Australian TV in the 1960s and 70s Quiz

Answer: Do yourself a favour!

Molly (he was NEVER called Ian) hosted the show from its opening in 1974 until it folded in 1987. He had friends in all areas of the music scene, both locally and internationally. He was instrumental in launching the careers of such acts as Russell Morris, Skyhooks, Sherbet, The Masters Apprentices, Colleen Hewitt, and was friends with superstars like Rod Stewart, Meat Loaf, Elton John, Boz Scaggs, Cyndi Lauper, and countless others.

His 'do yourself a favour' phrase has found its way into the Australian vernacular. 'A rickapoodie and a fandooglie' belonged to radio DJ, Ward 'Pally' Austin, who was on air from the 1960s to the 90s. 'That's gold' was popularised by Paul Harragon on the rugby league 'Footy Show', in 2007. 'Crikey' is the well-known exclamation of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, usually when he had hold of a crocodile's tail!

Answer: Blankety Blanks

The show was loaded with double entendres and innuendo, and the viewers loved it. It only lasted two seasons, but won Kennedy a Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television, in 1978. The repartee between some of Australia's best comedic talent was amazing.

'The Mavis Bramston Show' was a satirical sketch show that ran from 1964-68. It featured talent such as Noelene Brown, June Salter, Gordon Chater, Carol Raye, and Barry Creyton. The title is ironic, in that Mavis Bramston did not really exist!

'Kingswood Country' was another politically-incorrect show, that rated its little socks off. It starred Ross Higgins as Ted Bullpit ("No, everyone says that. Its Bull-PITT".). "Pickle me grandmother!" was just one of his catchphrases. I saw an episode of this being filmed, and left with sore sides, from laughing so hard.

'Bellbird' was a gentle soap opera, set in a small country town. It ran for ten years from 1967.

Answer: The Box

'Homicide' ran for 12 years, setting a record for the longest-running drama. It was set in Melbourne, and could probably be considered the flagship of the Crawford empire.

Bluey was not your average cop- a drinker, smoker and womaniser, which may explain why the show only ran for one season, in 1976/77. It starred comedian Lucky Grills as the unconventional, but highly effective Det. Sgt. "Bluey" Hills.

'Solo One' was a short-lived Crawford Production. It was set in a rural police station and starred Paul Cronin as a motorbike cop.

'The Box' was not a cop show. It was set in a television station, and was quite saucy for its day. Its cast included George Mallaby, Belinda Giblin, Judy Nunn, Ken James and Graham Blundell.

Answer: Mike and Mal

The Leyland brothers' show consisted mainly of home video stories about places of interest in Australia and New Zealand. Many of the stories were suggested by viewers.

Bill and Ben were the stars of the British kid's show, 'Flower Pot Men', who spoke unintelligible English. B1 and B2 are the 'Bananas in Pyjamas', a kids show that started in 1992. Greg, Ian and Trevor are the names of the Chappell brothers, a family of outstanding cricketers in the 1970s and 80s.

Answer: Strop

The show, which ran for twelve seasons, was a comedy sketch show that paved the way for his career as Crocodile Dundee, and several other big-name movies. Strop, played by Hoges' real-life manager, John Cornell, was a dumb but friendly mate to the star, and was married to Delvene Delaney, the sex-symbol of the show. Cornell was also instrumental in the establishment of World Series Cricket in 1977. Hogan also starred in the 1996 movie, 'Flipper', with a young Elijah Wood and a dolphin. Plucka Duck was a character on 'Hey Hey, It's Saturday'.

Matthew "Matty" Johns was a champion rugby league player for Newcastle, New South Wales and Australia, retiring in 2002. He launched 'The Matty Johns Show', which concentrated on Rugby League, in 2010.

Answer: World War II

Dave and Grace Sullivan were the parents of four children, who are all affected by the war. The principals were played by established actors, Paul Cronin and Lorraine Bayly, and there was quite a procession of other players in guest appearances. John Waters, Bud Tingwell, the Minogue sisters, Gary Sweet, Mel Gibson and Gus Mercurio head a long list of Australian talent.

The Great Emu War was fought in Western Australia in 1932. Emus were wreaking havoc on wheat crops and a small detachment of soldiers was despatched to eradicate the problem. Despite the Army using machine guns, the general consensus is that the emus won!

Answer: Number 96

It probably seems a bit tame now, but in 1971 it created a huge amount of controversy. Storylines included the world's first openly gay soapie character, Don Finlayson (played by Joe Hasham), marijuana use, devil worship ceremonies, abortions, full-frontal nudity, and even a phantom panty snatcher! The series was set in a block of units at 96 Lindsay Street, Paddington, a trendy, inner-city suburb of Sydney, and ended in 1977.

'The Naked Vicar Show' had nothing to do with nude religious figures- it was a comedy sketch show, and 'The Restless Years' was a soapie, mainly aimed at young adults.

Answer: Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo

'Skippy' was a kangaroo, probably the smartest marsupial in the world. He was good friends with Sonny, who lived in the fictional Waratah National Park. Much of the filming was done in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, in the far northern suburbs of Sydney.

'Alexander Bunyip's Billabong' was a show that ran from 1978 to 1988. A bunyip is a mythological Australian creature, and is unlikely to be found in ANY National Park. 'Wombat' was another kid's show, that oddly enough, was hosted by a bathmat named Agro, rather than a wombat. 'The Muddle-Headed Wombat' is a radio series that started in the 1940s, which spawned a collection of classic books, written by Ruth Park.

Answer: Daryl Somers

The show ran from 1971-99, and featured many international guests. It was initially shown on Saturday mornings, as a vehicle for presenting cartoons. The cartoon side of the show was gradually phased out, and the show changed format to a comedy variety show. After 13 years of mornings, the show moved to Saturday night primetime, and rated highly for the next 15 years. It featured many international guests.

David Lee Roth, Mick Jagger, Sylvester Stallone, Elton John, KC & The Sunshine Band, Kamahl, André the Giant, Mel Gibson, Candice Bergen, Tina Turner, Sheena Easton, Mel Gibson, Meatloaf, Chevy Chase are just a few that risked their careers and reputations. Some of the many segments include Chook Lotto, Molly's Melodrama, Masterslime, The Great Aussie Joke, Celebrity Head, and the infamous Red Faces, a no-talent talent show.

George Negus was one of the original journalists on the Australian version of '60 Minutes'. Roger Climpson read the news on Channel 7, Sydney, for more than twenty years. Bert Newton (known as Moonface) was a staple of Australian television for many, many years. He won almost every award imaginable, and appeared on countless variety and light entertainment shows.

Answer: It's Academic

'It's Academic' (1968) was a school-versus-school format, with most contestants being about 15 years old. It ran, in slightly different variants and times, and different networks, from 1968 to 2016.

'Million Dollar Minute' was a standard Q & A quiz show that started in 2013.
'The Rich List' ran from 2007 to 2009, and involved two teams naming as many items as they could from a given topic. 'RocKwiz' was hosted by Julia Zemiro, and was a very gritty, no-frills music-based quiz format.