Schools on television, books
onto TV, Class of '74.
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SCHOOLS ON
TELEVISION
Page finalised 12th
April, 2015.
This
is the page where children's books and television
collide.
As
a fan of either or both children's books and
television, you'll find something of interest on
this page. There's a 1980 cut-off point, although
this isn't a hard and fast rule.
Just ONE page on the Collecting Books and
Magazines web
site, based in Australia.
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I asked GIRLS' OWN readers to tell me of TV SCHOOLS
they remembered. Here are readers' responses.
From: Michael
(truly venturing into an area I know NOTHING about, since
I don't even own a T.V.!). There was one (if I'm not
mistaken) called "Good Morning, Mr. Doubleday", which I think I saw a few
times at my parents' place many years ago. I seem to
recall it was a bit like "Please, Sir" (which I
also saw a few times). I don't recall if it was
pre-1980s, though. (I also heard rumours that Dawn French
was going to star as Mam'zelle Dupont in a very free
adaptation of Enid Blyton's "Malory Towers"
series of school stories - but I also read elsewhere that
this had been scrapped.
Perhaps thank goodness, because it was apparently going
to feature Enid Blyton's characters getting involved in
messy love affairs, drugs, and all sorts of modern things
I'm sure never crossed Blyton's mind. But it would have
been interesting to see how Dawn French acted the part of
the good-natured but volatile French mistress.)
From: Harriet
There used to be an Australian TV program called Glenview High. I think it would have been in the
70s, as I have a feeling I was watching it before I went
to high school.
From: Nicky
Well, Grange Hill started c1978. There were two
Jennings series, one in 1958 (which followed on from a
hugely successful radio series) and the other in 1966.
And an adaptation of Tom Brown's Schooldays around 1973
(parodied in the Tompkinson's Schooldays episode of
Ripping Yarns) . I'm sure others can think of more
From: Jan
Glenview High (I think that is the name - Australian)
Square Pegs (American)
Grange Hill (British -began in 1977 and is still going)
From Ann
Does radio count? In 1972-1973, the British children's
radio programme "Fourth Dimension" featured
several plays based on Anthony Buckeridge's
"Jennings" books. As far as I remember, Anthony
Buckeridge himself played the part of Mr. Wilkins. There
were probably radio productions of Jennings before that;
but they'd have been before my time.
ME: Thanks for this. I'll list radio shows but won't be
going into detail.
From: Belinda
I'm sure I won't be the only person to suggest this, but
if you're including UK series, then you absolutely must
have Grange Hill, which ran through much of the 80s but
actually started back in about 1976 IIRC. It was *huge*
in the UK and spawned a series of books too; everyone in
their mid to late thirties in the UK remembers the early
days of Grange Hill! Lots of people who are now
established TV stars started off as child actors in it.
It has been included in at least one lit-crit book about
school stories, too. Phil Redmond was the original writer
(he of "Brookside" fame, a soap also huge
inUK).
Belinda Copson
LINKS
have been removed.
CLASS OF 74/75
GLENVIEW HIGH (Australia)
7 Network-Grundy / 39x60m-e / 1977-78
Producer: Ron McLean / Music: Mike Perjanik
Drama series. Life for the teachers and students at the
tough inner city secondary school of the title,
especially English teacher Greg Walker fresh from
teaching in a rural country school.
GRIGOR TAYLOR as Greg Walker
REBECCA GILLING as Robbie Dean
ELAINE LEE as Margaret Gibson
KEN JAMES as Tom Walker /
CAMILLA ROUNTREE as Jill Beamish
BRANDON BURKE as Tony Moore
BILL KERR as Harry Carter
TIM BURNS as Miller
EVA DICKINSON as Helen
GEORGINA McLAUGHLIN as Sharon
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