The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 5

Departure lounge another role to his fairly extensive show-business career. Sir Robert, whose acting credits include the narrator in a stage version of Rocky Horror Show, a heavy character in the NZ children's drama Terry and the Gunrunners and most recently, as Saint Nicholas in a Wonderwool Underblankets commercial, appeared in a television comedy series in New Zealand on Wednesday night Not much has been reported of his role as a crime boss in The Billy T. James Show, although his most memorable line was said to be "bugger qualities of the five, leaders he has seen in V' Mungo started work in the press gallery in 1969, writing his From the Gallery column in The Australian. From 1971 to 1978 he worked at the now-defunct Nation Review where his distinctive style of journalism gained popular appeal. Since then; he has worked as a freelance journalist for The Age, the Financial Review and the' Melbourne Herald.

Mungo freely admits he has had an influence on politics and politicians during his 19 years in Canberra, with a modest claim to have personally changed four politicians' votes on a crucial section of the Family Law Act in 1 973. He is proud of his involvement, and thinks today's press gallery A tireless Mickey Rooney at Mornington races yesterday. should play a more interventionist role in politics. "Journalists have been remarkably frightened of making their own judgments," Mungo said yesterday. He also believes the media rely on politicians less than the politicians rely on the media.

"There wouldn't be a single journalist in the Canberra Press Gallery who hasn't had a politician come up and ask what was going on in the real world out there." Mungo hopes to be able to continue his career as a television commentator. anniversary, will be British actress Julie Christie, who's in Australia to star in the Nine Network's mini-series A Long Way From Home and Bea Arthur, star of the US series Golden Girls. Nominees for the top award, the Gold Logie, are Logies host and Hey, Hey It's Saturday star, Daryl Somers, Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue of the top-rating soapie Neighbours and Peter O'Brien of The Flying Doctors. Veteran Australian show business personality Bert Newton will receive a special award. Raised eyebrows Phyllis Diller's face said it all.

The veteran of 33 years in comedy and almost half as many facelifts, is in Melbourne at the moment as the guest of honour at the Age International Comedy Festival. Her press kit contains an inventory of the IS surgical modifications she has undergone since 1971, ranging from facelifts and nose jobs to lipo-suctioned fat from her stomach being shot into the deep vertical wrinkles around her mouth. Yesterday she hosted the preview of the international and local line-up who will appear at the two-and-a-half week festival. When the time came for the group photo of comic performers yesterday, the Glaswegian comedian Bing Hitler decided to take his clothes off, calling for a serviette from the crowd to make it a publishable family photo. "These photos are always so boring," he said.

Ms Diller's eyebrows rose, but maybe that was just the effect of the facelifts. A few seconds later she let out her distinctively hearty laugh. Bing had her stamp of approval. iirrival lounge room to a round of applause, held his arms high above his 1.6 metres, then said he never thought of himself as important enough to" interview. Rooney, who says he's 67 but looks much older, told the Melbourne gathering that Australia was a great country his second home although he hadn't been here for 20 years and that its next great ambassador in the United States, the new Paul Hogan, would be former Geelong footballer Mark (Jacko) Jackson.

Jacko, making his name in the US as co-star of The Highwayman, a series about truckies, was talented, interesting and going the right way about making himself successful, Rooney said, with the clear inference we could all take a leaf from the Jacko book. "You have in order to be successful to accept your- own individuality, and people find it very tough to be satisfied with what they are," he said. Handing out the gongs with Rooney tonight at the Logies' 30th That's show biz Mungo McCallum. The straggly beard, dry wit and raucous laugh of journalist and commentator Mungo McCallum has been a feature of the Canberra scene for the past 1 9 years. But in two weeks time, Mungo.

will be paroled from the parliamentary press gallery to take up residence at the northern NSW coastal resort of Brunswick Heads. He plans to continue his cricket column in The Australian Financial Review while writing a novel, tentatively about the accession to power of Australia's worst ever prime minister. Australian Associated Press reports that at a farewell lunch at the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday, Mungo stressed the novel's central character would not be based on a real PM but the worst Six decades of show business hasn't tired veteran American actor Mickey Rooney, as he proved at a press conference held in his honour yesterday. Here for tonight's presentation of the Logie awards, Rooney stunned journalists with his reluctance to end the interview session, instead proffering a round of handshakes and a lecture on why theatre and film critics shouldn't criticise. Looking like a round, balding gnome in an aging brown tweed suit, the roly-poly actor entered the "If a politician is not in the public eye, he might as well not be in politics," Sir Robert Muldoon said last year.

