BOBBY DAZZLER
FEATURE ARTICLE
 

HOME

INTERVIEWS

CHRONOLOGICAL
OVERVIEW

F.A.Q.

LINKS

EXPLANATION
OF EPISODE
GUIDE TERMS

EPISODES: 14.
LENGTH: 30 mins.
FORMAT: Colour, Video.
PRODUCTION: 1976 - 1977 Crawford Production.
RUNNING ORDER: Airdate.
NETWORK: Seven.

CAST:
Bobby Farrell.......JOHNNY FARNHAM
Della McDermott.......OLIVIA HAMNETT
Fred Farrell.......MAURIE FIELDS
Support:
Uncle Oz.......TERRY NORRIS
Allison.......CARLA HOOGEVEEN (eps 2 - 4)

CREW:
Scripts.......TERRY STAPLETON (ep. 14 excepted)
Directors.......MARIE TREVOR & JOHN JACOB (ep. 1 [pilot] excepted)
Producer.......MARIE TREVOR (ep. 1 [pilot] excepted)
Executive Producers.......IAN CRAWFORD & IAN JONES
Production Manager.......DAVID LEE
Created by.......TERRY STAPLETON

AWARD:
1977 Sammy: Terry Stapleton - Best Writer For TV Comedy.

EPISODE TITLES
1. Life Begins At 45 R.P.M.
2. The Very Private Life Of Bobby Farrell
3. Bob And Fred And Carroll And Allison
4. Nature Boy
5. Party Politics
6. Movie Star Blues
7. Summer Of '77
8. Our Favourite Charity
9. Pillows Of Society
10. The Return Of Fred Farrell
11. The Country Party
12. Command Performance
13. Hey B.C.!
14. The New Guard

 

1. Life Begins At 45 R.P.M.

Anastasia.......Sigrid Thornton
Hilda Farquhar.......Sheila Helpmann
Uncle Oz.......Terry Norris

Directors.......Ian Crawford & Marie Trevor
Producer.......Henry Crawford

Synopsis: When Bobby Farrell is on the verge of a successful career with a hit single, his wayward father Fred returns on the scene to stay. Complicating matters is Bobby’s new manager, Della McDermott, who is a hard taskmaster although with Bobby’s best interests at heart; and Anastasia, a teenage groupie who has sneaked into Bobby's flat without his knowing - at a most inconvenient time.

Notes: Pilot episode. Features different opening titles. Two different ending edits were completed for this episode - the alternative ending featured a few more seconds focusing on a change of expression on Bobby’s face, and billed Johnny Farnham in the credits as ‘John’ for the first time in his career.

Airdate:
Melbourne 20/11/77

2. The Very Private Life Of Bobby Farrell
 
Allison.......Carla Hoogeveen
George.......George Spartels
Ursula.......Lynn Neill
Waiter.......Alan Rowe
Uncle Oz.......Terry Norris

Synopsis: Bobby Farrell's life as an upcoming superstar is full of problems, pressures and discipline. He finds this especially inconvenient and awkward when he meets Allison - and Della disapproves of his involvement with her.

Airdate:
Melbourne 27/11/77

Bobby Dazzler commercial integration.

3. Bob And Fred And Carroll And Allison

Allison.......Carla Hoogeveen
Arthur Carroll.......Peter Adams
George.......George Spartels
Tracey.......Georgina McLoughlin

Synopsis: Bobby is caught in the middle of a powerplay between his manager Della and his girlfriend Allison. Della wants Bobby to give up his girlfriend for the sake of his career, and Allison wants Bobby to forsake his stardom so they can have a normal relationship together. Della is also arranging a deal for Bobby with promoter Arthur Carroll, but she finds that there are too many strings attached.

Airdate:
Melbourne 4/12/77

4. Nature Boy

Allison.......Carla Hoogeveen
George.......George Spartels
Max.......Max Fairchild

Synopsis: Bobby plans a weekend away with Allison, and they retreat to her brother’s farm in the country. The weekend turns out to be a disaster, and causes the end of their relationship.

Airdate:
Melbourne 11/12/77

Ep. 3: Carla Hoogeveen.

5. Party Politics

Dyson Archer.......Tim Eliott
Uncle Oz.......Terry Norris

Synopsis: In anybody else's life, a birthday is a happy celebration. For Bobby Farrell, his 25th (officially, but for publicity purposes his 23rd) becomes a personal and professional crisis.

Airdate:
Melbourne 18/12/77
Bunbury WA 6/6/78

6. Movie Star Blues

Sergio.......Shane Porteous
Katherine Carr.......Gabrielle Hartley
Seymour.......Ernie Bourne
Uncle Oz.......Terry Norris

Synopsis: Bobby is offered a role in a film and has a chance to become a movie star. However, he has enough problems without Fred's help.

Airdate:
Melbourne 1/1/78

7. Summer Of '77

Sergio.......Shane Porteous
Katherine Carr.......Gabrielle Hartley
Seymour.......Ernie Bourne

Synopsis: In the local movie industry, Bobby finds himself compared to Paul Newman and Robert Redford, but there's always a 'sting' - this time in the form of a glamorous movie star who thinks Bobby has more to offer than just his voice.

Airdate:
Sydney 20/5/77
Melbourne 8/1/78

Ep. 5: Tim Eliott.

8. Our Favourite Charity

Himself.......Lucky Grills
Himself.......Garry Meadows
Studio assistant.......Andrew McKaige

Synopsis: Bobby is invited to appear on a fundraising telethon, however complications arise when Fred wants to attend the program as part of the studio audience. Della is filled with dread when Fred makes an unscheduled appearance in front of the cameras with Bobby.

Notes: Lucky Grills and Garry Meadows appear as themselves, as guest and host of a telethon respectively. Reference is made to Lucky Grill’s role in the Crawford police series Bluey, which was in production for Seven at the same time.

Airdate:
Sydney 27/5/77
Melbourne 20/1/78

Ep. 8: Maurie Fields and Lucky Grills.

9. Pillows Of Society

Sir Willoughby Forbes-Martin.......Keith Eden
Fiona Forbes-Martin.......Belinda Green
Brad.......Barry Pierce
Bunny.......Peter Stratford
Dinner guest 1.......Gwen Plumb
Dinner guest 2.......Joan Letch
Uncle Oz.......Terry Norris

Synopsis: Bobby works on a fundraiser for needy children and becomes infatuated with a high society girl, Fiona, who is not remotely interested in him. The tables are turned when Bobby at last sees through her self-centred existence.

Notes: First television acting role by former Miss World Belinda Green.

Airdate:
Sydney 3/6/77
Melbourne 27/1/78

10. The Return Of Fred Farrell

M.C. .......Roy Day
Elderly lady.......Myrtle Woods
Uncle Oz.......Terry Norris

Synopsis: Fred Farrell plans his comeback, and Della finds an opening for him - a concert at a Senior Citizen's Club. Fred feels the booking is beneath him, but he changes his tune when he is well received by his audience.

Airdate:
Melbourne 3/2/78

11. The Country Party

Brook  'B.C.' Carter.......Andrew Sharp
Ruby Flegg.......Beverley Phillips
Ruby’s daughter 1.......Katie Morgan
Ruby’s daughter 2.......Kerry Daniel

Synopsis: Bobby has an overnight booking at Ballarat, and is accompanied by Della and Fred. Fred looks up an old girlfriend, and Bobby meets ‘B.C.’, a loudmouth local disc jockey.

Airdate:
Sydney 17/6/77
Melbourne 10/2/78

Ep. 9: Belinda Green and Johnny Farnham

12. Command Performance

Jonathon Jollie.......Tony Bazell
Mrs. Jollie.......Sheila Florance
Carstairs.......Roy Day
Uncle Oz.......Terry Norris

Synopsis: Bobby and Fred agree to perform in concert at a private function. Upon arrival at the residence they are confronted by what appears to be a haunted house.

Airdate:
Melbourne 17/2/78

13. Hey B.C.!

Brook 'B.C.' Carter.......Andrew Sharp
Jerry Miller.......Kevin Golsby
Uncle Oz.......Terry Norris

Synopsis: B.C. from Ballarat comes to stay with Bobby. Della warns Bobby that he is a con-man, and it seems that such is the case when money and property go missing.

Notes: Andrew Sharp reprises his role of 'B.C.', first seen in ep. 11 'The Country Party'.

Airdate:
Sydney 1/7/77
Melbourne 24/2/78

Terry Norris.

14. The New Guard

Ruth Rierdon.......Rowena Wallace
Uncle Oz.......Terry Norris

Script.......Terry Stapleton, Graham Hartley & Graham Koetsveld

Synopsis: Della McDermott is going overseas, and Bobby thinks he is in for an easy ride with his replacement manager, Ruth Rierdon - but he soon gets a rude shock and comes to appreciate Della when Ruth turns out to be an even harder taskmaster.

Airdate:
Sydney 8/7/77

Ep. 14: Rowena Wallace.

 

ME & MR. THORNE

Bobby Fletcher.......Johnny Farnham
Reginald Thorne.......Gordon Chater
Mrs. Ballantyne.......Beverley Philips
Shelley Gordon.......Katie Shiel
Hedge.......Roger Ward
Foxie.......Kevin Leslie
Richard Small.......Wallas Eaton
Donald Veitch.......Chuck Faulkner
Sally.......Denise Drysdale
Det. Sgt. Merv Jackson.......John Clayton
Rogers (taxi driver).......Luigi Villani
Det. Williams.......John Cobley
Nikos.......Frank Rich
Lila.......Lenore Somerset
Mrs. Fletcher.......Nanette Goode

Script.......Terry Stapleton
Director.......Paul Eddey
Producer.......Henry Crawford
Executive Producer.......Ian Crawford
Script Editor.......Tom Hegarty
Series concept.......Terry Stapleton & Laurence Marks
Production Manager.......David Lee
Production Assistant.......Jan Bladier

Synopsis: Bobby Fletcher obtains a job in a bookshop run by an eccentric character, Mr. Thorne, who is an ardent fan of Sherlock Holmes. When some big time crime operators move into the arcade setting up a protection racket, Thorne, with Bobby’s help, follows in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes and thwarts their plans.

Notes: 90 minute pilot episode made by Crawford Productions for a proposed comedy series that never eventuated. Produced in colour on film. Johnny Farnham, Gordon Chater and Beverley Philips were to be the regular cast members. Screened in 1976.

Me & Mr. Thorne: Johnny Farnham, Beverley Philips and Gordon Chater.