Marilyn Mayo, known to many as ‘Miss Marilyn’ of The Super Flying Fun Show, has died.

She was a performer on Bandstand, The Mobil-Limb Show and The Sound Of Music in the 1960s, as well as stints presenting the weather and introducing movies. In October 1969 she was hired to host TCN9‘s new early morning children’s cartoon show, but the show was dropped at the last moment. Nine soon ended up having a change of heart and The Super Flying Fun Show went on for 10 years, screening in Sydney and Melbourne. She also had a stint on Ernie Sigley‘s Sydney-based Saturday night variety show, Club 9, and in 1974 won a TV Week Logie Award for Most Popular Female Personality In New South Wales.

After The Super Flying Fun Show ended in 1979, Nine kept her on a retainer for 12 months but she found it hard to shake off the children’s hostess tag. “By the time I’d done the kids’ show for 10 years, I had no desire to compere another one,” she told TV Week.

She eventually returned to TV in 1981 as barmaid Dusty in the short-lived Network Ten drama series Holiday Island, though she originally auditioned for the lead role of Angela Scott, which ended up getting cast to Caz Lederman. After Holiday Island wound up, she became a panellist on Ten’s Beauty And The Beast and made a return to children’s television but as a producer for The Harry And Ralph Show. “At first I tried desperately to make it different, but then thought why be clever and creative when what we’d been doing on The Super Flying Fun Show for all those years worked,” she said.

She also had guest roles in series including Consider Your Verdict, Contrabandits, Riptide, Sons And Daughters, Rafferty’s Rules, A Country Practice, E Street, Water Rats, Heartbreak High, Home And Away, Bullpitt! and All Saints before retiring in 2000.

Longtime friend and showbiz reporter Craig Bennett said: “In 2020, she suffered a devastating brain hemorrhage from which she miraculously battled back. Despite the ravages brought about by the stroke, she was upbeat, greeted you with a warm smile always, and retained her stunning repartee to the end. Vale to a darling soul, and RIP Miss Marilyn.”

Marilyn Mayo is survived by stepdaughters Katrina Medina and Lillian Lyon.

Source: Seven News, Now To Love, IMDB. TV Week, 22 February 1964, 8 May 1976, 10 July 1976, 29 August 1981, 29 October 1983. Sydney Morning Herald, 3 May 1967, 10 October 1969.