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A highly successful soap opera, Number 96's permissive and adult tone emerged, in Moran's terms, from 'the atmosphere of censorship liberalisation that had occurred in Australia in the early 1970s, and the intention to screen the serial in a late evening timeslot'. As such, the programme interspersed the domestic and romantic storylines that usually drive soap operas with plots exploring rape, drug abuse, and homosexuality. For example, the long-running character Don Finlayson (played by Joe Hasham) was an openly gay character whose relationships attracted neither censure nor any unusual degree of attention from his neighbours, showing him as unusually (for the time) integrated into a mainstream community.
According to Moran, 'Number 96 moved the Australian television soap opera completely away from its radio predecessor by organising a series of simultaneous storylines with various characters moving in and out of these, the storylines lasting only two to six weeks on air.' Long-running storylines included the 'Knicker Snipper' (a msyterious figure stealing the residents' underwear) and the Pantyhose Murderer (a serial killer).
As the show's ratings began dropping in 1975, various attempts were made to revitalise interest in the series, including killing (or otherwise writing out) long-running characters, increasing the amount of location shooting, and publicising the increased amount of nudity in the show (including both female and--briefly--male full-frontal nudity). Despite this, ratings continued to drop to the point where the show was cancelled in July 1977.
Includes
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1000form y This Is It, Kids Sydney : Cash Harmon Television , 1976 6695404 1976 single work film/TV
— Appears in: Zoom In : Television Scripts of the Seventies 1977; (p. 88-125)Episode 1000 of the long-running soap opera Number 96.
Sydney : Cash Harmon Television , 1976
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Wendy Blacklock and the Transformation of Australian Theatre
2016
single work
biography
— Appears in: Players : Australian Actors on Stage, Television and Film 2016; 'Wendy Blacklock is an actor and comedienne who has worked on radio, stage and television. In the first half of her career, Blacklock appeared in revue theatre, pantomime and musical theatre. She played the leading lady in the first Australian musical television play, Pardon Miss Westcott, broadcast on ATN 7 in 1959, and later on, performed in new Australian plays by David Williamson and Dorothy Hewett during the New Wave period in which Australian theatre and drama were undergoing huge transformation. Television audiences also remember Blacklock playing Edie McDonald in Number 96. Later on in her career Blacklock moved into production and worked for the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust. In 1982 she founded Performing Lines, an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to developing and producing new Australian works in order for them to tour in Australia and internationally. Blacklock’s innovative work with Performing Lines has enriched Australian theatre, extending its reach and empowering local performers and companies. Blacklock has worked with numerous contemporary arts companies. In particular Blacklock’s work has enabled a wide range of Indigenous Australian plays and performers to present their theatrical events to audiences all over the world.' (Introduction) -
Acting Naturally
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 17 September 2016; (p. 16) -
y
Number 96, Mavis Bramston and Me
Fremantle
:
Vivid Publishing
,
2013
Z1933393
2013
single work
autobiography
'Two shows changed the face of Australian television forever, and rocked the nation to its foundations. And now, the creator of Number 96 and the Executive Producer of The Mavis Bramston Show takes you behind the scenes of these two controversial, outrageously ground-breaking series for a jaunt through the industry's Golden Years.
These two shows flaunted the unmentionable, destroyed taboos, ridiculed sacred cows and dared to deal with subjects hitherto considered too shocking for polite society. They were condemned from the pulpit, slayed by the critcs, yet adored by an immense majority of viewers.
Actor, script writer, producer and author David Sale's career progressed through the theatres and movie studios of London and Hollywood and the turbulent world of Australia's TV industry, and he takes us with him every step of the way. It's a life that began in war-ravaged Manchester, followed the migrant route to Australia, and - against all odds - hit the heights of show business. It can be summed up in four words.
From Blitz to Glitz!' (Publisher's blurb)
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When TV Lost its Innocence
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 11 March 2012; (p. 4) -
y
Super Aussie Soaps : Behind the Scenes of Australia's Best Loved TV Shows
North Melbourne
:
Pluto Press
,
2004
Z1511282
2004
single work
criticism
The definitive history of Australian TV soaps, Super Aussie Soaps examines Australian television serials, in chronological order from 1958 to the early 2000s. Among the series presented are Bellbird, Number 96, The Sullivans, Prisoner, Sons and Daughters, Neighbours and Home and Away.
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y
Super Aussie Soaps : Behind the Scenes of Australia's Best Loved TV Shows
North Melbourne
:
Pluto Press
,
2004
Z1511282
2004
single work
criticism
The definitive history of Australian TV soaps, Super Aussie Soaps examines Australian television serials, in chronological order from 1958 to the early 2000s. Among the series presented are Bellbird, Number 96, The Sullivans, Prisoner, Sons and Daughters, Neighbours and Home and Away.
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When TV Lost its Innocence
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 11 March 2012; (p. 4) -
y
Number 96, Mavis Bramston and Me
Fremantle
:
Vivid Publishing
,
2013
Z1933393
2013
single work
autobiography
'Two shows changed the face of Australian television forever, and rocked the nation to its foundations. And now, the creator of Number 96 and the Executive Producer of The Mavis Bramston Show takes you behind the scenes of these two controversial, outrageously ground-breaking series for a jaunt through the industry's Golden Years.
These two shows flaunted the unmentionable, destroyed taboos, ridiculed sacred cows and dared to deal with subjects hitherto considered too shocking for polite society. They were condemned from the pulpit, slayed by the critcs, yet adored by an immense majority of viewers.
Actor, script writer, producer and author David Sale's career progressed through the theatres and movie studios of London and Hollywood and the turbulent world of Australia's TV industry, and he takes us with him every step of the way. It's a life that began in war-ravaged Manchester, followed the migrant route to Australia, and - against all odds - hit the heights of show business. It can be summed up in four words.
From Blitz to Glitz!' (Publisher's blurb)
- y Australian Television : A Genealogy of Great Moments South Melbourne : Oxford University Press , 2001 10504917 2001 multi chapter work criticism
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Acting Naturally
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 17 September 2016; (p. 16)
Awards
- 1976 winner Logie Awards — Best Australian Drama
- 1975 winner Logie Awards — Best Australian Drama
- 1974 winner Logie Awards — Best Australian Drama
- 1973 winner Logie Awards — Best New Drama
- Paddington, Kings Cross area, Inner Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales,