Neptune Presents | |
---|---|
Genre | Music |
Country of origin | Australia |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Running time | 5 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | GTV-9 |
Release | 3 May – 18 October 1957 |
Neptune Presents was an Australian television series which aired from 3 May 1957 to 18 October 1957. It was a 5-minute weekly series, aired at 7:25PM on Fridays on GTV-9, with each episode featuring a vocalist. Like most early Australian series, it aired in a single city only, in this case Melbourne. The source of the title is unknown (it may have been a reference to a sponsor). Though the series is forgotten today, it represents an early attempt at music programming by a Melbourne television station.
On the Fridays the series aired, the schedule also included imported series Sir Lancelot, Cisco Kid, The Ray Milland Show, AEI Theatre (re-titled US anthology episodes), and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, as well as local series The Happy Show, The Pressure Pak Show and In Melbourne Tonight , with the station signing off at 10:50PM after an Epilogue segment. [1]
Among those who appeared on the series included Stan Stafford, [2] and Denis Gibbons. [3]
It is not known if any of the episodes were kinescoped. The survival rate of early Melbourne-produced series is varied, with some shows being completely lost, while some series have at least some surviving material.
The year 1958 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1958.
GTV is a commercial television station in Melbourne, Australia, owned by the Nine Network. The station is currently based at studios at 717 Bourke Street, Docklands.
Blue Heelers is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for twelve years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted the everyday lives and relationships of the residents of Mount Thomas, a fictional small town in Victoria.
Autumn Affair is an Australian television series made by and aired by Network Seven station ATN-7, and also shown in Melbourne on Nine Network station GTV-9. Television in Australia had only been broadcasting since 1956 and Seven was the first commercial station to make drama a priority. It premiered 24 October 1958 and continued until 1959. The series was the first ever Australian television soap opera. It was also the second regular Australian-produced dramatic television series of any kind, with previous locally produced drama consisting of religious series The House on the Corner, and one-off plays largely aired on ABC.
Shell Presents was an early attempt at Australian television drama, being an umbrella title for several different productions. It debuted on 4 April 1959, and aired on ATN-7 and GTV-9, who split production of plays for the series between them. It was an anthology series, each program being a self-contained play for television. The series won a Logie award in 1960 for TV Highlight of 1959. As the title suggests, it was sponsored by Shell. It was described as "a very big deal for the station: major institutional sponsorship from international companies for locally produced drama." It would be followed by The General Motors Hour.
Swallows Parade was an Australian radio and television series. The radio version was broadcast by Melbourne station 3DB in the 1950s, and was also heard on other Major Broadcasting Network stations on a Thursday evening, with auditions being held on Tuesdays. It was presented in front of a live audience from various towns and cities with Major Network outlets.
The Isador Goodman Show is an early Australian television variety series. The series debuted on 6 November 1956 and ran into early September 1957, aired on Melbourne station HSV-7 and starred pianist Isador Goodman, with some episodes also featuring a guest vocalist. The series is notable as an early attempt at producing an Australian-produced variety series. The live 15-minute show aired at 7:15PM on Tuesdays, was preceded by a 15-minute newscast and followed at 7:30PM by American series Jet Jackson. When the series debuted, television was still fairly new to Australia, with local series production having just started, and locally produced series often aired on just a single station.
The Chef Presents was an early Australian television series, which aired from 1957 to 1959 on Melbourne station HSV-7, and was hosted by Willi Koeppen, who became a celebrity in Melbourne due to the series. At one point, the series aired in a 5-minute time-slot, later expanding to a 15-minute timeslot at 7:15 p.m. before being moved to 2:15 p.m., and finally aired at 4:00 p.m. In 1976, long after the series ended, Koeppen mysteriously vanished. One of the earliest cooking shows on Australian television, there is little information available on the series, and it is unlikely that any kinescope recordings exist of it.
Melody Time was an early Australian music television series that aired in 1957 on Melbourne station ABV-2. The live show was hosted by singer Ormonde Douglas, who also made guest appearances on other Australian television series of the era.
Picture Page was an early Australian television series which aired from 1956 to 1957 on ABC. It was hosted by Valerie Cooney.
Club Seven was an Australian television variety series which aired from 1959 to 1961. It aired on Melbourne station HSV-7, broadcast live at 10:00PM on Thursdays. Hosts of the series included Terry Scanlon and Frank Wilson. The series faced tough competition from GTV-9's popular In Melbourne Tonight. At least part of an episode is known to exist and is available for viewing on YouTube.
The Late Show is an Australian television variety series which aired from 1957 to 1959 on Melbourne station HSV-7. Aired on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and competing in the time-slot with GTV-9's popular In Melbourne Tonight, the series included a mix of music and comedy. People who hosted the series during its run included John D'Arcy, Bert Newton and original host Noel Ferrier.
Thursday at One was an Australian daytime television series which aired from 1957 to 1960 on Melbourne station GTV-9. A "programme for the housewife", the running time was as long as two hours.
Stairway to the Stars was an early Australian television series that aired on Melbourne station HSV-7. The first episode aired 9 November 1956, with the series ending circa November 1958.
Movie Guide was an Australian television program which aired on Melbourne station HSV-7 from 29 August 1958 to 24 July 1959.
Beauty is My Business is an early Australian television series for which very little information is available, but which represents an early example of television content produced in that country. It was a weekly series which ran on Fridays, ran from 27 September 1957 to 3 January 1958, aired in a 15-minute time-slot, and like most early Australian television series it aired in a single city only. In this case, it aired on Melbourne station HSV-7. Mary Parker, who was a newsreader at HSV-7, was the host of the series.
The General Motors Hour was an Australian radio and television drama series.
Meet is an early Australian television series which aired on ABC during 1957. The series consisted of interviews in a 15-minute time-slot, with a single person interviewed in each episode. It aired live in Melbourne, with telerecordings made of the broadcasts so it could be shown in Sydney. In Melbourne it aired on Mondays. Following the end of the series, it was followed up with an interview series titled People.