Celebrating 60 years of TV at the NFSA!

10 November 2016

Binge watching, retro style! Celebrating 60 years of TV at the NFSA

It’s TV’s diamond year, and to celebrate the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) is hosting a special evening of retro treasures, blasts from the past, and a line-up that rivals the best of binge-watching parties. 

From hidden gems, to memorable moments, we’ve searched the NFSA vaults for clips so rare we’ve only just discovered some of them.

Highlights include:  the Bee Gees backing Johnny O’Keefe in a 1964 episode of Sing Sing Sing; Canberra’s CTC7 children’s show Meeting in the Middle with a young Shani Wood; or for sports fans, Rod Marsh at the crease in the 1974 Gillette Cup.

Joining us for the event are TV legends – Gold Logie-award winning actress Lorrae Desmond, and Sale of the Century announcer Pete Smith. They’ll share their memories of life ‘on the box’, and look back on Australia’s television journey across the years.

Lorrae Desmond said: ‘We have to preserve our TV history. It is important to know your past to help us look to the future with a sense of clarity.’

Pete Smith said: ‘I can't get over the magic that television has brought to our world.  The gift of communication and entertainment at the flick of a switch’

TV in Australia began with Bruce Gyngell’s famous words, 'Good evening and welcome to television’, on 16 September 1956. The 4-hour TCN9 Sydney broadcast catapulted TV into Australia’s living rooms and included The Johnny O’Connor Show, What’s your line, Father Knows Best and I Love Lucy and the Australian music show, Accent on Strings.

A segment from Accent on Strings from 8 December 1956, which may be the earliest complete surviving television program in existence, will also screen on the night.

Interviews are available. Clips are also available for media use, including Sing Sing Sing and Meeting in the Middle. Please contact Jemma Pietrus (NFSA Publicity Coordinator), (02) 6248 2248, jemma.pietrus@nfsa.gov.au

60 YEARS OF TV: LOST AND FOUND

When: Wednesday 23 November

Time: 6.30pm

Where: Arc Cinema, National Film and Sound Archive

Tickets: Free but bookings essential. Book your place online: nfsa.gov.au

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