It's been more difficult than it used to be for the former New Zealand Prime Minister since his election defeat in 1984, but he's still trying. As well as sitting on the Opposition National Party's backbench in Sir Robert has added Edited by KAREN PAKULA iStTMTiaiifiii ABN 2 ATN 7 SBS NBN 3 7.00: Astroboy.730: Comic Strip. 735: Mr Men Mr Forgetful. 8.00: Wonderful Wizard Of Oz. 830: Sesame Street (Rpt).

930: Play School (S). 10.00: Daytime Shows. 12.00: EastEnders (S, Rpt). LOO: Daytime Shows. 3.00: Sesame Street (Rpt).

4.00: Play School 430: New Adventures Of Blinky Bill. 5.00: Afternoon Show Earth-watch. 5.30: You Can't Do That On Television (Rpt). 6.00: Inspector Gadget (Rpt). 6 30: EastEnders (S).

7.00: News. 7.30: 7.30 Report. 8.00: Overseas And Undersold Australia's trade with New Zealand. 8.30: Howards' Way (S). Kate persuades Retired Admiral Redfern to visit the Mermaid yard.

9.20 Back Chat. 930: International Comedy Festival Hosted by Tim and Debbie, with Gerry Connolly, Judy Glen. Also features Phyllis Diller performing with the MSO. 10.15: Late News And Weather. 10.20: Pacing Interdominion C'ship.

10.40: Movie Show Business (44, Rpt, bw). Eddie Cantor. 12.10: Rage. 3.00: TV Ed Australia. 4.00: Electric Company (Rpt, USA).

430: Kaleidoscope Cartoon show. 5.00: Oshin (Rpt). 530: No-One But You -(Debut). Drama (Mexico). 6.00: The Noise Silly clips are shown.

630: News And Weather. 7.00: Sport Report. 7.30: Little Missy A woman joins the abolitionist movement (Brazil). 8.10: International Cookbook Shabu-Shabu. 8.30: Wedding Rings -(Debut).

New comedy-drama series (Spain). 9.30: Tonight With Paul Murphy Current affairs. 10.00: Movie The Amer ican Friend (77, Rpt). Wim Wender's thriller from Germany about betrayal. Featuring Dennis Hopper.

12.05: Close. 6.00:- Cartoon Programs (Rpts). 630: The Cartoon Connection. 9.00: Romper Room. 10.00: Falcon Crest (PGR, Rpt).

11.00: Eleven AM. 12.00: Movie Outside Chance (AO, 78, Rpt). A young woman undergoes a series of attacks. Yvette Mimieux. 2.00: Quincy M.E (PGR, Rpt).

3.00: Bewitched (Rpt). 3.30: Tom And Jerry Show (Rpt). 4.00: Wombat. 430: Rewind. 5.00: Wheel Of Fortune.

530: Press Your Luck Game. 6.00: Home And Away (S). 630: News, Sport And Weather. 7.00: Terry WHIesee Tonight. 730: Charles In Charge.

8.00: Sidekicks Comedy-drama. 8.30: Movie The Blues Brothers (AO, 80, Rpt). John Landis' cult comedy about two blues-mad musicians trying to raise money to save the orphanage they were raised in. John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Carrie Fisher, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, John Lee Hooker and others. (Simulcast with 2 Day-FM).

11.00: News-world. 12.00: News Overnight. ON THE AIR 8.30 pm, 10, The Eiger Sanction (1975): An early precursor to Indiana Jones emerges in the person of Clint Eastwood, a former CIA terminator now given to teaching art. Clint as an art teacher? Tootle-oo credibility. Numerous 007 cliches surround the peaks as Clint (or CII as he is aptly called here) scampers up into the mountains for a deadly assignation with George Kennedy and Vonetta McGee, who is rather more watchable than Travis.

A slow climb to the climax over some very stony melodrama, but not without a few highs. 10 pm, SBS, The American Friend (1977): If Michaelangelo Anto-nioni is reading this column (and don't snigger, dear reader, he sometimes does), I must tread warily in referring to this Wim Wenders film. It's a suspense-charged thriller based on Patricia Highsmith's novel Ripley's Game, about a quiet Hamburg craftsman (Bruno Ganz) obsessed with death, who strikes up a friendship with a shady American (Dennis Hopper). Their liaison and betrayal make for a taut and powerful movie. 8.30 pm, SBS, Wedding Rings, a 13-part serial, begins tonight in place of David Stratton's Movie Of The Week which, from this week, moves to Sunday night Old habits die hard, of course, but this is an excellent move, bound to ensure that at least something stimulating other than the entertainment massages on offer elsewhere is available during the week's premier movie time-slot.

This week's offering is a gem, Mauro Bologni-ni's Lady Of The Camellias. 5 pm, SBS, Oshin: The Japanese soap continues ever on. No doubt the Frank Chickens, those daredevil ninja chickens, back in Sydney for three encores at The Gap, will be watching to regain their cultural balance before taking to the stage tonight And koni- -chiwa to you, Kazuko. Doug Anderson 6X0: Cartoons. 630: Business Today.

