Won’t somebody think of the older Australians?
Isn't it time Australian television made room for a series with some of our wonderful senior actors? Where are our Golden Girls?
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
Next week actress Hazel Phillips makes an appearance as a contestant on Australia’s Got Talent.
Phillips O.A.M. was our first female Gold Logie winner, and appeared on such shows as Beauty & the Beast, The Mavis Bramston Show, The Barry Crocker Show, Boney, Number 96, Chopper Squad, A Country Practice and more.
Now she has to resort to a TV talent show to remind TV execs and Producers that she is still around and still has to pay the rent.
Television has a terrible bias towards the beauty of youth, because advertisers pursue the beloved 25-54 and 18-49 demographics.
When you’re older, you’ve probably passed your use-by date unless you’re a male news presenter (please, no women!).
But it’s time a producer took some of our wonderful senior performers and found a commercial vehicle for them. Where are our Golden Girls? Instead we get Winners and Losers.
A few weeks ago I attended the Foxtel launch / reunion of Prisoner. Some of those ladies had the media spellbound with their dynamite personalities and grunt: Colette Mann, Judith McGrath, Val Lehman, Fiona Spence, Carol Burns. Putting them together in a room you had to stand back for the sparks that were flying.
They have a quality so many younger actresses aspire to: character.
Recently we read that Cornelia Frances was being written out of Home & Away. We’ve reminisced as a number of reunions have celebrated cast members from The Sullivans, A Country Practice, Sons and Daughters with many of the actors, including the blokes, lamenting they are no longer needed by television’s most hungry beast.
As Today Tonight pointed out in its Hazel Phillips story this week, Betty White is lauded in the US. She is constantly working and revered for her comic timing and work ethic.
One of our most beloved sitcoms was Mother & Son, Geoffrey Atherden’s brilliantly observant take on senility, starring Ruth Cracknell -still the only female in the Logies Hall of Fame.
A year ago I asked Denise Drysdale, herself a veteran performer (and back onstage giving a Logie acceptance speech this week), which female she thought should be inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame.
Her answer: Hazel Phillips.
36 Responses
@Hazel ……..Good Luck for tuesday.I last saw you on tv last year on The Circle, it was a interesting interview.Its so sad that society treats people so bad when they feel people are too old,it happens in most industries not just entertainment.Iam sure you will get a lot of votes Hazel,you are a tv legend who deserves better treatment than you are getting!
Actually Lorrae was the first female to get the top award for a woman, followed by Toni Lamond and Carol Raye (who never get even mentioned)
but in my year they changed the colour to gold!
Before that the women got a Silver because (naturally) they were regarded secondary the the Male performers. Rowena Wallace was the first female to win Gold in ther own right!
Now I’m fighting for people to be people not old or Pensioners – I still feel just the same, only better, than I did at 21!
Don’t forget to vote for me if I get through on Tuesday!!!! (Please)
Luv youse…..Hazel Phillips OAM
As I step into the confessional, I will admit that, as a Gen Y-er, I haven’t even heard of half of the shows/personalities you’ve mentioned above.
And that’s saying something, I’d like to consider myself well studied in the field.
I’m all for the higher generations being given roles, but I’m not going to write about the things of which I do not know.
(This next comment isn’t meant to sound as backhanded as it will…)
David, how about you develop something for these stalwarts of the past? You know their game, and you’ve got the pull. GEM or 7TWO would might look at an acquisition, hell, give Carole Sklan a call, surely there would be interest.
What is the median age of actors on Australian shows?
My guess is it is similar if not older than the median age of Australia’s population
Doesn’t Kath and Kim count?
Reading this piece, I keep thinking of Bed of Roses. Sure, its age range is spread a good 60 or 70 years, but it does have at its centre an elderly woman, her daughter and grand daughter, and their living together. I can’t think of many recent dramas that have regular roles for persons in their sixties and over.
Shame there isn’t an Australian Sex and the City.We sort of come close with Winners and Losers and i think there was a male edition known as Last Man Standing before that.
I grew up watching many fantastic Aussie shows like Prisoner, The Young Doctors, Sons & Daughters etc – so much wonderful talent that deserves to be still in the industry & still working.
Why dont tv execs add some older actors to shows such as Neighbours & Home & Away – this would surely increase its audience share in the over 50s.
David, great article. It’s also worth pointing out that although, I am no fan of Peter Hitchener, both Jo Hall (who I am a big fan of and think she should do the Mon-Fri 6pm slot) and Jennifer Keyte still do read the news in Melbourne and Sandra Sully in Sydney. I’ll also be disappointed the day, any of these newsreaders leave their network. My major beef with the news though, is their direction going for more tabloid pieces most of the time. Anyway, moving on to your main topic, I doubt I’ll watch an Aussie version of Golden Girls but, I’ll support it as I’m all for local content.
Interesting article David, followed by some very interesting observations by many commenters below. Thanks to you all, it made for good reading.
Much food for thought.
Yes, more programming with old folk as the lead characters. Bullpit, anyone?
Seven are already catering to the geriatric demographic with 7TWO. It’s no coincidence that the average age of that channel is 72. It doesn’t matter that the channel repeats “classics” from the olden days because the majority of the audience has dementia or alzheimers disease and can barely remember what they watched last night let alone what crusty British pap they were watching in 1977.