The Critics (TV series)

Last updated

The Critics
Genre Talk show
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Original release
Network ABC Television
Release1959 (1959) 
1962 (1962)

The Critics was an Australian television series which aired on ABC. Two versions were produced, one for Sydney and another for Melbourne. Debuting 1959, the Melbourne version ran to 1960, while the Sydney version ran to circa 1962.

Contents

Format

A panel of three members would review or discuss three works, often a book, a film and an event. For example, in the 10 March 1960 Melbourne edition, the book was The Heroes by Ronald McKie, the film was The Wreck of the Mary Deare and the event was The Tommy Steele Show. [1] In a 1959 Sydney edition (shown in Melbourne on 1 November 1959), the panel discussed Yugoslav State Company dancers and musicians, the novel Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow, and the Sydney appearance by U.S. rock singer Fabian. [2]

Episode status

It is not known how many episodes are still extant, given the erratic survival rate of 1950s/early 1960s Australian television series. Telerecordings of two or three episodes are held by National Archives of Australia.

See also

Related Research Articles

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.

The Story of Peter Grey was an Australian television daytime soap opera produced by the Seven Network and first broadcast in July 1962. James Condon starred in the title role as a church minister.

Fay Kelton, is an Australian former actress radio, stage and television, she relocated to Melbourne in her teens. She was a regular performer on the ABC radio serial Blue Hills (1949-1976), and also appeared in the shorter serials for commercial radio Danse Macabre and Forests of the Night.

Rex Rienits was an Australian writer of radio, films, plays and TV. He was a journalist before becoming one of the leading radio writers in Australia. He moved to England in 1949 and worked for a number of years there. He later returned to Australia and worked on early local TV drama.

<i>Shell Presents</i> Australian TV series or program

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.

Hal Lashwood's Alabama Jubilee was an Australian television variety series hosted by Hal Lashwood which aired from 1958 to 1961 on ABC Television. It was essentially a minstrel show, with some of the performers appearing in blackface makeup. In 1960, it was retitled Hal Lashwood's Minstrels.

It Pays to Be Funny was an Australian television comedy game show. In Sydney it aired on station ATN-7, while in Melbourne it aired on GTV-9. The half-hour show was hosted Bob Dyer, who had previously hosted a version for radio on the Macquarie Radio Network.

The Teenage Show, also known as The Teenage Hour, is an Australian music television series which aired on Saturdays from 25 October 1958 to 1960 on Melbourne station HSV-7.

Make Ours Music was an Australian music television series which aired from 1958 to circa 1961 on ABC. Produced in Sydney, it also aired in Melbourne. Originally a half-hour series, it later expanded to an hour. Make Ours Music featured a mix of live songs and dance numbers.

That's My Desire is an Australian television game show which ran from 1958 to 1960 on Melbourne station HSV-7. Hosted by Danny Webb, it was a panel game. The half-hour series changed time-slot several times. At one point it aired at 4:45PM, it later aired at 3:00PM, then at 4:00PM, and finally at 2:30PM.

What's in the Picture is an Australian television panel game show which aired on ABC from 1958 to 1959. Produced and broadcast live in Sydney, it was also shown in Melbourne via telerecordings, a type of recording also known as a kinescope recordings. The series was hosted by Harry Dearth, and aired in a half-hour time-slot.

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.

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.

Any Questions was an Australian television series which aired on the ABC from 1958 to 1963. The series presented a panel, who would discuss various topics in each episode. ABC produced several discussion series during the 1950s and 1960s. Originally aired on Thursdays, it later moved to Wednesdays. Some of the editions were made in Sydney, while others were made in Melbourne.

Old-Time Ballroom was an Australian television variety series which aired on Melbourne station ABV-2 and Sydney station ABN-2 on Saturdays. It originally aired for a four-episode series in September 1959. The program aired an additional series starting December 1959, which ran through to January 1960. It may however have had an additional series in 1961 or later years of the early 1960s.

The Evie Hayes Show was an Australian television variety series starring vocalist Evie Hayes. The half-hour series debuted on 4 July 1960 and ran a season of eight episodes on Melbourne station ABV-2, and was also shown on ABN-2 in Sydney. It is worth noting that ABC variety series of the era had intentionally shorter seasons than those on commercial television in Australia.

Two's Company was an Australian television variety series which aired in three different versions on Melbourne station ABV-2.

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.

In Melbourne Today was an early Australian television series, which aired in two versions in the 1950s, on Melbourne station GTV-9. It was Australia's first breakfast television series.

References

  1. "Thursday Television". Radio/TV Supplement. The Age . 4 March 1960. p. 12. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  2. "Sunday Television". Radio/TV Supplement. The Age . 29 October 1959. p. 8. Retrieved 6 June 2013.