The Magic Circle Club (1966 opening/closing)

"The Magic Circle Club" (1965-67) was a massively popular TV show for children which screened around Australia.

Such was the programme's innovation that for its first year on air it received a prestigious Penguin award, and a special Logie award for Outstanding Contribution to Children's Television (both proudly displayed at the start of each episode).

It was videotaped at the studios of ATV-0 in Melbourne (as was "Prisoner", aka "Prisoner Cell Block H", many years later).

In this clip, the show's first hostess Nancy Cato introduces and closes the episode with some help from Fredd Bear (Tedd Dunn). Other characters included Fee Fee Bear (John Michael Howson), Mother Hubbard (Fred Tupper), Max (Max Bartlett), Sir Jasper Crookley (Ernie Bourne) and Gasper Goblin (Colin McEwan).

When the show was cancelled for cost reasons, the production team headed by Godfrey Philipp created a new show called "Adventure Island" for the ABC. It was another huge success and ran until 1972.

I hope this clip brings back a lot of happy memories for those old enough to remember "The Magic Circle Club" (it's still my favourite show ever!).

Songs ("Hip Hooray and Hello" and "We'll Be Back Tomorrow") by Bruce Rowland and John Howson. "We Really Should Knock That Naughty Clock" by John Howson.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• adventure
• island
• magic
• circle
• fredd
• bear
• fee
• australia
• sue
• donovan
• humphrey
• wiggles
• children

[zapkvr]

The thing you notice most olf all is Nancy had such impeccable diction. I used to just love this show when I was little. This would have been one of the first eps I ever saw since we only got the telly in 1966. Why it was ever cancelled I still don't know. Huge kudos to the poster.

[auspete]

@zapkvr It was cancelled due to its inability to recoup its HUGE production costs through advertising. It was one of five programmes simultaneously axed by Channel O in May 1967.

[bobdowne4real]

Nancy Cato was DIVINE - so sweet and engaging. I was madly in love with her...

[auspete]

@bobdowne4real For my money, Nancy Cato was the most mesmerising person ever to appear on television. You cannot take your eyes off her in these clips, she had a charisma and an ability to talk right through the lens TO children (rather than AT them) which in my 40+ years of TV viewing has never been equalled let alone bettered.

[featherfour]

I loved this show SO MUCH. And does anybody in the world but me remember Leonardo de Fun Bird? (I was shattered to see him just lying there, a puppet, when I was part of the audience). And I know that the reason I love the internet so much is because of IKAN the computer: "The instantaneous knowledge, the superlative network, it's IKAN to you, IKAN to you, I-KAN to you!" Oh yeah. I was fed the concept of internet from an early age.

[auspete]

Of course I remember Leonardo de Fun Bird! After MCC, he (and Cassius Cuckoo) lived on in Fredd Bear's Breakfast-A-Go-Go (on Channel 0 in Melbourne, anyway). I am so envious of you being in the audience. All the shows from mid-1965 onwards were pre-recorded (with no audience) so it must have been early 1965 - the show went out live in those days. Your recollection of the IKAN song is so close to spot on... it was the Instantaneous Knowledge Accumulating Network! Great post! Thank you.

[bluesmanalbert]

that creaky old door leading into darkness used to scare the sh-t out of me

[Tish1023]

The Magic Circle club was transfered to the ABC and showed up as Adventure Island, the reason it was axed was due to all sorts of behind the scenes issues and I also think I remember Nancy was in a car accident and was unable to work full time.

[99forfun]

This was the best kid show ever. I still have very fond memories of all the characters, but I could only remember the names of Fred Bear and and Nancy Cato. I am surprised that it only went for a couple of years.

There was another great show where the characters are dolls and they are in the outback. It was so cute, but I don't remember the show's name.

[elvenwishes]

I use to watch this all the time when I was little and loved it so much and now it makes me all fuzzy inside...We did make good kids shows back then....Thank you for posting this on here will have to show my 19 year old son the programmes that I use to watch and enjoy....:)

[sp1midholm]

When I was watching this show as a kid I never realised that Nancy was so pretty.

[zapkvr]

@auspete So nothing has really changed in forty years. The television stations are handed a licence to print money and simply shaft the viewer when the beancounters come in. Perhaps we need to reinstate television licence fees and revoke their licences. They don't have any social responsibility anyway.

[lozzarattiii]

I sorta remember this song