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{{Short description|Australian television series}} {{Short description|Australian television series}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2011}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2011}}
{{Infobox television {{Infobox television
| image = | genre = {{ubl|]|]}}
| caption = | creator = Barbara Vernon,
| writer = Barbara Vernon, ], ]
| alt_name =
| genre = ]<br>] | director = ], ]
| creator = ] | producer = ]<ref name="tage"/>
| writer = |starring = See cast list
| director =
| creative_director =
| developer =
| presenter =
| starring =
| voices =
| narrated =
| theme_music_composer =
| opentheme =
| endtheme =
| composer =
| country = Australia | country = Australia
| language = English | language = English
| num_seasons = 10 | num_seasons = 10
| num_episodes = 1,562 | num_episodes = 1,697<ref name="bbinfo"/>
| list_episodes = | list_episodes =
| runtime = Episodes 1-1508 (15 minutes (excluding commercial)), Episodes 1509-1592 (1 Hour), Episodes 1563-1697, (3x half-hour weekly)<ref name="bbinfo"/>
| executive_producer =
| producer =
| editor =
| location =
| cinematography =
| camera =
| runtime = 15 minutes (excluding commercial)
| network = ] | network = ]
| picture_format =
| audio_format =
| first_aired = {{Start date|1967|08|28|df=y}} | first_aired = {{Start date|1967|08|28|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1977|12|23|df=y}} | last_aired = {{End date|1977|12|23|df=y}}
| related = '']'' (film version) | related = '']'' (film version)
}} }}
'''Bellbird''' is an Australian ] broadcast by the '']'' created and co-written by ], it screened for 10 seasons between 1967 and 1977, and spanned 1,697 episodes. The series centered around the residents of the small fictional ] rural township of the series title.<ref name="bbinfo">{{Cite web |title=Bellbird |url=http://members.ozemail.com.au/~fangora/bellbird.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714182609/http://members.ozemail.com.au/~fangora/bellbird.html |archive-date=2018-07-14 |access-date=2015-09-01 |website=Aussie Soap Archive}}</ref>
'''''Bellbird''''' is an Australian ] set in a small fictional ] rural township of the show's title. The series was produced by the ] at its Ripponlea TV studios in ], ]. The opening title sequence was filmed at ].<ref>{{cite web

|url=http://members.ozemail.com.au/~fangora/bellbird.html
Bellbird has the distinction of being the longest-running soap opera/serial ever produced by the ABC. It ended the same year as commercial broadcast series '']'' and '']'', which had run for six and four years respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-03-03 |title=Prisoner stars before Prisoner |url=https://televisionau.com/2019/03/prisoner-stars-before-prisoner.html |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=Television.AU}}</ref>
|title=Bellbird
|work=Aussie Soap Archive
|access-date=1 September 2015
|archive-date=14 July 2018
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714182609/http://members.ozemail.com.au/~fangora/bellbird.html
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>
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 '']'' and '']'', which had run for six and four years respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://televisionau.com/2019/03/prisoner-stars-before-prisoner.html|title=Prisoner stars before Prisoner|date=3 March 2019 }}</ref>


==Production and broadcasting== ==Production and broadcasting==
The series was produced by the ABC at the Ripponlea Studios in Melbourne, with the opening titles filmed at nearby ]. Bellbird screened from 28 August 1967 to 23 December 1977 and although it was not Australia's first television serial (the first was ]'s '']''), it was the first successful soap opera and even spawned a feature film and tie-in novel.


