In the early 1970s Mike Walsh sought to prove that housewives and retirees, who made up the majority of daytime TV audiences, deserved better content in daytime TV than re-runs, cheap game shows and segments on housekeeping. For over 2000 episodes, The Mike Walsh Show not only brought variety and the showbiz elite to afternoons but also frank and open discussion about all manner of social topics, including everything from politics to sex to immigration.
Among its stable of regulars were Jeanne Little, John Michael Howson, Dr James Wright and music director Geoff Harvey. Its success — first on the 0-10 Network before going across to Nine in 1977 — saw it earn the type of ratings at midday that many prime time shows would have envied. The show scored many TV Week Logies including Gold Logies for Little in 1977 and Walsh in 1980.
In 2006, the National Film and Sound Archive acquired a collection of around 1500 episodes of The Mike Walsh Show. It has now published a selection of clips from the show as a tribute to the show that dominated daytime TV for over a decade.
Source: National Film and Sound Archive. TV Week, 26 December 1981. Woman’s Day/TV Day, 22 June 1982.
Thank you National Sound and Film Archives for letting us relive the good old days of television in the Mike Walsh Show on line. Now maybe other shows such as Don Lane {Sydney shows}, Bobby Limb. Eric Jupp’s Magic of Music and others. Maybe series like GP., Sullivans, Flying Doctors could go online. Television in the fifties/sixties had so much variety – Bandstand and the J.O.K. {Johnny O’Keefe} shows were great entertainment.
Jeannie Little was one of the wonderful performers on the Mike Walsh show. I heard recently she was in a Care Home with Dementia. So sad to happen to a once so bubbly personality. Does anyone have an update on her.
Any more news on Cornelia Frances.
Haven’t heard any news on Jeanne Little or Cornelia Frances
Who was the Australian girl singer with the straight, blonde, shoulder length hair who sang, Desperado, song in the show during 1976? I think that she wore a black outfit.
jeannie little’s daughter has released a book on her life – i saw it on the morning new show in Sept 2018
where can the book on Jeannie Little be obtained and what is title. Also can we have an update on Jeannie… she was so much a part of our lives growing up in the days of Mike Walsh and other shows- all gone now and what we do have on our screens can never compare to the ‘good old days’ of Australian variety shows on our small screens.
It’s called Catch A Falling Star by Katie M Little
https://twitter.com/LittleFamilyOz/status/1049878347189235713
My grandfather Max Ramsay was a guest on the Mike Walsh show in the 80’s and I would really appreciate it if you could put his interview up so that I could see it again and show my children.
You could try contacting the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra which has acquired The Mike Walsh Show archive
Is there a copy of the Mike Walsh show that featured laser tattoo removal
I’m trying to find the name of the diet that Mike Walsh had on his show and it became a competition between the states who lost the most weight.