Magic Circle Club

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The Magic Circle Club
Genre	Children's television
Created by	Godfrey Philipp
Written by	John Howson Max Bartlett
Directed by	Godfrey Philipp Rob Weekes
Presented by	Nancy Cato Liz Harris
Starring	Max Bartlett Ernie Bourne Nancy Cato Gael Dixon Tedd Dunn Nola Finn Liz Harris Gabrielle Hartley John Howson Colin McEwan Fred Tupper Marion Weir
Voices of	Colin McEwan Fred Tupper
Country of origin	Australia
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	550
Production
Location(s)	Melbourne
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	ATV-0 for Network 0-10
Picture format	b/w
Audio format	Monaural
Original run	23 January 1965 – July 1967
Chronology
Preceded by	The Children's Show
Followed by	Adventure Island

The Magic Circle Club was a children's television show, which aired in Australia on ATV Channel 0 (now ATV-10), from 23 January 1965 to 1967. There were 550 thirty minute episodes. Its roots were those of live pantomime and classic fairy tales, and the show often featured music, original songs and dance routines. Some older female characters were performed by males, in pantomime dame style. Godfrey Philipp was the producer and director, with many scripts and song lyrics by John-Michael Howson. Max Bartlett became a regular script writer in addition to his on-screen roles. Music was by Bruce Rowland and scenery designs by Brian Thomson.

Characters were denizens of the Magic Forest: mute Fredd Bear (Tedd Dunn, also the costume designer); shrill Fee Fee Bear (John-Michael Howson, billed as John Howson); feisty Mother Matilda Hubbard (Fred Tupper); sensible Max (Max Bartlett); a young Shirley Temple analog, Curley Dimples (Gael Dixon, also the show's choreographer); beautiful enchantress Crystal Ball (Gabrielle Hartley) and her pet, Hep Cat (Nola Finn); Marlena DeWitch (Marion Weir); and villainous Sir Jasper Crookly (Ernie Bourne) and his henchman Gaspar Goblin (Colin McEwan). The show was hosted by Nancy Cato, cousin of author Nancy Cato. A later addition to the regular cast was Liz (Liz Harris), who also took over as hostess when Nancy Cato suffered temporary paralysis and was confined to a wheelchair.

Recurring guest characters included BoBo the clown, Montmorency James Rabbit (Ernie Bourne), Sebastian Bear, and Aunty Vale (Bunney Brooke). Twoddle & Boddle (Laurie Allen and Bobby Bright, aka Bobby & Laurie of The Go!! Show) were analogs of Tweedledee & Tweedledum, characters the pair had played previously in a pantomime. Max Bartlett often played additional guest characters, including King Size of nearby Enchantmentland, wicked innkeeper Simon Sneak, of the Cross and Bones, or Mother Hubbard's accident-prone great-nephew, Claude Clumsy. Ernie Bourne and Colin McEwan often doubled up roles to play guest villains. Even Nancy Cato played a chambermaid, Sweet Nelly, in a Barbary Coast pirate storyline.

Storylines were typically serialized across five days, with the Friday program usually wrapping up the week's adventure. Each episode finished up with the hostess sitting on a large mushroom, with Fredd crouched beside her (usually after dusting off the stool with a handkerchief), while the pair shared viewers' letters and artwork. Daily features included viewers' riddles with Cassius Cuckoo, during "Cassius Cuckoo's Corn Corner", and limericks with Leonardo de Funbird. These characters were wood and felt bird puppets (created by Axel Axelrad; voiced by Colin McEwan). Cassius inhabited a longcase cuckoo clock next to Mother Hubbard's cupboard in The Magic Cottage, and Leonardo lived inside the IKAN (Instantaneous Knowledge Accumulation Network) computer (voice of Fred Tupper).

The IKAN educational segment was eventually dropped, and Leonardo would present his limerick segment from a tree stump in the Magic Forest. Towards the end of the TV series' run, stories were serialized across only four days, with the Friday program dedicated to a separate story, told by Liz Harris, about toys which come to life in a toyshop when the owner was absent. Liz, herself, played a rag doll, Max Bartlett was a tin soldier, and John-Michael Howson played a glum clown, a portrayal which would inspire his Adventure Island character of Clown.

A specially written Magic Circle Club episode, "The Stolen Smile", was performed live on stage at the Tivoli Theatre (Melbourne) from December 27, 1965. In this adventure, Sir Jasper and Gaspar had banished Clocko the chief clown (Max Bartlett, again playing a dual role), and Spangles the trapeze artist (Gael Dixon), from their circus, and taken away Clocko's smile. Appearing on stage with Max, Curley and Nancy were Fredd, Fee Fee, Mother Hubbard, Crystal, Hep Cat, Montmorency, Cassius and Leonardo, all played by the regular TV cast. This production was stage managed by Sue Nattras, Simon Wincer and Jim McElroy.^[1] Gabrielle Hartley was severely burned when her cloak brushed over a hot "flash pot" used in a live, on-stage, special effect, and her role had to be assumed by her understudy.

The TV series won the first Logie Award presented to a children's show. When ATV axed the show for cost reasons, ABC TV wanted to buy it, but ATV refused. This led to the start up of the program Adventure Island on the ABC, with some of the cast and writers from the Magic Circle Club.

TV director and costume designer Tedd Dunn stayed with Channel 0. He played the Fredd Bear character (Channel 0's answer to the Nine Network's more enduring Humphrey B. Bear) two years after the Magic Circle Club's demise, as co-host of Fredd Bear's Breakfast-A-Go-Go. Cassius and Leonardo also appeared on Breakfast-A-Go-Go. Max Bartlett continued to work in television production, moving to Western Australia, where he helped to develop Fat Cat and Friends and The Underground Video Show.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Credits
• Scrapbook clippings
• The Age article, Green Guide, August 19, 2004
• "The Stolen Smile" stage production
• The Magic Circle Club at the National film and Sound Archive