My earliest television memory was the manga cartoon Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot, which first aired in Australia on Network 10 in 1973. Also known as "Giant Robo", it revolved around a young boy who gains control of (you guessed it), a giant flying robot that kind of resembled an Egyptian Pharaoh and fights an organisation of earth invaders known as Big Fire. It's pretty vague in the memory, the only thing I can picture is the dramatic launching of the robot when coming to the rescue of the boy/world.
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I thought the whole thing was real and was, consequently, captivated by it.
Of course, this was pre-Super Flying Fun Show, which had a greater personal significance as it signalled the start of school. You didn't analyse morning television at daycare, you rode a tricycle in circles (at least I did, the same tricycle every day).
Channel Nine's Super Flying Fun Show began life as a children's morning television show in 1970 and ran for nine years. I'm pretty sure I was watching at the start as my earliest memories of the show recall Clotty and Emu. Clotty (Rod Hull) was replaced in 1971, returning to Britain to reprise the janitor/emu partnership with some success.
New duo Marty and Emu are more likely to jog the memories of Generation X, especially myself, as Marty's son ended up attending my primary school where a rumour immediately spread that, if you asked him, he could spell Czechoslovakia for you. He confirmed this for me in the playground. Later, we ended up in the same soccer team, so I got Marty and Emu live at a number of presentation days and birthdays.
Being a parent now, I can't even begin to contemplate the logistical nightmare that allowing morning television would create, but I recall watching the Super Flying Fun Show, and later discussing it at school, just about every day.
Once again, Japanese animation featured, this time in the form of Gazula (the amicable monster), a 1960s series from the Speed Racer folks. The other presentation that comes to mind was Comedy Capers, a series of silent slapstick skits, produced in the '60s but recalling a much earlier era.
There was also the Wheel, the wire loop game, Smoky Dawson with the obligatory homeless dog and the Paddle Pop Lion, all seeming to play second fiddle to the centrepiece of the whole operation and the source of all my attention, the charming Miss Marilyn (Mayo), the host of the show and an early, major crush.
I've thought about this affection for Miss Marilyn, and can't identify a specific reason. It can't solely be down to looks as that's not so much of an issue for a six or seven-year-old. I mean, looking at the old images now, she has these great eyes but I sure don't recall banging on about it as a child. It seems a cliche but her down-to-earth manner made it seem more like she was one of us, or at least one of our parents as opposed to some kind of star or celebrity.
That said, I must confess to a betrayal of sorts. One morning, I stumbled across Commander Strongarm on Channel Ten featuring the late Warwick Rankin. He had this sci-fi themed set and was announcing the winner of a competition and I was stunned at the amount of booty they had won. Not sure why this alone would get my attention in such a way but I had to keep watching to see what else he was giving away. I do recall that my daughter, who is eight and very much the YouTuber, seems drawn to DIY shows that feature people buying new toys, removing the packaging and describing them. Maybe she gets it from me.
In the end, I didn't stay away for that long, especially when Fun Show went into school holiday mode.
In my teenage years I saw Marilyn in a commercial for the series Holiday Island, cast as "Dusty, everyone's favourite barmaid". I couldn't bear to watch, but would be curious about her pre-Fun Show appearances in Riptide (Customer) and Spyforce (Juliet). I wasn't allowed to watch either show as it was thought they would give me nightmares.
During my preliminary research, I've come across a number of forums that have fondly made mention of her. Several of the contributors wondered about where she was, with one hoping she was "doing OK these days". The Internet Movie Database simply says she's "living in retirement in Sydney".
I wish her well.