Tag: Bellbird

Prisoner stars before Prisoner

Last week marked the 40th anniversary of the debut of Prisoner. Most of the actors from the series had come from established acting backgrounds, though for many it was Prisoner that made them household (and even international) names even though they were not necessarily strangers to television. So what were some of the Prisoner cast …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/03/prisoner-stars-before-prisoner.html

Obituary: Terry McDermott

Actor Terry McDermott, one of the founding cast members of the long-running series Homicide, has died at the age of 91. He featured in early TV dramas including The Adventures of Long John Silver, Whiplash and Consider Your Verdict. He appeared in the pilot episode of Crawford Productions‘ proposed series Homicide. A year had passed …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2018/12/obituary-terry-mcdermott.html

Obituary: Judy McBurney

Judy McBurney, best known for roles in The Young Doctors and Prisoner, has died at the age of 70 after a four-year battle with cancer. With an early career in modelling, she moved into acting with appearances in Catwalk, Barrier Reef, Seven Little Australians, Behind The Legend, The Box, Homicide, Bluey and Bellbird. In 1973 …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2018/12/obituary-judy-mcburney.html

Seven’s Motel promised daytime sizzle

The Seven Network‘s bold — and third — attempt to produce a daytime soap opera was met with comparisons to popular overseas dramas Peyton Place and Coronation Street. With a generous budget and a cast list of 16, Motel was a serious attempt to crack the daytime market as an alternative to cheaper game and chat …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2018/05/sevens-motel-promised-daytime-sizzle.html

The year that was… 2017

Another year is now behind us! No doubt the biggest TV stories of the year surround the Ten Network — going into voluntary administration and then receivership before being taken over by US network CBS. The CBS takeover was a cunning move that caught most by surprise, not least being former Ten shareholders Bruce Gordon …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2017/12/the-year-that-was-2017.html

The Dream Factory pays tribute to Ripponlea

ABC this week pays tribute to its legendary Ripponlea studios in the documentary The Dream Factory. The studios, based in the Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick and named after the historic homestead which is adjacent to it, were officially opened in May 1958, eighteen months after ABC’s Melbourne channel ABV2 began broadcasting. The studios continued to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2017/11/the-dream-factory-pays-tribute-to-ripponlea.html

Back to Bellbird

One of the most successful radio serials in Australia was ABC‘s Blue Hills. The daily 15-minute depiction of life in the fictitious country town of Tanimbla had an incredibly loyal following from the time it debuted in 1949. With television starting in 1956, it was only a matter of time before a similar concept was …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2017/08/back-to-bellbird.html

Cop Shop coming soon to DVD

Cop Shop, the popular Crawfords police drama of the 1970s and early ’80s, is coming soon to DVD with a box set of the first 26 episodes. This year marks the 40th anniversary since the show debuted on our screens. The first episode aired on the Seven Network in Sydney and Melbourne on 28 November 1977 and focused …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2017/04/cop-shop-coming-soon-to-dvd.html

Obituary: Bob Horsfall

Bob Horsfall, an entertainer from the early days of Australian television, has died at the age of 90. From a career that began as a child performer at the Tivoli Theatre in the 1930s, Horsfall went in to radio — working at stations including 3KZ, 3AW, 3UZ and 2UE. He later made the transition to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2016/12/obituary-bob-horsfall.html

TV At 60: ABC begins in Melbourne

The opening night of ABC‘s Melbourne station ABV2 went ahead without anywhere near the problems encountered by its Sydney sister two weeks earlier. The station was officially opened by Minister for Labour and National Service Harold Holt shortly after 7.00pm on Monday, 19 November 1956. Other speakers during the half-hour ceremony included Leader of the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2016/11/tv-at-60-abc-begins-in-melbourne.html