The series was screened from 28 August 1967 to 23 December 1977. Although ''Bellbird'' was not Australia's first television serial (the first was ]'s '']''), 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 production run, 15-minute episodes of ''Bellbird'' screened from Monday to Thursday nights, leading in to the 7:00 pm evening news bulletin. In 1976, the series was screened as a single one-hour episode each week, before switching to three half-hour instalments per week during its final season.<ref name="moran">Albert Moran, ''Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series'', AFTRS 1993, p. 77.</ref> The show's ratings were modest but it had a devoted following, especially in rural Australia, akin to the ABC's long-running radio drama '']''. During most of its 10-year production run, 15-minute episodes of ''Bellbird'' screened from Monday to Thursday nights, leading in to the 7:00 pm evening news bulletin. In 1976, the series was screened as a single one-hour episode each week, before switching to three half-hour instalments per week during its final season.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moran |first=Albert |title=Moran's guide to Australian TV series: your complete guide to every drama series, children's show and sitcom |publisher=Australian Film Television & Radio School |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-642-18462-7 |location=North Ryde, NSW |page=77}}</ref>


==Storylines== ==Storylines==
While the series plots concentrated mainly on small-scale interpersonal, domestic and local relationships, issues and conflicts, there were occasional moments of high drama. One of the most celebrated was the death of the character of the local stock and station agent, Charlie Cousens, played by founding cast member ]. When Ramsay decided to leave the series in 1968, his character was written out in dramatic fashion, with Cousens plunging to his death from the top of a wheat silo. The death scene has figured prominently in retrospectives of great moments in Australian television, and its celebrity meant that it became one of the few segments from the early years of the series that has survived. Other notable 'deaths' across the course of the series included those of local farm girl Hagar Grossark (Barbara Ramsay), who drowned during a local flood, and the tragic 1974 'death' of major character Rhoda Lang (played by founding cast member ]) who was killed when her car was struck by a train at a level crossing. The show's storylines followed the lives of the residents of the small fictional country town that gave the show its title. While the series plots concentrated mainly on small-scale interpersonal, domestic and local relationships, issues and conflicts, there were occasional moments of high drama. One of the most celebrated was the death of the local stock and station agent, Charlie Cousens, played by foundation cast member ]. When Ramsay decided to leave the series in 1968, his character was written out in dramatic fashion, with Cousens plunging to his death from the top of a wheat silo. The death scene has figured prominently in retrospectives of great moments in Australian television, and its celebrity meant that it became one of the few segments from the early years of the series that has survived.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}


Other notable deaths during the course of the series included those of local farm girl, Hagar Grossark (Barbara Ramsay), who drowned during a flood, and the 1974 death of major character Rhoda Lang, played by foundation cast member ], who was killed when her car was struck by a train at a level crossing.
The show's storylines followed the lives of the residents of the small fictional country town that gave the show its title.


==Cast == ==Cast ==
''Bellbird'' featured a regular cast of 46 actors over its 10-year run (see links, for actor information).

''Bellbird'' featured a regular cast of 46 actors over its 10 year run (see links, for actor information).


