to do was point a camera and put a microphone at someone's mouth and you had a story. The big problem was getting the stories out of Darwin. I'd spend hours trying to get the reels of film on some sort of plane to Melbourne."

To the rescue, with classics
ABC has purchased a package of more than 140 classic movies for screening on Saturday and Tuesday nights from next month. The package includes titles from three different sources, MGM, the Goldwyn estate and London Films. The first movie to be shown from the package will be Woman Of The Year, starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, which will head a block of movies to be shown as the Spencer Tracy Festival. Geoff Daniels, head of ABC drama, explains the plan behind the purchase: "Our philosophy is that ABC can't afford first-run movies - no way we can ever be in that. We want to build up an audience who are interested in these type movies. It's worked successfully for BBC and there's no reason why it shouldn't work for us." The line-up of classic movies is part of a new-look evening line-up for ABC this year, following the axing of This Day Tonight, that will see comedy scheduled after the news at 7.30pm, followed by local or imported drama at 8.30pm and new current affairs program Nationwide at 9.30pm.

Briefly...
After guest roles in Matlock Police, Division Four and The Truckies, singer-turned-actress Leila Hayes is about to play the mother of the hero in the new ABC series Twenty Good Years.

Janise Beaumont, a former Sydney journalist and reporter for The Mike Walsh Show and later The Steve Raymond Show, is a new addition to The Don Lane Show's on-air line-up.

In the four months since arriving in Australia from New Zealand, actor Sam Neill has been signed for three movie roles and a three-month stint in The Sullivans starting in May.

Viewpoint: Letters to the Editor:
"The spate of televised tennis matches shows no sign of abatement, but, it must be admitted that the tennis does at least keep out the more idiotic serials and crime movies which have dominated the afternoon box." F. Rowley, NSW.

"Thank you ABC, from the bottom of my heart, for screening the TV movie Shimmering Light and the series Who Pays The Ferryman, the two most outstanding shows of the year." G. Papadopoulos, NSW.

What's On (January 27-February 2):
This weekend's This Week Has Seven Days includes a segment on orienteering, a tour of the galleries and museums of the City of Boston and a discussion on psychiatry with a doctor from the Royal Melbourne Hospital. In the arts and crafts segment, Shirley Shackleton demonstrates the Fairisle knitting pattern.

On Sunday, ABC presents the cricket Fifth Test from Adelaide, and GTV9 presents World Series Cricket from VFL Park in Melbourne. HSV7 presents coverage of the 1979 Superbowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys which was played 21 January. This is followed by a documentary covering the activity in Saint Peter's Square during the two-day wait for the announcement to be made and the coronation of Pope John Paul II.

ABC's 7.30pm line-up features a magazine program, Horse Talk, on Monday night with Heath Harris and Suzy Jarratt, while from Tuesday through to Friday is a repeat of the documentary series Australians At Large featuring Australians in far-removed parts of the world.

The Early Bird Show, Fat Cat And Friends and The Holiday Fun Show keep the kids amused in the early mornings, as well as the perennial Sesame Street and Play School. But with TV still basically in summer mode, afternoon TV is largely a sea of classic and black-and-white movies and sitcoms on HSV7 and ATV0 every weekday although ATV0 does include The Steve Raymond Show and GTV9 has more World Series Cricket.

Sunday night movies are repeats of The Chairman (GTV9) and Masquerade (ATV0). HSV7 presents Summer Of The Seventeenth Doll, the third part of the Ray Lawler trilogy featuring Bruce Myles, Peter Curtin, Carole Skinner, Sandy Gore, Christine Amor and David Downer. ABC presents a 50-minute special Australia Day concert featuring the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Source: TV Times (Melbourne edition), 27 January 1979. ABC/ACP

What's a Logie worth...?

Bunney Brooke, who played the pragmatic Flo Patterson in Number 96 for much of its five-year run in the '70s, had a varied career both in front and behind the cameras. After her years sharing Flat 3 at the infamous apartment block with Dorrie and Herb Evans (Pat McDonald and Ron Shand) and her pet budgerigar Mr Perky, she later appeared in TV series including The Restless Years, Skyways, Tickled Pink and Boy In The Bush, and played to a new generation of viewers in the children's series Round The Twist and soapie E Street. She had movie roles in Newsfront and Dawn and also worked as a casting director for Crawford Productions in the 1980s, where she cast a relatively unknown Kylie Minogue for The Henderson Kids.

