Oz TV continued - The 60's....

Variety was word 'Du-jour' in 1960's OZ TV

Forget a night at the theatre or a double maitenne at the Tivoli with a chop top and coke for 2 and 6 - just get cozy on the vinyl settee with Mum, Dad, Little Johnny & Jemina (and Rex the dog of course)... Oz was still importing foreign TV shows...but started to develop it's own...

Let's start with the kiddies - 'Uncle Norman's Tarax's show' (who looked a bit like a drunk and a child molestor to me)& 'Romper Room' (a rip off of the UK kiddy show) for starters - but bless Auntie (the ABC)- creating 'Play School' (I always liked the arch window myself) and 'Mr Squiggle' (hated that pencil poof but loved grumpy Gus - the TV snail) - both shows surviving today... which either means there are universal or we think our kids like the same shit...

For the teens? How cool was 'Bandstand' - a complete rip off of the American show - with Mr Brian Henderson - the hippest cat in a knitten cardigan and scientist glasses, playing the latest discs of the day - the Beatles, the Rolling stones, Little Patti(was this Patti Newton?), Cole Joy(a bit like your daggy Uncle)...and Rock & Roll demi god and Oz's answer to the wild American rockers - Mr Johnny O'Keefe...

Not up for music...need some comedy? Well then it's 'The Mavis Bramston show' - which featured everyone except for Mavis Bramston( who was obviously called away to a tupperware party or the making of pickle relish) - this was the first satire show of Oz life, politics and society - this would pave the way for shows like 'The Naked Vicar Show' of the 1970's, 'D-generation' of the 80's & 'Fast Forward'/'Full Frontal' of the 90's...

What about Drama? The love of Cop shows begun in the 60's with 'Homocide' blokes in hats & black suits with thin ties driving Holdens about Melbourne...solving big city murders - the opening theme is very Oz Film Noir... Oz's romance with the soaps also started... However the soapies of the day were very staid (and dull) 'Bellbird' - about life on the farm in rural oz...complete with a dog on a tucker box - well almost...

Talk Shows were probably the most successful and popular - whether it was 'that yank' Don Lane in Sydney...or Graham Kennedy's IMT - 'In Melbourne Tonight' - a mix of variety, humour, singing, guest stars and the start of 'info commercials' - about lemonade with 'sparkle-arckle', Pal dog food with Rover(the dog wee'ed on air), Ladies Shoes 'in the latest styles and fashions', toothpaste 'with extra zing' or anything else that would sponsor these shows...all live mind you...sometimes the ads were as interesting as the guests...

And interesting too that during this time IMT also became a National show - in fact networks all over little Oz stopped being local and started to form national networks. The Channel 0/10 network also began, so by the end of the 60's most urban areas of Oz got 4 channels to choose from - and now the channels were broadcasting from early morning to late at night - bigger variety for a bigger audience...

Oz TV in the 60's were definitely a reflection of the changes in society - we were shaking off the old plain & conservative Menzies era and really started to develop the 'aussie image' - we even got our own currency ('66) and started to finally move away from the mother country...

If the 60's were about standing on our own two feet and becoming our own with aussie variety, the 70's were about lying on our backs and having fun with aussie taboo's... so put away the lounge suits, the martini's and cheese on sticks - get out the punch bowls, the fondue sets and chiffon gowns in your sunken open planned homes, complete with lime green formica, shot silk orange curtins and shag pile brown carpets (OMG I just described my parents house from '75)
It's time to let it all hang out and go wild - in fully blown techicolour no less...

To be continued...