===Main cast=== ===Main cast===
{|class="wikitable" {|class="wikitable"
! Actor | Actor
! Character | Character
| Episodes (where known)
|-
| Carl Bleazby || Coloniel Jim Emerson || original<ref name="bbinfo"/>
|- |-
| Carmel Millhouse<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Marge Bacon
| Peter Aanensen ||Jim Bacon
|-
| Peter Aanensen<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Jim Bacon
|- |-
| ] || Cheryl Turner | ] || Cheryl Turner
|- |-
| ] || Lori Chandler | ]<ref name="bbinfo"/>|| Lori Chandler
|- |-
| ] || Michael Foley | ] || Michael Foley
|- |-
| ] || Elaine Thomas | ] || Elaine Thomas
|-
| Carl Bleazby || Colonel Jim Emerson
|- |-
| Dorothy Bradley || Rose Lang | Dorothy Bradley <ref name="bbinfo"/>|| Rose Lang ||
|- |-
| ] || Wendy Robinson | ] || Wendy Robinson
|- |-
| Moira Charleton || Olive Turner | Moira Charleton<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Olive Turner ||
|- |-
| ] || Rhoda Lang | ]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Rhoda Lang
|- |-
| ] || Kelly Jameson | ]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Kelly Jameson
|- |-
| ] || Mary Campbell | ] || Mary Campbell
|- |-
| Keith Eden || Gil Lang | Keith Eden || Gil Lang
|- |-
| ] || John Quinney | ]?<ref name="bbinfo"/> || John Quinney || original -1976
|- |-
| ] || Dossie Rumsey | ] || Dossie Rumsey
|- |-
| ] || Ginny Hill | ]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Ginny Hill
|- |-
| Brian Hannan || Roger Green | Brian Hannan<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Roger Green
|- |-
| Gabrielle Hartley || Maggie Emerson | Gabrielle Hartley<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Maggie Emerson ||
|- |-
| ] || Matthew Reed | ] || Matthew Reed
|- |-
| ] || Ian Bennett | ] || Ian Bennett
|- |-
| ] || Ruth Grossark | ] || Ruth Grossark
|- |-
| ] || Kate Andrews | ] || Kate Andrews
|- |-
| Stella Lamond || Molly Wilson | Stella Lamond<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Molly Wilson
|- |-
| ] || Glenda Chand | ] || Glenda Chand
|- |-
| ] ||Gerry Walters | ] || Gerry Walters
|- |-
| ]|| Jerry Cochran | ] || Jerry Cochran
|- |-
| ] || Max Pearson | ] || Max Pearson
|- |-
| ] || Georgia Moorhouse | ] || Georgia Moorhouse
|- |-
| ] ||Constable Des Davies | ]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Constable Des Davies
|- |-
| ] || Scott Leighton
| Carmel Millhouse || Marge Bacon
|-
| ] || Scott Leighton
|- |-
| ] || Fiona Davies | ]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Fiona Davies || original
|- |-
| ] || Joe Turner | ]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Joe Turner || 1967-1968
|- |-
| ] ||Tom Grey | ]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Tom Gray
|- |-
| ] || Kate Ashwood | ]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Kate Ashwood
|- |-
| Louise Philip ||Christine Jackson | Louise Philip || Christine Jackson
|- |-
| ] || Father John Kramer | ] || Father John Kramer
|- |-
| ] ||Charlie Cousens | ]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Charlie Cousens
|- |-
| Gregory Ross || Chris Lang | Gregory Ross || Chris Lang
|- |-
| ] || Ron Wilson | ] || Ron Wilson
|- |-
| ] || Russell Ashwood | ]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Russell Ashwood
|- |-
| ] || Leo Hil | ] || Leo Hil
|- |-
| Ross Thompson || Terry Hill | ] || Terry Hill
|- |-
| Bryon Williams || Adam Lockhart | Bryon Williams || Adam Lockhart
|- |-
| Clive Winmill || Tony Buckland | Clive Winmill || Tony Buckland
|-
| ]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Les Lewis || 1977
|- |-
| ]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || || 1977
| ] ||
|}

===Guest cast===
{|class="wikitable"
! Actor
! Character
|-
| ] ||
|-
| ] ||
|-
| ] ||
|-
| ] ||
|-
| Elspeth Ballantyne ||
|-
| Patsy King ||
|-
| ] ||
|-
| Brian James ||
|-
| Anne Lucas ||
|-
| ] ||
|-
| Lesley Baker ||
|-
| Maggie Millar ||
|-
| ] ||
|-
| Gerda Nicolson ||
|-
| ] ||
|-
| Alan Hopgood ||
|-
| ] ||
|- |-
| ]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Doug Dally || 1977
| ] ||
|- |-
| ]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Edward Grey || 1977
| ] ||
|} |}


The ] holds a collection of 43 black and white prints from 1977, identifying over 30 actors involved at that time,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=60102650&isAv=N |title=C612 Bellbird |publisher=National Archives of Australia|access-date=10 August 2022}}</ref> The ] holds a collection of 43 black and white prints from 1977, identifying over 30 actors involved at that time,<ref>{{Cite web |title=C612 Bellbird |url=https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=60102650&isAv=N |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=National Archives of Australia}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=May 2024}}


