Bellbird (TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = Bellbird


caption =
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genre = Soap opera
creator = Barbara Vernon
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country = AUS
language = English
num_seasons =
num_episodes = 1562
list_episodes =
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network = Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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first_run =
first_aired = 28 August 1967
last_aired = December, 1977
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imdb_id = 0166034
tv_com_id =

:"This article is concerned with Bellbird the Australian television soap opera; for other uses of the term see bellbird (disambiguation)."

"Bellbird" was a soap opera produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at its Melbourne studios in Elsternwick. It ran from August 28 1967 until December 1977. It was Australia's first successful soap opera; the show's ratings were moderate but it had a devoted following, especially in rural areas. For most of its run it screened each night Monday to Thursday, immediately before the main 7.00 pm evening news bulletin, in 15 minute episodes. In 1976 the series was screened as one one-hour episode each week, before switching to half-hour installments in 1977.

The show's storylines examined the lives of the residents of the small country town that gave the show's title.

Episodes of "Bellbird" were screened in the UK in 1972. After the initial 52 episodes had been screened, Actors Equity in Australia intervened and insisted the ABC increase the price of the episodes so as to pay more to the actors. As a result of this price increase the UK broadcaster purchased no further episodes. cite web
url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Soap-The-great-unwashed/2004/11/25/1101219663320.html?from=storyrhs
title = So

accessdate = 2007-09-22
author = Andrew Mercado
date = November 27, 2004
publisher = The Age]

The ABC never retained the master broadcast videotapes of the series. As of 2004 it was believed that no episodes still exist. cite web
url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Soap-The-great-unwashed/2004/11/25/1101219663320.html?from=storyrhs
title = So

accessdate = 2007-09-22
author = Andrew Mercado
date = November 27, 2004
publisher = The Age]

Principal cast members included Maurie Fields (John Quinney), Carl Bleazby (Colonel Emerson), Lynette Curran (Rhoda Lang), Elspeth Ballantyne (Lori Chandler), Gerda Nicolson (Fiona Davies), Peter Aanensen (Jim Bacon), Carmel Millhouse (Marge Bacon), Moira Charleton (Olive Turner), Terry Norris (Joe Turner), Robin Ramsay (Charlie Cousens), Penne Hackforth-Jones, Ian Smith, Anne Phelan, Dennis Miller (Constable Des Davies), Michael Preston, Tom Oliver, Briony Behets, Brian James, John Stanton, Anne Charleston, Rod Mullinar, Olivia Hamnett, Maggie Millar, Louise Philip (Chistine Jackson) and Alan Hopgood.

A feature film version, "Country Town" (1971), focused on Bellbird's problems during a severe drought. The movie's script was also novelized.

See also

* List of Australian television series
* List of Australian Broadcasting Corporation programs

References

External links

* [http://members.ozemail.com.au/~fangora/bellbird.html Aussie Soap Archive: Bellbird] — Overview and review
*
* [http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=yes;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=Number%3A445974;querytype=;rec=0;resCount=10 Bellbird at the National Film and Sound Archive]