'Hey Dad' comes to mind, an Australian sitcom (that's an expression you don't hear that often) about the everyday life of a single dad, his kids, the annoying mate 'Nudge' and the Dad's mental sech-a-terie...the catch phrase was the original 'Hey Dad!' Or my worst 'Mr kellllie!' - why the scriptwriters never won the Logie is beyond me?...oh another piece of trite was...
'Kingswood Country' another Oz sitcom (Bless Channel 7) set in suburban Australia centred around a racist sexist bigot who loved Holdens - a bit like an Oz Alf Garnet but worse (can you imagine?)
Channel 10 did create 'The Comedy Company'...a skit/satire show on Oz life - and it managed to win the national Sunday night slot for a while, but came back in 1990 after a 6 month break not half as good and died in the ass...
However the real comedian of the hour was dear ol' Auntie(ABC)which actually paved the way for New wave of OZ comedy shows like
'Australia you're standing in it'- a satirical show on oz society
'The Giles report' - Max Giles satire on Oz & world issues of the day, usually involved him in lots of make up and outfit changes...
'The big gig' - hosted by Wendy(Hairlip)Harmer - this was the first live comedian gig show - a mixture of stand up/skit/live music
'D Generation' - my fav - taking the satire step to another level...a new take on the skit show...and these comedy legends would continue onto bigger and better project (refer to 90's)...
The other BIG BIG BIG (did I say HUGE) news was the bicentennial....Oz turned 200 and in a year (1988) that seemed like a decade, given all the bloody going's on and celebrating that was going on...Oz networks got together and created 'AUSTRALIA LIVE' a four hour look of Oz, it's people, even Oz expats scattered all over the world...celebrating a nation's coming of age...the most amazing aspect was the show was simultaneously broadcasted on all networks - they finally got together on camera... it was enough to feel national pride...this was oz's year in the greed decade...and we made it all about us...everything the 80's stood for, the greed, the passion, the money, the excess - oz mimicked this in every way...even, unfortunately the bust as well...
In one of the most amazing deals of the century Mr Kerry Packer sells Bondy the complete Network 9 for over $1 billion dollars (now this is the 80's and that's a long lunch)...and then buys it back for only $200 million (after Bondy sells everything as he was broke)only a few years later...who was the lucky man there?...
(probably Bondy as he is still alive)...
Christopher Skase (Skasie) has no luck with Channel 7 either - After Quintex bought 7 Sydney...then later 7 Melbourne from Fairfax (as well as the other states) big plans were to be made as a new media empire...But Skasie's Quintex went broke so into receivership it went...same with Channel 10...
The 1990's started to look grim..no more parties and fluffy ducks or Bondy, Skasie, Pixie or the rest of the gang - they were off to court or Spain or jaol...no more fun at the fair it seemed...
So pack away the power suit and the cocktail cabinets...downsize to microfibre beige jacket & pant and buy good Oz cask wine...the understated 90's arrived...
to be continued...
4 comments:
And then??
More on the D-generation is needed, for example, the emergence of Jane Turner as Irene Maverick on collectors corner, with her collection of lipsticks; Magda Szubanski appeared as Lyn Postlethwaite for the first time, and those annoying guys on the Panel were actually quite funny back then, and they all had hair.
xxx
That would be in the next 2 parts !
But anytime you care to be a blog ghost writer you're so getting called
Eighties Oz TV? And no Home & Away or Neighbours! Forshame!
It's interesting that Jane Turner / Magda Szubanski have prior histories, seeing as we in the UK only know them as Kath / Kim / Sharon. It would be interesting to see some of their previous work.
Read part 1!!!
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