==Foundation creative team==
==Later shows featuring members of the cast==
The show was based on a short treatment by ] then developed by original story editor ]. The original story team included Vernon, ] and ]. The first executive producer was ].<ref name="tage">{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/121895891/?terms=%22brett%2Bporter%22|date=23 July 1970|title=TV Pioneers|page=38}}</ref> The original directors were ] and ].<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-television-plays-boy-with-banner-objector-and-watch-it/?fbclid=IwAR0OTtx-FMLFPi2Wpk58-tsnRoz_WET2AJdAgot7iLLqlymBeldzdCm8ZOE|date=29 August 2023|title=Forgotten Australian Television Plays: Boy with Banner, Objector and Watch It}}</ref>

===''Prisoner''===
The cast of ''Bellbird'' became household names to the viewing audiences and a number went on to appear in the ] cult series '']''. In 1979, two years after ''Bellbird'' ended its run, Elspeth Ballantyne, Patsy King and Sheila Florance worked together once again in the iconic series playing guard Meg Jackson Morris (prison governor), Erica Davidson and inmate Lizzie Birdsworth respectively. Ian Smith, Brian James, Anne Lucas, George Mallaby, Lesley Baker, Maggie Millar and ] were others. In later years, ''Prisoner'' would star former ''Bellbird'' alumni Gerda Nicolson and Maurie Fields as Governor Anne Reynolds and prison officer Len Murphy respectively.

===''Neighbours''===

Actor Alan Hopgood would go on to appear in '']'' as Jack Lassiter. ] and ], who had also appeared in small roles in ''Prisoner'' as Ted Douglas and Lorraine Brooks, went on to appear as long-term and husband and wife characters ] and ]. Whilst '']'' star ] would play long-standing character ]. ] played Alessi family patriarch ].


==International screenings== ==International screenings==
Episodes of ''Bellbird'' were screened briefly in the United Kingdom in 1972. After the initial 52 episodes had been screened, ] in Australia insisted the ABC increase the price of the episodes so as to pay the actors more. As a result of the price increase, the UK broadcaster purchased no further episodes.<ref name="great-unwashed">{{Cite news |last=Mercado |first=Andrew |date=2004-11-27 |title=Soap: It's just what the great unwashed need |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Soap-The-great-unwashed/2004/11/25/1101219663320.html?from=storyrhs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023081418/http://www.theage.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Soap-The-great-unwashed/2004/11/25/1101219663320.html?from=storyrhs |archive-date=2012-10-23 |work=]}}</ref>


==Episodes==
Episodes of ''Bellbird'' were screened in the United Kingdom in 1972. After the initial 52 episodes had been screened, ] in Australia insisted the ABC increase the price of the episodes so as to pay the actors more. As a result of the price increase, the UK broadcaster purchased no further episodes.<ref name="Bellbird">
Although an extensive selection of episodes survive and reside with the ], it was reported that the ABC taped over the master tapes of the series, which was a common practice of the time<ref name="great-unwashed" /> something which series cast member Alan Hopgood had complained about in a '']'' article in 1976: "They just wiped off and another episode run over them .... This failure to preserve the program is criminal, to my way of thinking."<ref>{{Cite news |date=11-17 December 1976 |title=Home-Truths From Bellbird |work=] |page=10}}</ref>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Soap-The-great-unwashed/2004/11/25/1101219663320.html?from=storyrhs
| title = Soap: It's just what the great unwashed need
| author = Andrew Mercado
| date = 27 November 2004
| publisher = ]
}}
</ref>

==Master tapes==

In 2004 it was reported that the ABC taped over the master tapes of the series,<ref name="Bellbird"/> something which series cast member Alan Hopgood had complained about in a '']'' article in 1976: "They just wiped off and another episode run over them .... This failure to preserve the program is criminal, to my way of thinking."<ref>TV Times, 11–17 December 1976, p.10: "Home-Truths From Bellbird"</ref>

==Episodes ==

An extensive selection of surviving episodes, apparently found during the closure of the ABC's ] studios, is stored in the ].


One complete ] episode is available to be viewed at the Australian Mediatheque at the ] in Melbourne, while several colour episodes are known to exist in the hands of private collectors. One complete ] episode is available to be viewed at the Australian Mediatheque at the ] in Melbourne, while several colour episodes are known to exist in the hands of private collectors.


