In the late 1950s, Ian Collis was just a child when his neighbors acquired a television set. The author of Retro Television: What We Watched Back in the Day reminisces about how he and his siblings would gather at their window to sneak a glimpse of the shows being watched by the family next door.
“If you opened our bathroom window and tilted your head just right, you could peek through their side door to see the television,” Collis recalled. “There I was, along with my two older siblings, all trying to get a look at the screen.”
It wasn’t long before his parents decided it was essential for their household to have a TV of their own. “My parents thought it was absurd,” Collis said. “They realized they needed to get us out of the bathroom.”
Retro Television offers a visually rich exploration of the first 25 years of television in Australia, featuring iconic shows such as Skippy, I Love Lucy, The Sullivans, The Brady Bunch, I Dream of Jeannie, and The Addams Family, along with significant moments like the 1969 moon landing.
In an era when society is adapting to new innovations like artificial intelligence, Retro Television invites readers to revisit a transformative medium that reshaped popular culture.
The book includes archival images, behind-the-scenes photographs, and amusing stories, such as the time Countdown host Molly Meldrum humorously told Prince Charles he had seen “your mum” during a visit to London. The future King responded with politeness, asking, “Are you referring to Her Majesty, The Queen?”
Collis believes the book provides an opportunity for nostalgia, allowing older generations to reflect on the past while offering younger readers a glimpse into a different era. “I think we got our first TV in 1960,” he noted. “We cherished it, especially since our family didn’t own a car. We would walk about half an hour to reach the nearest cinema. Having a TV meant we could enjoy shows in the comfort of our home, which was fantastic.”
During that time, a black-and-white television set cost roughly ten times the average weekly wage. “Owning a TV made you quite popular in the neighborhood,” Collis explained. “Suddenly, neighbors you hadn’t seen in a while would drop by.”
However, despite the high cost, the televisions often had issues. “They had little aerials on top, and sometimes you couldn’t get the reception right,” Collis said. “If you were fortunate enough to have a remote, it was usually attached with a long cord, which often malfunctioned, forcing you to get up anyway to change the channel. We were a typical family of five with just one TV, leading to fierce competition over what to watch.”
Collis emphasized that everything had to be watched live. “There were no recording options, no streaming services, and only a few channels,” he explained. “If you liked a show, you had to be there to watch it, or else you would miss out. For a series, missing an episode was simply not an option.”
Mainstream television made its debut in Australia in September 1956, when Bruce Gyngell famously announced, “Good evening, and welcome to television,” on what is now the Nine Network. Before the advent of streaming and smartphones, television became a unifying force for Australians, significantly altering household dynamics and cultural norms.
Collis, a rugby league historian and collector of vintage photos, remarked that Australian TV viewers were primarily exposed to American programming, which they eagerly embraced. “Most of what we watched were Westerns, detective shows, comedies, and variety shows from the U.S.,” he said. “In the 50s and 60s, we were still very much an outdoor culture.”
“We wanted our pets to resemble Rin-Tin-Tin or Lassie. We dreamed of flying like Superman or emulating the heroics of Zorro. We cheered for the underdogs in shows like The Adventures of Robin Hood and adored American singers like Frank Sinatra, Patti Page, and our own Johnny O’Keefe,” he added.
Collis pointed out that Americans excelled at marketing their content, often starting with catchy jingles. “A good rhyme or jingle can stick with you, regardless of your opinion on it,” he explained. “Shows like Green Acres, 77 Sunset Strip, and Gilligan’s Island had memorable jingles, and we loved the shows themselves.”
He also expressed excitement about watching Australian productions like Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, which was revolutionary for its time. “It was fantastic to see any Australian content,” Collis stated. “The concept of talking to a kangaroo, where the kangaroo always gave the same response, was particularly popular.”
Other Australian shows highlighted in the book include The Sullivans, The Paul Hogan Show, Division 4, Matlock Police, Bellbird, Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Play School, Graham Kennedy’s In Melbourne Tonight, and Countdown.
“Countdown was one of the earliest programs to feature music videos,” Collis remarked. “Molly Meldrum played a crucial role in launching many music careers.”
Collis noted that sports began to enter living rooms in the early 60s, covering AFL, rugby league, soccer, and cricket, with ABC being particularly known for its cricket broadcasts.
