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National Film and Sound Archive of AustraliaNational Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
National Film and Sound Archive
Articles

Mike Walsh Show celebrities

Live television at its funniest

As well as featuring the biggest stars from around the world, The Mike Walsh Show kept Aussies entertained with a bevy of quirky guests.

Written by Beth Taylor
02 March, 2018
2 minute read

The Mike Walsh Show entertained five million Australians every week with its mix of live acts, interviews, music, comedy and social history.

Take a step back in time to the late 1970s and early 1980s with our new curated collection.

Big Bird and Lali the koala

It was a time when Bob Hawke was prime minister, Helen Mirren wasn't a movie star and Charles and Di were about to be married. Hair was big and so were the shoulder pads.

In this clip you can see a compilation of quirky moments from the show, beginning with actor Jack Thompson teaching Mike tai chi and featuring a baby koala called Lali and the Glad Bag Fashion Show where people made fashion out of Glad plastic bags and assorted products.

Excerpts from The Mike Walsh Show, courtesy Mike Walsh AM, OBE Hayden Productions.

Hits and hats

When someone was a real hit on the show they were invited back, and this was the case with resident fashionista and funny woman Jeanne Little. Jeanne's segments often focused around fashion and she had a penchant for edible hats.

Another huge hit was Sister Stanislaus - a nun who was also a one-woman-band and whose act has to be seen to be believed.

With each 90-minute episode recorded live in front of a studio audience, the show was ripe for unexpected humour.

The Mike Walsh Show ran on Network Ten (then 0-10) from 1973 and then moved to the Nine Network in 1977, until 1985. It garnered 24 Logie awards, including Gold Logies for Mike Walsh AM OBE (1980) and Jeanne Little (1977).

The NFSA acquired a collection of nearly 1500 episodes of the show in 2006.

The Mike Walsh Show includes appearances by John Cleese, Bette Midler, Jamie Lee Curtis, Helen Mirren, Jane Fonda, Sigourney Weaver, David Attenborough, Billy Connolly and Leonard Cohen, as well as interviews with everyday people.

More by Beth

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  • TV variety show

  • Mike Walsh

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