Cover: John Travolta
‘Clean-up’ TV rebel on the warpath
Mary Whitehouse, the English self-styled guardian of all public morality, is about to embark on a four-week tour of Australia and New Zealand to point out the dangers that TV poses to civilisation. Some of the shows on Ms Whitehouse’s radar include Are You Being Served? with its sexual innuendo, including those of a homosexual nature, and crime show The Sweeney which she considers the most violent program on television. But among Ms Whitehouse’s more admirable pursuits is the fight against the exploitation of children in the media.
Here’s mud in Mike’s eye
TV adventurers Mike and Mal Leyland have covered much of Australia to bring the country and its people to our screens. Now, as part of the latest series to air on the Nine Network, Mike Leyland has set his sights further afield, to Niugini, where he spent a month on safari – encountering warring tribes, a sing-song in the Highlands which culminated in the killing of 3000 pigs, and the ‘mud men’ who wear helmets made of mud, usually on ceremonial occasions, as part of a centuries-old tradition to scare off evil spirits.
Seaspray star sets sail for Cop Shop
Sue Haworth, one of the child stars of the 1960s ABC series Adventures Of The Seaspray, is returning to television after over a decade. The young actress, who gave up her acting career to go to England to marry and start a family, is to appear in Cop Shop as a Greek girl who is promised to marry Detective Mike Georgiou (John Orcsik).
Carry on Trekking! 
TV Times reporter Eric Scott does not know the actual airdate of the first Star Trek episode in Australia – but he knows someone that does. Melbourne schoolteacher Diane Marchant (pictured) is Australia’s number one fan of the show and a founding member of the US-based Star Trek fan club. Ms Marchant also boasts a growing collection of Star Trek memorabilia, including fan magazines, signed cast photos and video cassettes of all the episodes. On 13 July, Marchant and Star Trek fans all around Australia will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the show’s first airing in this country.
Viewpoint: Letters to the Editor
“ABC needs smartening up! By removing the following programs, the clean-up will start: Soap, a pathetic, unfunny, vulgar show; The New Avengers, bad enough the first time around let alone repeated; Mastermind, which is boring; Dave Allen At Large, sick to death of constant repeats; Pot Black should be shown later.” J. Farrell, NSW
“I had thought that Blankety Blanks was getting low, but I was thoroughly disgusted while watching DDQ10 Darling Downs, on 12 June. Graham Kennedy openly ran his fingers over a married contestant’s breast. In my opinion, he would be the lowest blankety blank.” L. J. White, NSW
“What on earth do the Brisbane commercial TV stations think they are doing? They spend money producing relatively good sports programs, then hire readers who no doubt know what they are saying, but are hopelessly uneducated.” S. Hewitt, QLD.
What’s On (July 8-14)
On Saturday night, GTV9 presents a 90-minute special, Dave Allen In Australia, featuring guest stars Max Walker, Bunney Brooke, Judy Morris and Carla Hoogeveen (pictured)
On Wednesday night, HSV7 screens Julie Anthony’s First Special – a musical tribute to the popular singer’s journey from growing up in South Australia to landing the lead role in the stage musical Irene.
ABC screens the final episode of drama series Catspaw (featuring Ken James, pictured) followed later in the evening by a live-via-satellite telecast of the British Open Golf Championship from Scotland.
Sunday night movies are Man About The House (HSV7), Prudence And The Pill (GTV9) and Underground Man (ATV0), while ABC presents the debut of Capriccio! – a variety program hosted by Carol Raye (Blankety Blanks, Number 96) featuring music selected by well-known personalities. The first episode features music chosen by former Number 96 sex kitten Abigail.
Source: TV Times (Melbourne edition), 8 July 1978. ABC/ACP
