Friday Flashback: The Last of the Australians
The great Alwyn Kurts & Rosie Sturgess starred in one of Australia's most under-rated sitcoms, based on an ANZAC Day play.
- Published by David Knox
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One of Australia’s most under-rated sitcoms The Last of the Australians was based on Alan Seymour’s ANZAC Day play The One Day of the Year.
The great Alwyn Kurts & Rosie Sturgess starred as parents of Gary (Richard Hibbard / Stephen Thomas) across two seasons on Nine in 1975 / 76. Much-loved Maurie Fields & Terry Norris were also regulars.
The show featured several surprising guest stars including ACTU leader Bob Hawke as himself (he had to join Actors Equity before appearing on the show) and King of Pop Johnny Farnham plus appearances by Jacki Weaver, Noeline Brown, Noni Hazlehurst, Terry Donovan, Gil Tucker, Olivia Hamnett, Jon Finlayson, Lesley Baker and more.
Each episode was filmed in one hit before a studio audience.
Alwyn Kurts once said, “On the one hand each episode is like performing the first night of a new stage play to a live audience, while on the other you must remember the real purpose is to make a half-hour of TV comedy.”
Classic stuff….
You can read more at classicaustraliantv.com
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6 Responses
It was the first attempt to produce a show like All In the Family and Till Death Us Do Part in Australia. It had limited success. Far more successful was the second attempt, Kingswood Country. It was a good show but the ratings were poor even though the TV critics liked it. I remember that CTC-7 Canberra purchased it and put it on after midnight after they extended their closing time past 11:30PM with the advent of colour TV.
Back in the mid-70s, I had the privilege of being the ad agency producer of a VO recording session at W&G Studios in West Melbourne at which Alwyn Kurts was the VO talent. Alwyn was truly an exceptionally professional and friendly person to work with. That VO session remains indelibly in my memory as one of the best VO sessions of the hundreds I was involved with at the time.
Such a shame this series is locked up within Crawford Productions. I often see it advertised to purchase but I would love to see this on FTA now.
I remember watching Alwyn Kurts on Homicide all those years ago. They don’t have faces like that on television anymore.
Good grief! I remember this show, even though I never saw any of it, I was far too busy with “Number 96” and “The Box” lol!
You didn’t miss anything.