In 1975, Brooke won a TV Week Silver Logie for Best Australian Actress for the year 1974. (Pictured, above, accepting her award presented by Hollywood great John Wayne)

It's not always easy to put a monetary value on items such as these, especially as for the recipient it can be the reward for many years of hard work and dedication to their craft and so its value can often be worth more than just a dollar amount. But earlier this week, someone has found a price as that same Silver Logie (pictured) sold on eBay for $2225 after a seven-day auction that attracted nineteen bidders. Given that Brooke died in 2000, it is not entirely known how the award came to be in the hands of Queensland-based eBay seller "hippopawn".

Source: news.com.au, Australian Television Information Archive, IMDB, eBay

1978: November 18-24

Alfred Sandor - Lonely hearts specialist
Alfred Sandor might be the un-romantic Dr Raymond Shaw in The Young Doctors, but in real life he is the ladies man and met his third wife after coming to Australia in 1969.  But in a career that has included appearing in more than 250 TV shows, including daytime soaps, and stage productions in the US before moving to Australia, Sandor (pictured, centre, with TYD co-stars Michael Beecher and Lyn James) doesn't quite know what makes soaps so popular.  "I think it's because there's a lot of lonely people around," he guesses.  "But I've been aghast when doctors have told me they look at the program.  They say they get a good laugh out of the program and enjoy it.  They say what happens would never happen in a real hospital but still enjoy the show."

Quest winner's dilemma
Should a 14-year-old musical prodigy finish her schooling, or go overseas to study with the world's leading teachers?  That is the question facing the family of pianist Marilyn Meier, the viewers' top choice in the finals of ABC's Quest '78.  Meier's parents are also prepared to sell up their orchard in Camden NSW, and take the family to the US or Europe to give their daughter a chance at an international music career.

Ruth's happy behind the times
Actress Ruth Cracknell (pictured) admits she isn't a seventies person.  She happily claims that her time was back in the Edwardian era, back before World War I.  "Given a chance I would have loved to have lived then, in Edwardian England."  Currently in rehearsals for an upcoming stage production of Bedroom Farce, Cracknell has also been working on a new ABC series Golden Soak for screening next year.  But like most actresses, she is frustrated by the lack of solid roles for women in films and television.  "Most writers - not all - are men and they write purely from a male viewpoint.  The time is right now, for stories about women through women's eyes."

Briefly:
This year's Sydney Opera House New Year's Eve concert, starring Sherbet, is to be telecast by TEN10 Sydney and ATV0 Melbourne, with the possibility of other 0-10 Network stations taking the program.  The concert is also expected to be relayed via satellite for screening in Japan.

During the recent Miss Australia telecast, co-host Annette Allison was so excited at fellow Queenslander Anne Sneddon winning the title that she waved her arms in joy and knocked over floor manager Gary Rhodes off the podium.

Roy Hampson, whose morning hosting on ATV0 has taken a break this year, is due to return to the channel in the new year.

Actor John Dommett has returned to Australia after an extended break in the United Kingdom, and is to return to his former role in The Young Doctors in January.

Viewpoint: Letters to the Editor:
"I have been watching The Truckies ever since the show started.  In short I love The Truckies.  I know quite a few gear jerkers (truck drivers) because I own a flipflop (CB radio).  They swear just as much, they work just as much and booze just as much.  I'm sure The Truckies will be a boomer of it goes overseas."  J. Blackshaw, NSW.

"I would like to express my appreciation to ABC for the Tickled Pink series.  The plays I saw were refreshing, both for their comedy and production.  Usually I'm not a fan of Australian shows because of their boredom.  Tickled Pink was so vivid, the cast so professional and general production outstanding."  J. Couani, NSW.

"I was delighted to see during the Sammys an award going to one of this country's most talented actors, George Mallaby.  His role in Cop Shop as the stern desk-bound station chief is played to perfection."  R. Bruce, NSW.

