|
Poster:
|
The_Emperor_Of_Television |
Date:
|
May 05, 2012 04:06:58pm |
|
Forum:
|
classic_tv
|
Subject:
|
To The_Master_Cylinder, here's that probably incomplete list of surviving 1950s Australian television episodes |
1. These are from the holdings of the Australian National Film and Sound Archive.
2. The site is a disaster....much of this stuff may have been given the wrong dates!
3. TV did not come to Australia until 1956
4. Some of these series continued into the 1960s and sometimes have surviving episodes from that decade not listed here.
5. Only one Australian television sitcom aired in the 1950s. Called "Take That" (or something along those lines), it doesn't seem like anything survives from it. I think it aired 1957 or so.
6. Note the general lack of dramatic series. The Australian broadcasters preferred to cheaply import US series of dramas and sitcoms instead of producing examples of their own
7. This list excludes some stuff that the site lists as "telemovies" or something like that. Apart from a couple of one-off specials, this list focuses on series:
The Adventures of Kathy Kanga- 1 episode (1956, childrens series)
Animal Parade- I honestly can't be bothered to make sense of the poorly-organised infomation on this series, which seems to have lots of surviving episodes for a late-1950s Australian series. Aimed at children.
The Hit Parade - Possibly 17 episodes from the late-1950s (dancers, well, danced and mimed to the hits on the charts in this series. No live music)
Peter's Fun Fair - 1 episode (1956, childrens series)
The Pressure Pak Show - Seven episodes from 1957, Three episodes from 1958 (game show)
These Were the Hits - 2 episodes from 1956, 2 episodes from 1957
The Village Glee Club - 1 episode (actually a one-off special) (1956)
Walkabout - All 13 episodes from 1958 (documentary series on Australian rural/outback life)
Devine Service - 1 episode from 1957, 1 episode from 1958 (religious series)
Dulux Show - Four episodes from 1957 (game show)
Give it a Go - Possibly 14 or 18 episodes from 1957, 1 or 2 episodes from 1958, (game show)
GTV 9 Pantomime Christmas 1957: Princess Joybelle (one-off special, and an early attempt at Australian television drama ) (1957)
Leave it to the Girls - 7 episodes from 1957 (was this based on the US series of same name?)
Pick a Box - 1 episode from 1957, (hugely popular game show
)
The Quiz Kids - 1 episode from 1957, (game show)
Spring Dance Festival (aired 3 September 1957)
Shell Presents - 1 episode from 1957
Stories of Jesus - 4 episodes from 1957
Autumn Affair - 23 episodes from 1958, over 100 episodes
from 1959 (early attempt at an Australian soap opera. Here's a description of one episode: "Having achieved a new closeness, Julie and Steve want to leave the country cabin early and return to the city. Meg is forced to choose between her relationship with Rod and her obligation to her family."....here's a description of another episode: "This episode opens with Julie Parrish writing in her diary reflecting on the disappearance of her husband, Steve Meadows. In the next scene Kate, Julie's typist, discusses Steve's disappearance with Julie. Julie tells Kate of Steve's past involvement with a narcotics racket and her concern for Steve's life should he try to come back to her. Mark and Jacqui, friends of Julie drop by. Whilst Jacqui tells Sarah, Julie's housekeeper (Queenie Ashton), how to make Chicken Marengo Mark and Julie discuss Steve's absence. Mark and Julie see Steve's car and then hear a gun shot")
Bandstand - 1 episode from 1958
Hal Lashwood's Alabama Jubilee - 1 episode from 1958 (minstrel show in which some performers appear in backface
)
Miss Australia Quest (a one-off special from 1958...national final....Miss Pamela Mackay of Queensland wins title)
Shallows Parade Spectacular (air date: 07 November 1959) (a talent/variety show hosted by the great Bert Newton, one of the early stars of Australian TV)
Adventure with Smoky Dawson (circa 1959) (episode discription: "Tim Gordon wags school with his dog Shadow and is captured by a group of jailbreakers. Smoky Dawson rescues Tim and recaptures the criminals")
AMF Ten Pin Bowling (circa 1959) (I normally am not listing advertisements in this posting, but this promotional thing promoted the opening of the first fully automated bowling alley in Australia, and was long enough to feature ads by products like cigarettes and Coca-Cola)
The Bobby Limb Show - 12 episodes from 1959 (lots of music, variety, novelty acts and comedy in this series hosted by the popular radio and television personality)
Emergency - 1 episode from 1959 (a failed attempt at producing a hospital drama, this series was much-panned by critics. Here's a description of the sole surviving episode: "This episode went to air on 23 March 1959. Mr West is knocked down by a car and brought to hospital as a casulaty. After examination by Dr Thompson he is discharged as being fit and Dr Thompson suggests that he take a ticket in tatts for escaping injury. Soon after Mr West returns to the hospital and it is revealed that he is suffering from a mental disorder. Dr Thompson and George Rodgers rescue him from the 6th floor window")
Cafe Continental - 1 episode from 1959 (description of episode: "Performers in this episode are Brazilian dancer Yvonne Huggman, clarinettist Reuben Solomon, Terry Carr and his dog, ventriloquist Dennis Spicer, singer Wilhelmina Bermingham, and dancers The Cossack Duo.")
In Melbourne Tonight - 1 incomplete episode from 1959 (a variety/comedy series that was a huge success in Australia)
Jolly Gene and his Fun Machine - 9 episodes from 1959 (childrens series with puppets)
Mary O'Hara - 1 episode from 1959 (folk music series)
Mr Squiggle - 1 episode from 1959 (hugely popular childrens series to do with drawing)
Newsbeat - 1 episode from 1959 (current affairs)
Six O'Clock Rock - 1 Episode from 1959 (rock and roll music program)
Wheel of Fortune - 1 incomplete episode from 1959 (this game show has nothing to do with the later US game show of the same name. Australia did however produce a version of the later US format decades later)
Women at the Top - 1 episode from 1959
TVNews
OpenLibrary