Time for Terry

Of course the real king of day time TV was Tommy Hanlon Jr and a great talent he was. Then along came a completely different show. I think it was a great show and I would argue it was the first time a sixty or was it ninety minute day time show was ever done on Australian TV. It introduced great Aussie talents including the very sweet Olivia Newton John. The others included Vi Greenhalf. She was like a TV house wife, no great skills as a performer but she had a wonderful personality and was always prepared to send herself up. I even recall her doing a very bad version of the Nancy Sinatra song These boots are made for walking. Because Vi had the ability to laugh at herself it was wonderful. The show featured items, scetches and games. Others in the show was the vivacious Ian Turpie known as Turps and a dashing Brian Naylor who I think Terry called luscious lips. Another much loved person on the show was movie king Ivan Hutchinson. A fine musician too.This was a very brave show and having variety during the day was brave. The show was very popular and rated well.

The star was Terry O Neil. He came out here for the Tivoli circuit and he stayed. He was a most unlikely TV personality. Huge awful English teeth and incredibly ordinary in appearance. Terry O Neil was a pom and he was much loved. He was a great entertainer. One of his most memorable routines was his pre John Cleese silly walks. He was a true vaudevillian. He couldn't sing but got way with it. Generally they were jazzy little numbers that opened the show. He played the clarinet which he affectionately called the licorice stick and he played it beautifully. I think this great star died in obscurity. But a few of us remember him with warmth and affection. I would love to read other memories of this great day time show. Yime for Terry made a brief foray into a night time slot and also did a few shows on location such as shopping centres which was pretty rare for the time.