What's On (November 18-24):
GTV9's telecast of the Australian Open Golf Championships continues on the weekend with eight hours coverage on both Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday, ATV0 devotes much of the day to the Nerve Deafness Telethon.  The telethon starts at 9.00am with hosts Steve Raymond and Mickie de Stoop (pictured) and continues through to 6.00pm.  At 6.30pm, Young Talent Time presents a special telethon edition with live performances and acknowledging of donations.  Then later, at 8.30pm, the telethon's evening segment is hosted by Peter Couchman through to the telethon's close at 11.45pm.

ABC's Sunday night 7.00pm news is cut to ten minutes, and the magazine program Weekend Magazine is given the night off, to make room for a 50-minute documentary Vietnam Today.  Presented by Tony Joyce, the special captures the realities of everyday life for the average Vietnamese in the new Vietnam.

GTV9's Family Feud moves from its regular 5.00pm timeslot to 7.00pm weeknights for the summer, replacing The Sullivans.

On Monday night, ABC presents O'se Shalom, a 90-minute documentary analysing and explaining the Jewish faith, including rituals, family life, marriage, diet and worship.  Presenting the program is Sydney rabbi Raymond Apple and This Day Tonight host Sonia Humphrey.

Sunday night movies are Point Blank (HSV7), Our Man Flint (GTV9) and The Seventh Dawn (ATV0).  All are repeats.  Later in the evening, GTV9 presents the movie classic Sorry Wrong Number, and HSV7 screens The Hunchback Of Notre Dame.

Source: TV Times (Melbourne edition), 18 November 1978.  ABC/ACP

1978: September 23-29

Cover: Michael Landon (Little House On The Prairie)

The Sammys are coming!
The third annual Sammy Awards promise to be the most exciting yet, with a stunning line-up of stars, programs and movies all vying for honours among 39 categories. This year will also mark the inauguration of the Chips Rafferty Memorial Award. The Sammy Awards, presented by TV Times in association with the Variety Club of Australia and the Seven Network, will take place on 11 October at Sydney's Seymour Centre. The two hour telecast will be hosted by Roger Climpson.

Dating Jenny is no picnic!
Since playing the mysterious Miranda in the movie Picnic At Hanging Rock, Anne Lambert has had roles in The Box, Glenview High and Chopper Squad, and now takes on a new role in Cop Shop. Lambert plays Jenny McGregor, girlfriend of Constable Roy Baker (Gil Tucker, pictured), but has some strange fascinations: "Jenny has a strange fascination towards violence. She is attracted by the uniform, the guns and the handcuffs."

TV ads draw viewers' fire
In 1977, 715 people were so annoyed by advertisements that they complained to the Advertising Standards Council (ASC). Half of those complaints were specifically about television advertising. The largest proportion of complaints were in the "taste and decency" category. Among the advertisements to be accused of general bad taste included those featuring bus-loads and TV screens full of lemons, the depiction of bad manners in bubble gum and potato chip advertisements, the depiction of rats eating Australia in an anti-inflation ad, the use of rough words such as 'gutsy' and 'damn', and advertisements for R-rated movies. Complaints were also received about the use of sex to sell products such as toothpaste and vitamins, the depiction of women in advertising and advertising displaying food wastage. The ASC's third annual report states that about one in eight complaints received are found to be justified.

Service to help the unemployed
The Nine Network is about to launch a new weekday morning program aimed at helping the unemployed find work. The half-hour program, Looking For A Job, will be hosted by Brian Bury and Gail Jarvis and will update job opportunities as listed by the Commonwealth Employment Services. The program will also feature interviews with representatives from major employers including BHP and The Shell Company of Australia, government agencies and the armed forces.

Viewpoint: Letters to the Editor:
"I am glad to see ABC produce a program for our truckies, but as a truckie's daughter I was let down by the program. Here in Western Australia our truckies aren't beer-drinking, pill-popping drivers. Sure, they do both, but only to a certain extent. The program is making the WA truckie look exactly the opposite to what he really is. In the East the truckie may be like that, but over here it's a different matter." V. Mazza, WA.

"I am concerned about the order in which episodes of Doctor Who are screened. I would rather see all the Jon Pertwee stories in order (and the Tom Baker ones for that matter) than just a handful of randomly selected stories." S. Collins, QLD.

"Again we have an example of how writers are regarded in this country. In the preamble to Woman In The House on Stuart Wagstaff's World Playhouse, Stuart Wagstaff made a point of mentioning everyone at the beginning of the play, with the exception of the writer. Mr Wagstaff also said "... but it was really Neil Fitzpatrick's play." Correction. It was Luis Bayonas' play. Surely as an actor, Mr Wagstaff knows that neither the actors nor the director could have done such a good job if they hadn't started with a good script." M. Kelly, NSW.

What's On (September 23-29):
With The Daryl And Ossie Show now airing weeknights on ATV0, their former Saturday morning timeslot on GTV9 is now taken by The Super Saturday Show, a line-up of cartoons presented by Queensland personality Jacki MacDonald.

Guest performers on this week's Penthouse '78 include Bartholomew John, Maria Venuti and Col Elliott.

It's the lead up to the 1978 VFL Grand Final and on Monday night, HSV7 has the Brownlow Medal Count live from the Southern Cross Ballroom hosted by Peter Landy. On Thursday night, Landy presents a one-hour special That Was The Season That Was. On Friday afternoon there's live coverage of the Bourke Street parade of the Grand Final teams, and on Friday night through to Saturday morning, John Waters presents the Football Marathon, featuring highlights from HSV7's archive of VFL matches.

Relative Air Pollution, the second episode of ABC's comedy Tickled Pink, features Noel Ferrier (pictured) as owner of a radio station, 2KK, and traces his tormented life at the hands of his wife and sister-in-law, which becomes further complicated when the radio station undergoes a metamorphosis at the hands of his nephew, Jethro (Robert Hughes). The comedy also stars Judi Farr, Robina Beard, Stephen O'Rourke and Shaunna O'Grady.

Sunday night movies are The Don Is Dead (HSV7), Nowhere To Run (GTV9) and White Line Fever (ATV0), while on ABC, performer Jill Perryman is the special guest on the final episode of variety series Capriccio!

Source: TV Times (Melbourne edition), 23 September 1978. ABC/ACP

1978: September 16-22

Why Lynda said no to nude stardom
Lynda Stoner, nurse Kim Barrington in The Young Doctors, has just started a drama course.  "I want to be a good actress," she told TV Times.  The former Adelaide receptionist became a star after winning the Miss TV Times contest in 1976 - part of her prize being an audition with Crawford Productions.  The audition led to an offer to appear on the new Crawford drama Hotel Story, but there was to be a nude scene.  Stoner refused, returning the script, and thought her career was over.  She was later offered the role, keeping her clothes on, as nurse Kim Barrington in The Young Doctors, and has continued to turn down offers for movie roles that involved nudity, commercials for lingerie and magazine centrefolds. (Pictured: The Young Doctors' Judy Lynne, Bartholomew John and Lynda Stoner)

Dawn's in the pink
Just hours after recording her scenes for an episode of a new ABC series of comedy plays titled Tickled Pink, Dawn Lake was in hospital having a cancerous growth removed from her face.  The surgery meant that Lake wasn't able to talk for several weeks, so it was fortunate she was able to tape the scenes beforehand.  In the episode of Tickled Pink, titled The Family Business, Lake plays a housewife who becomes a tea lady in a complicated scheme to keep a roof over her family's head.  Playing her husband is Max Gillies (pictured, with Lake), who is also featured in the series' final episode, A Visit To The Uncle, a Jewish comedy co-starring former Number 96 stars Johnny Lockwood and Bunney Brooke.  Other performers to appear in Tickled Pink over its six-episode run include Cornelia Frances, Peter Sumner, Noel Ferrier, Martin Harris, Penne Hackforth-Jones, Tony Llewelyn-Jones, Barry Otto and Jill Perryman.

Raymond's bid for daytime viewers
"The last thing we want to do is be another Mike Walsh Show," said Steve Raymond (pictured), about to launch his own afternoon show on the 0-10 Network.  The Steve Raymond Show offers a mix of news and entertainment, but with a new look - a lot of the people involved with the show have never worked in television and are able to offer challenges to the technical crews that they'd never met before, hence giving the show an edge over the more traditional daytime show.  An air-date has not been announced for the new show, but it is expected to debut in October along with the network's new afternoon game shows Perfect Match and Pyramid Challenge, and will likely appear at 1.30pm so as not to clash with The Mike Walsh Show on Nine.