7.00: Today. 9.05: Romper Room. 9.30: Aerobics Oz Style. 10.00: Home Shopping. Paper Chase -(PGR).

11.25: Coronation Street. 11.55: News. 12.00: The Midday Show -(PGR). 130: Daytime Serials (PGRs). 330: Sons And Daughters For Children.

530: Perfect Match. 6.00: News. 7.00: Sale Of The Century (S). 7.30: ALF Comedy. 8.00: Who's The Boss? -(PGR).

8.25: News. 8.30: 1988 Logie Awards From the Hyatt-On-Col-lins Hotel, Melbourne. Hosted by Daryl Somers. 1130: Movie A Bullet Is Waiting (PGR, 54). Drama featuring Rory Calhoun.

1.00: Close. CTC 7 6.00: News. 6.30: Good Morning Australia. 9.00: Here's Humphrey (Rpt). 9.35: Coronation Street (PGR).

10.00: Bold And Beautiful (PGR). 1030: News. 11.00: Santa Barbara -(PGR). 12.00: The Midday Show (PGR). 130: Days OfOurLives-(PGR).

2.30: Falcon Crest -(PGR). 330: For Kids. 530: Perfect Match. 6.00: News. 630: Sale Of The Century (S).

7.00: Neighbours (S). 7.30: ALF. 8.00: Family Ties Comedy series. 8.30: The 1988 Logie Awards Live coverage from the Hyatt-On-Collins Hotel, Melbourne. 12.00: Movie Something Of Value (PGR, 57, Rpt, bw).

Drama featuring Rock Hudson. 2.00: Close. TCN 9 TEN 10 WIN 4 6.00: News And Weather. 630: Business Today. 7.00: Today.

9.00: The Home Shopping Show. 930: Here's Humphrey (Rpt). 10.00: Serials News. 1130: Loving (PGR). Drama.

12.00: Midday With Ray Martin -(PGR). Interview and variety show. 130: Daytime Serial (PGRs). 4.00: Cmon Kids. 5.00: Crossfire.

530: Addams Family (Rpt, bw). 6.00: News And Sport, Weather. 630: A Current Affair. 7.00: Sale Of The Century (S). 730: Sorry (PGR).

Comedy about a man whose life is completely dominated by his mother. With Ronnie Corbett. 8.00: Rude Health (PGR, Debut). Comedy about three struggling doctors. With John Wells and John Bett 8.30: 30th Annual TV Week Logie Awards Live from Melbourne.

MTV (PGR). Music videos. ZOO: Movie The Spirit Of St Louis 4 (57, Rpt). Drama with James Stewart, cs 435: Bonanza (Rpt). Western.

0 530: Expedition Danger (Rpt). 6.00: News And Weather. 630: Good Morning Australia. 9.00: Good Morning Sydney (PGR). 10.00: Fat Cat And Friends.

10.30: Morning News And Weather. 11.00: Daytime Serials- (PGRs). 130: Movie Requiem For A Gun-fighter (PGR, 65, Rpt). A gunman is mistaken for a judge and goes along with the mistake. Features Rod Cameron.

330: Home Sweet Home (PGR, Rpt). 4.00: RidgeyDMge For children. 5.00: MASH (Rpt). Satire. 530: Perfect Match Dating.

6.00: News, Sport And Weather. 7.00: Neighbours (S). Drama. 730: Highway To Heaven. 8.30: Movies (Rpts).

The Eiger Sanction (PGR, 75). A hitman is ordered to eliminate a brutal killer climbing a Swiss mountain. Clint Eastwood, George Kennedy. 11.00: The Challenge A drifter escorts a ceremonial sword from America to Japan. Scott Glen, Toshiro Mifune.

1.00: Night Shift Silver Spoons (PGR). 530: Facts Of Life (PGR). 6.00: News. 630: Business Today. 7.00: Today.

9.00: Home Shopping. 930: Here's Humphrey. 10.00: Focus On Living. 1030: Sullivans. 11.00: News.

1130: Coronation Street. 12.00: Midday Show With Ray Martin. 1.30: Daytime Serials (PGRs). 330: For Children. 530: Sale Of The Century (S).

6.00: News. 7.00: A Current Affair. 730: World Of Disney. 830: 1988 Logie Awards. 11.00: News.

11.30: American Wrestling. .12.30: Movies A Dream Of Passion (AO). With Mel-ina Mercouri. 2.10: From Hell To Victory (AO, 79, Rpt). With George Peppard.

3.50: The Bells Of St Mary's (45, Rpt, bw). Musical with Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman..