The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 86

ft -EMd Sn it1 TriO nn mm mm mm mm V.VV.Y;vVVW.WA.V.YAWfVtVY. Many of us thought, before previewing Roots, that it would not have the. same impact in Australia as it had in America where it scored It took two years and to make, 12 years to research, and alter a this week, it looks as though it was worth every minute and every cent. preview of Roots Carey, Chuck Connors, Sandy Duncan, Carolyn Jones, Burl Ives, Leslie a Richard Roundtree, Doug McClure, Lloyd Bridges that's just a sample to leave anyone breathless Breathless that's the word to sum up the impact Roots had on me and, if it doesn't have that same impact on the rest of Sydney's population, then Channel 10 might as well dig a hole and bury itself. RIGHT: Cornelia Frances She's Sister Scott.

5-YEAH-flDUD STO semest mm For five-year-old Lawrence Eastland, having a mother who's a television star is something he takes in his stride. makes 12 hours of television, there's not much point in examining the story line in this limited space. Let's just say it starts off in Gambia, West Africa, in 1750 and continues until well after the. American Civil War. Names from the mammoth cast include Edward Asner, Ralph Waite (far different from his image in The Waltons), Cicely Tyson, Lome Greene, Vic Morrow, Lynda Day George, Robert Ree-d, MacDonald Dale Plummer on TV, ANOTHER ABBA COUP Channel 7's had another Abba coup, and the results will be heard around the world.

However, the outcome is not a television special it's an album taken from their Australian concerts. Seven audio man, Weston Baker, was chosen above other sound people and record companies to capture the music of the Swedish quartet. All concerned believe ney nave a multi-mil- i lion dollar success. HfiB a record 80 million viewers. "A mahogany Gone With The.

Wind," is a good summation of the general feeling about the series, which was only strengthened by the fact it was a cover-story on Time Magazine. Now there's no doubt it will have an impact here. Because of its story, star-studded cast and the way Channel 10 is preventing it "stripping," it for 10 nights in one or two-hour blocks it must be a high scorer in the ratings. And TEN, the channel that's in the ratings doldrums, has planned wisely (and predictably) in scheduling the first episode of Roots for Sunday, April 17, the first night of the next survey period. From there they should have viewers hooked, except for a night off on Wednesday (for that wretched football).

"Plus Saturday night off, in consideration of Sydney's restaurants and theatres," said Channel 10's general manager, Ian Kennon. Considering Roots City Rollers, Bryan Ferry, Paul and Linda McCartney and, in America, David Bowie, who apparently is hard to get. Meldrum arrived home on Thursday morning, just a bit too late to cjuch Paul Hogan's send-up of him on Channel 9 But I've heard an alleged friend 'has got the chuckler on tape for him, and all are now eagerly' awaiting reactions. The word from England is that they're interested in buying it, and so it could be the first Australian pop program to be seen overseas, according to an ABC spokesman. Frank Rugby League cmmen-tator, Frank Hyde proved without doubt, he's a top' 2SM personality when tickets to his personally-escorted tour to New Zealand In May sold out over two weekends.

Not even SM executives expected such a phenomenal response. They're now working out two more overseas tours for Frank and company later in the year. Shock waves went To say Alex Haley's saga of an American Negro family is powerful seems an understatement. It IS all the raves you've heard, and then some. ABOVE: Leslie Uggams and Sandy Duncan, In Roots.

Ml Newsman Paul Makin has resigned from 2UE to join the full-time staff of Willesee at Seven. Paul has been working as a casual reporter on UE plus doing their Nightwatch half -hour on Sunday mornings, while also working part-time for Willesee. Now he's decided the time has come when he can afford to concentrate on his television career, and he'll join the team at Epping in a fortnight. Paul, 29, comes across as something of a comic rascal an impression which was heightened when he appeared before the cameras on Monday night with a scruffy beard. "That was the Burt Lancaster influence," Paul said, "but I couldn't wear it for too long." By Tuesday night the beard had been shaved off, but none of that irascible personality went with it.

That's the way Paul is and that's the way Willesee wants him. MffiES Countdown, the ABC's premier pop show, celebrates its "centenary" tonight with a special 90-minute show compered by Leo Sayer from London. give another child all the time I would like to, and I don't want to stop working." Although Cornelia (known as Corny to her friends and family) loves her Sister Scott role, she has the traditional yearn-' ing to do a stage play. She's had extensive experience both in England and Australia, but her role in The Young Doctors is an important, i e-consuming one which doesn't leave her much time at all for other activities. Towards the middle of the year she'll probably have to take some time off from her hospital rounds; she has the role of an alcoholic in a film called Crocodiles.

Stars will include Kee-nan Wynne and Rod Taylor. Young Lawrence probably wouldn't be too impressed by that, either, but the crocodiles at least should turn him on with the other boys in the narrow street. "He wasn't seriously injured," Cornelia said, "but he was kept overnight in hospital and had to spend a week in bed) at home afterwards. "Because the yard areas are so small, there's nowhere else for a group of children to play except on the street, and I'm finding it more and more worrying." Film next Cornelia says she doesn't plan to have any more children for several reasons. "You do tend to get terribly selfish," she explained.

"Most ladies want to have a baby; I did, and we were very lucky with Lawrence because he's a an outward-going child, very intelligent and a bundle of fire all the time. "I wouldn't be able to "In fact," says his Cornelia mother, rrances, wnen were watching The Young Doctors at home he'll simply announce he's bored with it and he'd rather watch some other program." It's the children who attend school with Lawrence who are impressed by his connection with the stars, and it's their mothers who are stunned learn Cornelia Frances is the antithesis of her starchy Sister Scott role. There doesn't appear to be much hope of marriage for the martinet on TV but in "real life" she's married to Mike Eastland, a fellow Briton who's sales manager of a large engineering firm. A year ago they bought a terrace house at Bondi Junction but, with the area so densely populated and the houses with so little garden space, Cornelia and Mike are now thinking of moving again. Last June, young Lawrence was knocked over by a car while playing At major changes at GB by manager Barry Augustus a couple of weeks ago, we know of at least one big name at another station who's been approached by GB to replace one of their falling stars.

Said big name refused. Michael Carlton, has resigned from TCN 9's A Current Affair to join 2UE. He will broadcast each week day between 2 and 4 pm, with Peter Bosly following. Since its premiere in November, 1975, Countdown has chalked up 100 programs and now claims more than one million viewers a show. Ian "Molly" Meldrum has bten overseas for three weeks, doing interviews in England and the States with big-name stars.

They include the Bay SHORT TAKES Sympathy to BILL COLLINS, whose mother died at home on Tuesday night while Bill was at ATN 7 hosting the Academy Awards. Another star joins the ranks of advertisers; saw JAMES GARNER on American TV doing his bit for cameras. Peter Press, Channel 10's program manager for five years, resigned and left the station on Friday. He and writer Fred "CuP Cullen are setting up their own production company. right on side Your regular features Turn over for a page of Information TV and radio programs, crossword, your stars.

On other pages Family Doctor 92 G. Koshnitsky's Chess 94 Lyn Barrow's Problem Clinic 96 Evan Green on Motoring 98-100 Dick Lewers on Fishing 102 Ted Moloney's Good Living 104 Vincent Serventy's Nature World 106 Bridge 110 New Books 112-113 Sounds Set 115 Film Reviews 117 Show Business 118-119 Around Your Home 121-127 Stan Peck's Gardening 128 Finance 130-131 Leslie Watford's Our Town 132 Women's Section 133-143 87 THE SUN-HERALD, 4VRIL 3, 1977 87 through the radio industry when it was discovered John Torv had resigned from UE and joined SM. John, who's developed the reputation of programmer extraordinaire, now has the grand title of Group Program Coordinator. Despite denials of any.