Australian TV game show "Blankety Blanks" (1977) - a "Cyril" question

Many questions were quotations of a fictional effeminate character named Cyril, and would begin "Cyril said..." with the quotation recited by Kennedy in a stereotypical gay male voice (Cyril was Kennedy's middle name).

Blankety Blanks was a popular Australian game show based on the American game show Match Game. It was hosted by Graham Kennedy on Network Ten. It ran from 1977-1978.

Regular panelists were Ugly Dave Gray, Noeline Brown, Carol Raye and Stuart Wagstaff. Other panelists included Noel Ferrier, Belinda Giblin, Abigail, Nick Tate, Tommy Hanlon Junior, Dawn Lake, Jon English, Wendy Blacklock, Barry Creyton, Peta Toppano, Mark Holden, Delvene Delaney and John Paul Young.

Blankety Blanks had a two-season run from 1977 to 1978. It was screened at a rate of five, thirty-minute episodes each week, stripped across an early evening timeslot. It was broadcast at 7.30 PM in 1977, and at 7.00 PM in 1978.

Kennedy won a TV Week Gold Logie Award in 1978 for Most Popular Personality On Australian Television.

Two contestants, including a returning champion, competed. The contestants were always a man and a woman - at no point did two people of the same gender compete. The object was to match the answers of the six celebrity panelists to fill-in-the-blank statements.

Kennedy's risque brand of humour often nudged the boundaries of contemporary Australian broadcasting standards. Peter Rhys-Davies was the crew member behind the show's sets pulling the lever that uncovered the correct answers on the board. In one running gag he was dubbed "Peter the Phantom Puller" by Kennedy. To reveal each answer in turn, Kennedy would call out "Peter could you have a pull", "Pull it Peter!", etc.

In one episode Kennedy came on with a prepared list of "rude" words which were deemed acceptable to be spoken on-air. Throughout the episode, he would suddenly launch into a chant of "wee poo bum, wee poo bum!"


Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.

• Category

  Entertainment

[kurvapicsa]

@bluebear1985 Was Gene Rayburn also gay? Our host - Graham Kennedy was, but never said it openly

[mufo zomby]

match game

[Zach Horan]

Gene was married for more than 50 years and was reported to be quite the ladies' man on the side, as per people who worked on 70s Match Game. Seems like the Aussies like to replicate the US set.

[bluebear1985]

It's too bad there aren't too many episodes that still exist on tape. I find them hilarious. I'm not sure if this or the American show it's based on is funnier. Under this format in America, "Match Game", hosted by Gene Rayburn, ran from 1973-1982. There are a good number of episodes on YouTube. Check a few of them out and see what you think.

[weskitten]

Channel 0/10 7 pm weeknights, Graham and the gang on that colorful set. Irreplaceable memories, with something lovely from the Toshiba company.

[weskitten]

Pink!