Tag: Luke’s Kingdom

The Dismissal: 40 years on

The screening of the mini-series The Dismissal — forty years ago this week — marked a significant landmark for both its host network, Ten, and in Australian television’s growing interest in mini-series production. Australia’s commercial networks had hopped on the mini-series bandwagon as far back as 1976 with Luke’s Kingdom and 1978’s Against The Wind. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2023/03/the-dismissal-40-years-on.html

Obituary: Tony Barry

Tony Barry, veteran film and television actor across Australia and New Zealand, has died peacefully after a long illness. He was 81. Born in Queensland, he grew up in Sydney. Despite early ambitions of following his father into becoming an aircraft engineer, Barry tried various jobs after leaving school. He eventually scored some minor bit …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2022/12/obituary-tony-barry.html

Obituary: Martin Vaughan

Actor Martin Vaughan, who played the lead role in the ABC mini-series Power Without Glory, has died at the age of 91. Born in Queensland, Vaughan came to Melbourne as an adult and began work as a public servant before discovering an interest in amateur theatre. His interest turned professional when he signed with The …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2022/11/obituary-martin-vaughan.html

Obituary: Tommy Dysart

Actor Tommy Dysart, best known from Prisoner and the Yellow Pages “Goggomobil” commercials, has died at the age of 86. One of the first students enrolled at the National Institute Of Dramatic Art (NIDA) when it opened in 1959, Dysart’s acting career began in theatre. He soon made his television debut with a guest role …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2022/06/obituary-tommy-dysart.html

Classic TV Guides: Hard Copy

While other current affairs shows may have skirted around describing themselves as ‘tabloid’, Hard Copy went into it unashamedly with its mix of sensationalist stories, loud music and over-the-top headlines. The Australian version of Hard Copy, debuting on Network Ten on 19 September 1991, was a franchise of the American show of the same name. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2021/09/classic-tv-guides-hard-copy.html

50th anniversary of Division 4

Division 4 was one of the trifecta of police dramas from Crawford Productions that came to define Australian television drama in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The series was born after Crawfords and the Nine Network were in a conundrum over what to do with its popular spy drama, Hunter. The show’s lead actor …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/03/50th-anniversary-of-division-4.html

Obituary: Peter Sumner

Actor Peter Sumner, who first rose to prominence in the 1970s espionage drama Spyforce, has died at the age of 74. Born Peter Sumner-Potts, one of his first professional roles was working at the ABC — doing a range of tasks including writing, producing, directing, voice overs and working on radio shows. “And that gave …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2016/11/obituary-peter-sumner.html

Obituary: James Condon

James Condon, actor in many Australian stage, film and television productions, has died peacefully at the age of 90. Born in Western Australia, Condon’s career started at ABC radio in Perth before serving in the Air Force during World War II. After the war he worked for the BBC before returning to Australia to resume …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2014/02/obituary-james-condon.html

1979: December 8-14

Sergeant O’Reilly’s ball and chain! A happy occasion on Seven’s Cop Shop with the wedding of Senior Sergeant Eric O’Reilly (Terry Norris) and Lorna Close (Moya O’Sullivan).  The wedding, held in an outdoor setting, will go to air this week in Melbourne and Brisbane and later in Sydney. Arcade builds into a blockbuster Production on …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2009/12/1979-december-8-14.html

Justine Saunders

Justine Saunders, one of Australia’s most prominent indigenous actresses of the 1970s and 1980s, has died in Sydney after a battle with cancer. Born in Queensland in 1953, Saunders came to prominence in the 1970s in the Nine Network series Luke’s Kingdom before scoring an ongoing role as Rhonda in Number 96 in 1976. Later …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2007/04/justine-saunders.html