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Bellbird (soap Opera)
''Bellbird'' is an Australian soap opera serial set in a small fictional Victorian rural township of the show's title. The series was produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at its Ripponlea TV studios in Elsternwick, Melbourne. The opening title sequence was filmed at Daylesford, Victoria. Having run for 10 years, from 1967 until 1977, it was the longest-running soap opera/serial ever produced by the ABC. It ended the same year as commercial broadcast series ''Number 96'' and '' The Box'', which had run for six and four years respectively. Production and broadcasting The series was screened from 28 August 1967 to 23 December 1977. Although ''Bellbird'' was not Australia's first television serial (the first was Network Seven's '' Autumn Affair''), it was the first successful soap opera and even spawned a feature film and tie-in novel. The show's ratings were modest but it had a devoted following, especially in rural Australia. During most of its 10-year producti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soap Opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored by soap manufacturers.Bowles, p. 118. The term was preceded by "horse opera", a derogatory term for low-budget Westerns. BBC Radio's ''The Archers'', first broadcast in 1950, is the world's longest-running radio soap opera. The longest-running current television soap is '' Coronation Street'', which was first broadcast on ITV in 1960, with the record for the longest running soap opera in history being held by '' Guiding Light'', which began on radio in 1937, transitioned to television in 1952, and ended in 2009. A crucial element that defines the soap opera is the open-ended serial nature of the narrative, with stories spanning several episodes. One of the defining features that makes a television program a soap opera, according to Alber ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elspeth Ballantyne
Elspeth Ballantyne (born 20 April 1939) is an Australian retired actress, who appeared in productions in theatre, television and films over a career that spanned nearly 60 years, a veteran of the industry having started her career as a child actor and becoming a staple of the theatre starting from in 1947, in a production of Macbeth and by the age of 15 in 1954 had turned pro., performing in stage roles for the next 37 years, including a stage play tour of the United Kingdom of her iconic "Prisoner" role including at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham Ballantyne is probably best known for her small screen roles in numerous TV serials. Her first major TV role was in the serial '' Bellbird'' in 1967 as librarian Laura "Lori" Chandler (formerly Grey), opposite actor Dennis Miller, whom she would marry the following year, she remained in the role until 1971. She became a staple of the early Crawford Production serials in the 1970s, however became best known for her role in the TV ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anne Lucas
Anne Shirley Lucas (born ) billed also as Annie Lucas, is a Malaysian-born Australian actress and TV screenwriter and script editor, best known for her roles on television including '' Bellbird'' as Glenda Chan, ''The Young Doctors'' from 1977 to 1980 as Eve Turner (Steele) and in ''Prisoner'' for two stints in 1982 and 1983 as prison bookie Faye Quinn. Personal life Lucas was born in July 1946 in Johor, Malaysia to a father of half Burmese and Irish descent and a mother of half Malay and English descent She is married to English-Australian Prisoner producer Ian Bradley (born Bath, Somerset, England, ) They have a son, Lucas ( 1980). Career Actress Early roles include character cameos roles in '' Skippy (the Bush Kangaroo)'', ''Hunter'', ''Homicide'', ''Matlock Police'', ''Division 4'' and ''Spyforce'' and '' All Saints'' Screenwriter As well her role as Faye Quinn, she also wrote many episodes of ''Prisoner'', the first season of which was produced by her husband Ian B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patsy King
Patsy King (born 16 September 1930) is an Australian retired actress known for work in both theatre and television. She has been a children's television presenter, theatre director, playwright and worked in commercials, and in radio and voice over work, particularly in her early career in the United Kingdom. King started her career exclusively as a radio and classical stage actress, with roles in everything from Shakespeare to Peter Pan starting from 1951 until 1990. with a brief return to the stage post-retirement in 2009. Her career in television and children's entertainment started in the early 1960s and extended until 1984.Bryant, Margot "The illustrated Encyclopedia of Australian Showbiz" She is known for her roles in TV series including ''Bellbird (TV series), Bellbird'' as Kate Andrews ''Prisoner: Cell Block H'' Internationally she is best known as an original cast member of ''Prisoner (TV series), Prisoner'', internationally known as ''Prisoner: Cell Block H'', as th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lynda Keane
Lynda Keane (born 1950), is a British-born Australian producer, film and television actress and acting coach. Keane guest starred on numerous television series during the 1960s and 70s, most notably ''Bellbird (TV series), Bellbird'', ''Homicide (Australian TV series), Homicide'', ''Number 96 (TV series), Number 96'', ''The Box (Australian TV series), The Box'', and ''Prisoner (TV series), Prisoner''. She is an acting tutor, who founded her own talent school, called the Lynda Keane Talent School with her husband Greg Anderson as well as the affiliated Keane Kids Management, Keane Kids Studio and Lynda Keane Studios. Among its students have included Brooke Mikey Anderson, Brett Blewitt, Brett Climo, Alyssa Jane Cook, Jamie Croft, Bree Desborough, Gavin Harrison, Matthew Krok, Toni Pearen, Paul Begaud, Charli Robinson, Ben Unwin, Kym Valentine, Nikki Webster, Kristy Wright, Dominic, Sebastian Elmaloglou, Sebastian and Rebekah Elmaloglou. Early acting career Lynda Keane began h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian James (actor)
Brian James (5 July 1918 – 2 November 2009) was an Australian radio, stage, television and film actor. Early life, radio and theatre Brian James was born in Melbourne, the son of the Bishop of St. Arnaud and started his career as a teacher at Ivanhoe Grammar School for four years, in 1933 joining the Royal Australian Navy, after which he was demobilised five years later, and decided to pursue a career as an actor, attending Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, making his stage debut in 1947 and he featured in the 1952 J.C. Williamson production of ''Seagulls Over Sorrento''. He would also appear in the 1960 TV production of the play. According to Richard Lane "in that first decade of television it seemed that Brian James was everywhere." He also appeared in ABC radio plays. Television James appeared in several ABC drama plays in the late 1950s, including ''Duke In Darkness'' and '' Killer in Close-Up: The Wallace Case'' in 1957, ''Gaslight'', ''The Small V ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Hopgood
Alan John Hopgood AM (29 September 1934 – 19 March 2022), also known as Alan Hopwood, was an Australian actor, producer, and writer. He wrote the screenplay for the 1972 film ''Alvin Purple'' and made appearances in television shows such as '' Bellbird'', ''Prisoner'' and '' Neighbours''. Early life Hopgood was born in Launceston, Tasmania, and grew up in the state. He acted in several dramatic roles in his childhood. He attended school in Melbourne and then studied at the University of Melbourne, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Hon) and a Diploma of Education. His first play, ''Marcus'', was produced at Melbourne University while he was working as a school teacher. He left teaching to write full-time and start his acting career. Career Scriptwriting and screenwriting Hopgood's first successful play, ''And the Big Men Fly'', was about Australian rules football and was produced in 1963 by the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Russell Street Theatre in Melbourne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penne Hackforth-Jones
Penne Hackforth-Jones (5 August 194917 May 2013) was an American-born Australian actress and biographer. Early life Penelope Beatrix Hackforth-Jones was born in August 1949 in Greenwich, Connecticut, to Paul and Susan Felicity (née Gullett) Hackforth-Jones and was a granddaughter of Sir Henry Gullett and niece of Jo Gullett, both Australian politicians. She lived with her family in England before relocating to Australia in 1964. After completing her secondary education at St Catherine's School, Toorak in 1966 she attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney until graduating in 1968. Career In 1969, Hackforth-Jones made her first credited on-screen appearance in the Australian television series ''Riptide''. She later appeared in such Australian television series as '' Bellbird'', ''Butterfly Island'', '' Homicide'', ''Matlock Police'', ''Division 4'', ''Cop Shop'', ''Tandarra'', '' Cash and Company'', ''Young Ramsay'', '' Punishment'', '' Bellamy'', '' A Country ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sheila Florance
Sheila Mary Florance (24 July 1916 – 12 October 1991) was an Australian theatre, television and film actress. She was best known for her performance as elderly, alcoholic convict Lizzie Birdsworth in the television series ''Prisoner''. Florance, born in Melbourne, Victoria, married an Englishman in 1934 and sailed to London. She spent World War II in England. Her early career was based on the London stage. Her first husband died in action following the 1944 Normandy landings. Returning to Australia in 1948, where she started performing locally as a theatre actress, before entering films and television series. Florance had a reputation as a teller of extraordinary stories and in the 1950s she was known for her house parties. Florance died in 1991 from lung cancer, a week after receiving the AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her final film. Biography Early life Florance was born on 24 July 1916 at 42 Carrington Grove, East St Kilda, Melbourne. She wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maurie Fields
Maurice Fields (born Maurice Sheil, 4 August 1926 – 18 December 1995) was an Australian vaudeville performer, actor and stand-up comedian. Career Fields became a well-known face on television first thanks to his comic sketches on live programs like ''Sunnyside Up'' and later dramatic roles as the conniving John Quinney in ABC TV's ''Bellbird''. He also featured in many soap operas on commercial television, including ''Cop Shop'', '' The Box'', ''Prisoner'' (a small part playing crooked screw Leonard "Len" Murphy, and he had previously played two smaller parts in the show) and publican Vic Buckley in ''The Flying Doctors''. He was also a regular as Fred Farrell in situation comedy series ''Bobby Dazzler'' (1977) and did regular comedy segments on ''Hey Hey It's Saturday''. He was also the editor of the jokes pages of the ''Australasian Post'' magazine for many years, a role continued by his son Marty after Maurie's passing. He appeared in retro-capture with his son Marty, in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beverley Dunn
Beverley Ruth Dunn (24 April 1933 – 27 November 2021) was an Australian veteran radio, stage, television and film actress based in Melbourne, Australia. Dunn had roles in films including ''Ground Zero (1987 film), Ground Zero'', ''Gross Misconduct (film), Gross Misconduct'', ''Shine (film), Shine'' (1996), ''The Craic'' (1999), ''The Dish'' (2000) and ''Charlie and Boots'' (2009). She appeared in numerous television series for which she was best known including ''Bellbird (TV series), Bellbird'' and ''The Flying Doctors'' as Claire Byrant. Other TV credits : Productions for both ''Crawford Productions'' and ''Grundy Television'' including ''Homicide (Australian TV series), Homicide'', ''Matlock Police'', ''Division 4'', ''Prisoner (TV series), Prisoner'' (4 different character roles), ''Carson's Law'', ''Neighbours'' (as Tina Bentley), ''A Country Practice'' and ''All Saints (TV series), All Saints''. She appeared in ''Roundabout (1957 film), Roundabout'', the first liv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penny Downie
A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is the formal name of the British penny ( p) and the ''de facto'' name of the American one-cent coin (abbr. ¢) as well as the informal Irish designation of the 1 cent euro coin (abbr. c). It is the informal name of the cent unit of account in Canada, although one-cent coins are no longer minted there. The name is used in reference to various historical currencies, also derived from the Carolingian system, such as the French denier and the German pfennig. It may also be informally used to refer to any similar smallest-denomination coin, such as the euro cent or Chinese fen. The Carolingian penny was originally a 0.940-fine silver coin, weighing pound. It was adopted by Offa of Mercia and other English kings and remained t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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