==Film and novel == ==Film and novel ==
The series was the first soap opera in Australia to spin-off into a feature film version and tie-in novel, entitled '']'' (1971). It focused on Bellbird's problems during a severe drought. Many future soaps followed suit, spawning their own film versions, including '']'' and '']''. The series was the first soap opera in Australia to spin off into a feature film version and tie-in novel, entitled '']'' (1971). It focused on Bellbird's problems during a severe drought. Many future soaps followed suit, spawning their own film versions, including '']'' and '']''.


==Ratings== ==Ratings==
In 1971, ''Bellbird'' was the fifteenth most popular show in the country.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1971-05-06 |title=TELEVISION RATINGS |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131805241 |access-date=2017-09-20 |work=] |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia |volume=45 |issue=12,803}}</ref>

In 1971, ''Bellbird'' was the fifteenth most popular show in the country.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131805241 |title=TELEVISION RATINGS |newspaper=] |volume=45 |issue=12,803 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=6 May 1971 |access-date=20 September 2017 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>


== See also == == See also ==
* ] * ]
* ] * ]


==References== ==References==
Line 266: Line 181:
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]

Latest revision as of 05:36, 17 December 2024

Australian television series

Bellbird
Genre
Created byBarbara Vernon,
Written byBarbara Vernon, Alan Hopgood, Michael Wright
Directed byJames Davern, Oscar Whitbread
StarringSee cast list
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons10
No. of episodes1,697
Production
ProducerBrett Porter
Running timeEpisodes 1-1508 (15 minutes (excluding commercial)), Episodes 1509-1592 (1 Hour), Episodes 1563-1697, (3x half-hour weekly)
Original release
NetworkABC
Release28 August 1967 (1967-08-28) –
23 December 1977 (1977-12-23)
Related
Country Life (film version)

Bellbird is an Australian soap opera serial broadcast by the ABC created and co-written by Barbara Vernon, it screened for 10 seasons between 1967 and 1977, and spanned 1,697 episodes. The series centered around the residents of the small fictional Victorian rural township of the series title.

Bellbird has the distinction of being 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 produced by the ABC at the Ripponlea Studios in Melbourne, with the opening titles filmed at nearby Daylesford. Bellbird screened from 28 August 1967 to 23 December 1977 and although it 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, akin to the ABC's long-running radio drama Blue Hills. During most of its 10-year production run, 15-minute episodes of Bellbird screened from Monday to Thursday nights, leading in to the 7:00 pm evening news bulletin. In 1976, the series was screened as a single one-hour episode each week, before switching to three half-hour instalments per week during its final season.

Storylines

The show's storylines followed the lives of the residents of the small fictional country town that gave the show its title. While the series plots concentrated mainly on small-scale interpersonal, domestic and local relationships, issues and conflicts, there were occasional moments of high drama. One of the most celebrated was the death of the local stock and station agent, Charlie Cousens, played by foundation cast member Robin Ramsay. When Ramsay decided to leave the series in 1968, his character was written out in dramatic fashion, with Cousens plunging to his death from the top of a wheat silo. The death scene has figured prominently in retrospectives of great moments in Australian television, and its celebrity meant that it became one of the few segments from the early years of the series that has survived.

Other notable deaths during the course of the series included those of local farm girl, Hagar Grossark (Barbara Ramsay), who drowned during a flood, and the 1974 death of major character Rhoda Lang, played by foundation cast member Lynette Curran, who was killed when her car was struck by a train at a level crossing.

Cast

Bellbird featured a regular cast of 46 actors over its 10-year run (see links, for actor information).