Lionel's long on talent!
Singer and actor Lionel Long has been selected by Reg Grundy Productions to host the new talent series National Star Quest.  The program, being produced by Grundy's in association with a consortium of 25 regional TV stations known as Australian Television Faciltiies, marks Long's first TV compering role.  The recording star, with ten gold records to his credit, will spend one day a week at the studios of WIN4 Wollongong to host the studio segments of the new show.  National Star Quest is expected to air on the member stations of ATF from early 1979.

Just briefly...
If the commissioners at ABC, meeting on 18 October, give the go-ahead to the new Six O'Clock Statewide program, This Day Tonight could be off-air as soon as November to give staff time to prepare.

Bill Harmon, one of the men behind Number 96, has been keeping a low profile since the series ended, but is working on a new project backed by the Australian Film Commission.

Former Bellbird star Warwick Randall is also a wine expert, and has four books about to be published.

Viewpoint: Letters to the Editor:
"Would someone out in TV land tell me why I should invest in a colour TV?  This week has been good for reading books, what with specials, fashion parades and so on.  I want TV to give me a choice and not have the same station showing all the same sort of things." J. Hankinson, NSW.

"I should like to vote an extra special award to the inventor of the remote control gadget for TV sets.  I have just realised the full potential of this useful little article - I can shut Diana Fisher up!" C. Large, QLD.

"ABC is doing a good thing having The Truckies on.  People should think themselves lucky to have truckies around.  If it weren't for those good, hard-working, honest men, we would not have half the things in our shops today." D. Carr, SA.

"The Truckies is a horrible show.  We expect to sit and view something interesting, but all you hear is bad language.  All you see is sloppy behaviour.  It is a real insult to truck drivers." G. Sweeney, NSW.

What's On (September 16-22):
A change to the usual TV listings this week as this week's issue is the 'Inland' edition, covering Canberra, regional New South Wales (part of which receives GMV6 from Victoria), and the Darling Downs region in Queensland.

World Championship Boxing, featuring the rematch title fight between Muhammad Ali and Leon Spinks, is telecast live from New Orleans, airing on Saturday morning and early afternoon on NBN3 Newcastle, NEN9-ECN8 Tamworth-Taree, CTC7 Canberra, RVN2-AMV4 Wagga Wagga-Albury and DDQ10-SDQ4 Darling Downs-Southern Downs.

The US mini-series Holocaust screens over four consecutive nights on CTC7.

The Quest Of Quests, the beauty contest to determine who will represent Australia in the Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss Asia, Miss International and Miss Young International beauty quests, screens in a one-hour special Wednesday night on CTC7, NEN9-ECN8, CBN8-CWN6-MTN9 Orange-Dubbo-Griffith, RVN2-AMV4, GMV6 Shepparton and DDQ10-SDQ4.  Newcastle's NBN3, however, has opted out of screening the event, instead offering Benny Hill In Australia.  Later in the evening, DDQ10-SDQ4 continues the beauty contest theme with the local telecast of Carnival Of Flowers, including the 1978 Carnival of Flowers Queen Competition, with 23 entrants presented to the judges at the Toowoomba Town Hall.

The ABC comedy series Tickled Pink debuts in New South Wales and Queensland on Thursday night, and the following night in Victoria.

NBN3's weekday broadcast day commences at 7.00am with Breakfast Club, leading into the locally-made Romper Room at 9.00am, but the other regional stations, including CTC7, are off-air until late morning or early afternoon.

The Nine Network's The Mike Walsh Show is firmly entrenched across the regional areas, screening across all the local stations listed in the Inland edition.  US daytime soaps Days Of Our Lives and The Young And The Restless also appear in all regions during the afternoons.

Sunday night movies are The Mechanic (NBN3), the premiere of the mini-series Wheels (NEN9-ECN8), Dead Men Tell No Lies (CBN8-CWN6-MTN9), When Eight Bells Toll (CTC7), Attila The Hun (RVN2-AMV4), Divorce American Style (GMV6) and Some Kind Of A Nut (DDQ10-SDQ4).

Source: TV Times (Inland edition), 16 September 1978. ABC/ACP