The year 1957 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1957.
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.
HSV is a television station in Melbourne, Australia. It is part of the Seven Network, one of the three main commercial television networks in Australia, its first and oldest station. It launched in time for the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne. HSV-7 is the home of AFL coverage.
Take That was one of the earliest Australian television series. It debuted in late 1957 and ran till March 1959. As was often the case with early Australian television, it aired only on a single station, in this case HSV-7, in Melbourne.
Teenage Mailbag was an Australian television series which aired in 1957 to 1958 on Melbourne station HSV-7. Information on this series is scarce. According to a 2008 article in The Age, the format consisted of Ernie Sigley, Gaynor Bunning and Heather Horwood singing requested songs in a 15-minute slot, and later expanded to an hour. The one-hour version became the series The Teenage Show (1958-1960?). At one point, the series aired at 7:15PM, preceded by another 15-minute series titled Take That and followed by an American program.
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 Jean Bowring Show is an Australian television cooking show that aired on Melbourne station HSV-7 from 1957 to 1960. At one point it aired in a 15-minute timeslot, but later became a 30-minute series.
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.
Eric and Mary was an Australian television programme which aired in 1956. It was one of the earliest Australian-produced television series. It was an "informal programme with guest artists", likely an interview show, hosted by Eric Pearce and Mary Parker. It was broadcast on Melbourne station HSV-7. The station began broadcasting on 4 November 1956, and Eric and Mary debuted a few days later on the 7th.
Fun with Charades is an Australian television program which aired on Sundays from late 1956 to early 1958 on Melbourne station HSV-7. The show was originally hosted by Miles Maxwell, a music teacher at Brighton Grammar School. Later episodes were hosted by Danny Webb. The format was near-identical to the American series Pantomime Quiz, which itself saw an Australian version in 1957 on stations ATN-7 and GTV-9. It is not known if Fun with Charades was ever kinescoped.
Guest of the Week was an early Australian television series which aired from 1956 to 1957 on Melbourne station HSV-7. Little information is available on the series. Hosted by Mary Parker, the series debuted on 18 November 1956 and ended about a year later during November 1957. It was a 15-minute series aired at 7:15PM on Saturdays, following HSV-7's newscast, which itself was 15-minutes at the time. On other days of the week, the station filled the 15-minutes after the newscasts with programmes ranging from American imports like The Patti Page Show to locally produced series like The Isador Goodman Show. This was similar to practices in the US during the 1950s, in which newscasts were followed by series like The Dinah Shore Show.
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.
Women's World was an Australian television series which aired from 1956 to 1963 on ABC. Originally broadcast in Sydney and later Melbourne, it would appear the last couple years of the series were only broadcast in Sydney.
Fun Farm was an early Australian television series. It debuted on 29 October 1956, and was aired live on Nine Network Sydney station TCN-9.
Anything Goes was an early Australian television variety series which aired on Melbourne station GTV-9. Broadcast on Wednesdays at 8:00 PM, it aired from 23 January to 20 February 1957.
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.
Strictly for Mothers was an Australian television series, which aired on Melbourne television station HSV-7. The weekly half-hour daytime series was short-lived, broadcast on Mondays from 27 July 1959 to 12 October 1959 at 2:45PM. It was a series aimed at mothers and expectant mothers. It was hosted by Jean Battersby. It was followed on HSV-7's schedule by Snakes and Ladders, a short-lived game show.
Football Inquest is the name of two Australian television series, which both aired in Melbourne. The first aired 1957 on GTV-9, while the second aired 1960-1974(?) on HSV-7. There was also a South Australian version.
Be My Guest is an early Australian television series, which aired weekly on Melbourne station HSV-7 from 30 January 1957 to 24 April 1957. Episodes were 15 minutes in duration, and hosted by Eric Pearce. It was likely an interview series, but little is known about it, and it is not known if any kinescope recordings were made of it. However, despite its obscurity, it is notable as an early example of Australian-produced television content.
Health Club is an Australian television series which aired from 1957 to 1959, also known as Health and Happiness. A daytime series aired on Melbourne station HSV-7, very little information is available on the series, however it is notable as an early example of an Australian television series aimed at women. A 15-minute series, it was hosted by Beryl Wright and aired weekly on Wednesdays.
