TONIGHT JIVE WITH SLEEZE TRYHARD

TONIGHT LIVE WITH STEVE VIZARD
Seven Network, 1990-1993

Australian MAD #298, October 1990
a & w: Andrew Fyfe

Talk show from Australia with a set that looked almost a\exactly like Late Night with David Letterman, using the same format of his show, as well as the format of The Tonight Show.

The show's musical director was Paul “The Count” Grabowsky.

The difference between talk shows here was a serious news segment, which was presented by sidekick Jennifer Keyte. Here the guest is Queensland premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

A celebrity also would present the weather.

A DELINQUENT

THE DELINQUENTS (1989)
dir: Chris Thomson

Australian MAD #294, March 1990
w & a: Andrew Fyfe

This film was never released here despite being distributed by Warner Brothers, and was a big flop in Australia. They may have chosen to parody it because Kylie Minogue was such a big star there, and might have parodied the film before knowing it would tank.

The Delinquents weren't exactly that. It's the story of Brownie Hansen (Charlie Schatter) and Lola Lovell (Kylie Minogue), two teenagers who eloped in the late fifties. Minogue was dating Michael Hutchence of INXS at the time.

They meet in Bundaberg after both aren't able to get into a screening of The Wild One.

Brownie is constantly abused, he and Lola are forbidden to see each other but do anyway, and leave town by train. (Not shown: She tells him she's pregnant and they decide that wherever they end up, they'll start a family together. A few events from the movie aren't used in the parody)

They're found on the train and Lola is brought back to her parents, and forced to have an abortion. Brownie gets a job as a sailor and taken under the wing of Bosun (Bruno Lawrence), Brownie finds Lola while on leave and they reunite. They move in with Lola's co-worker Mavis (Desiree Smith and her husband Lyle (Todd Boyce). Brownie and Lola are arrested for underage drinking at a party and sentenced to stay away from each other. She is forced to live with Aunt Westbury (Melissa Jaffer).

Lola runs away and is put in an institution. After release, she reunites with Brownie, they move back in with Mavis and Lyle, Mavis dies in childbirth, Lyle leaves having nothing left to live for, and places the baby in social services. Lola and Brownie agree to adopt the baby but can't because they're not married, so they do.

HO HUM IT'S SATURDAY

HEY HEY IT'S SATURDAY
1971-1999 Nine Network

HO HUM IT'S SATURDAY
Australian MAD #304, June 1991
w & a: Andrew Fyfe

Hey Hey It's Saturday, usually nicknamed Hey Hey was a children's variety show down under, hosted by Daryl Somers and puppet Ossie Ostrich. The narrator was John Blackman.

Wilbur Wilde was a member of the cast. The Great Aussie Joke was presented by Maurie Fields and Shane Bourne.

Red Faces was their amateur segment. Some of the judges and contestants are caricatures of known Australian personalities I can't identify. One contestant is Paul Keating, then the treasurer of Australia. One of the guest judges is Wendy Harmer, a comedian interviewed in the Sixty Minutes link from the Fast Forward post a couple days ago. The segment was named after Red Symons, the judge who would end up gonging them.

Plucka Duck was a game show segment where contestants could spin a wheel and win a prize or pluck feathers off a duck. This replaced what was similar to our televised Lotto segments and the theme was sung by Wilbur Wilde. Ken Morgon was a Toyota dealer that would present the prize.

Molly's Melodrama was the segmaent where “Molly” Meldrum introduced the musical guest.

In researching this show, it turns out Andrew Fyfe, who did this parody, worked for it.

FAR FETCHED

FAST FORWARD
1989-1992, Seven Network

FAR FETCHED
Australian MAD #293, February 1990
w & a: Andrew Fyfe

Sketch comedy show similar to I guess what Saturday Night Live has become with a regular cast and recurring characters. I've only seen about two or three episodes.

The splash page is their Eyeball News Team bit with weatherman Sunny Gales (Peter Moon), Pixie-Ann Wheatley (Magda Szubanski), Dirk Hartog (Steve Vizard), Jo-Beth Jo (Jane Turner), and Redmond Herring (Michael Veitch).

Darren Hunch (Steve Vizard) is a parody of Australian TV personality Derryn Hinch. One of their regular sketches was Chanille's L'institute de Boutique hosted by Chanille (Magda Szubinski) and Janelle (Marg Downey). Advertising executives were Brent Smythe and Barry (Steve Vizard and Peter Moon).

Often the bits would segue into another as if one were changing channels or fast forwarding (hence the name) on a VCR. Brent Smythe and Barry are being interviewed by Marg Downey's impersonation of Jana Wendt, hostess of A Current Affair, which is not associated with the US show of the same name.

Other characters included gay flight attendents (Michael Veitch, Steve Vizard). I haven't been able to find out who “Ita Buttock” was. But at the end the cast of Fast Forward are really members of the Australian sketch show The Comedy Company.