Main cast

Actor Character Episodes (where known)
Carl Bleazby Coloniel Jim Emerson original
Carmel Millhouse Marge Bacon
Peter Aanensen Jim Bacon
Lesley Baker Cheryl Turner
Elspeth Ballantyne Lori Chandler
Bruce Barry Michael Foley
Julia Blake Elaine Thomas
Dorothy Bradley Rose Lang
Anne Charleston Wendy Robinson
Moira Charleton Olive Turner
Lynette Curran Rhoda Lang
Penny Downie Kelly Jameson
Beverley Dunn Mary Campbell
Keith Eden Gil Lang
Maurie Fields? John Quinney original -1976
Sheila Florance Dossie Rumsey
Penne Hackforth-Jones Ginny Hill
Brian Hannan Roger Green
Gabrielle Hartley Maggie Emerson
Alan Hopgood Matthew Reed
Brian James Ian Bennett
Lynda Keane Ruth Grossark
Patsy King Kate Andrews
Stella Lamond Molly Wilson
Anne Lucas Glenda Chand
Bob Maza Gerry Walters
George Mallaby Jerry Cochran
Terry McDermott Max Pearson
Maggie Millar Georgia Moorhouse
Dennis Miller Constable Des Davies
Rod Mullinar Scott Leighton
Gerda Nicolson Fiona Davies original
Terry Norris Joe Turner 1967-1968
Tom Oliver Tom Gray
Anne Phelan Kate Ashwood
Louise Philip Christine Jackson
Michael Preston Father John Kramer
Robin Ramsay Charlie Cousens
Gregory Ross Chris Lang
Sean Scully Ron Wilson
Ian Smith Russell Ashwood
John Stanton Leo Hil
Ross Thompson Terry Hill
Bryon Williams Adam Lockhart
Clive Winmill Tony Buckland
Alwyn Kurts Les Lewis 1977
Terence Donovan 1977
Chuck Faulkner Doug Dally 1977
Gerard Kennedy Edward Grey 1977

The National Archives of Australia holds a collection of 43 black and white prints from 1977, identifying over 30 actors involved at that time,

Foundation creative team

The show was based on a short treatment by Colin Free then developed by original story editor Barbara Vernon. The original story team included Vernon, Alan Hopgood and Michael Wright. The first executive producer was Brett Porter. The original directors were James Davern and Oscar Whitbread.

International screenings

Episodes of Bellbird were screened briefly in the United Kingdom in 1972. After the initial 52 episodes had been screened, Actors Equity in Australia insisted the ABC increase the price of the episodes so as to pay the actors more. As a result of the price increase, the UK broadcaster purchased no further episodes.

Episodes

Although an extensive selection of episodes survive and reside with the National Archives of Australia, it was reported that the ABC taped over the master tapes of the series, which was a common practice of the time something which series cast member Alan Hopgood had complained about in a TV Times article in 1976: "They just wiped off and another episode run over them .... This failure to preserve the program is criminal, to my way of thinking."

One complete black and white episode is available to be viewed at the Australian Mediatheque at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne, while several colour episodes are known to exist in the hands of private collectors.

Film and novel

The series was the first soap opera in Australia to spin off into a feature film version and tie-in novel, entitled Country Town (1971). It focused on Bellbird's problems during a severe drought. Many future soaps followed suit, spawning their own film versions, including Number 96 and The Sullivans.

Ratings

In 1971, Bellbird was the fifteenth most popular show in the country.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bellbird". Aussie Soap Archive. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  2. ^ "TV Pioneers". The Age. 23 July 1970. p. 38.
  3. "Prisoner stars before Prisoner". Television.AU. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  4. Moran, Albert (1993). Moran's guide to Australian TV series: your complete guide to every drama series, children's show and sitcom. North Ryde, NSW: Australian Film Television & Radio School. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-642-18462-7.
  5. "C612 Bellbird". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  6. Vagg, Stephen (29 August 2023). "Forgotten Australian Television Plays: Boy with Banner, Objector and Watch It". Filmink.
  7. ^ Mercado, Andrew (27 November 2004). "Soap: It's just what the great unwashed need". The Age. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012.
  8. "Home-Truths From Bellbird". TV Times. 11–17 December 1976. p. 10.
  9. "TELEVISION RATINGS". The Canberra Times. Vol. 45, no. 12, 803. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 6 May 1971. p. 8. Retrieved 20 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.

External links

TV productions of Oscar Whitbread
TV plays
TV series
Miniseries
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