It Pays to Be Funny

It Pays to Be Funny was an Australian television comedy game show. In Sydney it aired on station ATN-7, while in Melbourne it aired on GTV-9 (at the time, the two stations were known for sharing some programs, as this was prior to the formation of the Seven Network and Nine Network). The half-hour show was hosted Bob Dyer, who had previously hosted a version for radio on the Macquarie Radio Network.

It Pays to Be Funny
GenreGame show
Presented byBob Dyer
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time30 minutes
Release
Original network
Original release1957 (1957) 
1958 (1958)

A description in a 1957 edition of The Age newspaper said the television series "puts contestants though amusing situations with worth-while prizes as their reward",[1] According to a different edition of The Age, one of these "situations" was having the contestant attempt to milk a cow[2]

In one television episode, Jack Davey (himself a prolific Australian television and radio host of series like The Pressure Pak Show) appeared and gave Dyer a meringue pie in the face, and then "kissed" him[3]

In another episode, a contestant named Mr. Martin had a water balloon poised above his head, while his wife tried to figure out what a man named Steve Petrovich was doing by pantomime. Failure to determine this would result in Mr. Martin having the water balloon dropped on him[4]

Although kinescope recordings (also known as telerecordings) were likely made to allow the series to air on both stations, it is not known if any of these recordings of the television version still exist, and there is the possibility the series may be lost. However, it is known that transcription copies exist of the radio version at the National Film and Sound Archive[5]

References

  1. "Food Problem for Discussion". The Age. 21 May 1957. p. 16. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  2. "Bob Dyer's Debut on Victorian TV". The Age. 26 February 1957. p. 14. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  3. "All Pie When Rivals Met". Radio and Television Supplement. The Age. 13 June 1957. p. 1. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  4. "Radio, TV People in Pictures". Radio/TV Supplement. The Age. 29 August 1957. p. 5. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  5. "Title: It Pays To Be Funny". National Film and Sound Archive. Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2013.


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