In Melbourne Tonight

In Melbourne Tonight or “IMT” was compulsory viewing.

My British born parents tuned in just to watch it’s star Graham Kennedy, in a day without recordings or replays in fear of missing something Graham “might do”.

His nightly antics were considered outrageous, funny, spur of the moment brilliant comedy when television was in it’s infancy.

IMT was broadcast live from GTV-9 (Richmond) in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

IMT ran 4 nights (Monday – Thursday) a week from 1957 to 1970.

In Melbourne Tonight was many things:

IMT was it’s star; Graham Kennedy – without Graham there was no IMT
IMT was it’s opening catchphrase: here’s Graham

Stars of In Melbourne Tonight

Geoff Corke
Bert Newton
Joff Ellen
Val Ruff
Panda Lisner
Anne Marie Fabry
Mary Hardy
Rosie Sturgess
Toni Lamond
Philip Brady
Johnny Ladd
Noel Ferrier
Elaine McKenna
Bill McCormick
Ted Hamilton
The Tune Twisters
Patti McGrath (Patti Newton)
Channel 9 Ballet

IMT won many Logie awards for best television, most popular personality (GK), best comedy, best variety program.

When TV Week introduced the awards in 1959, they actually didn’t have a name, and recipients of the top awards, such as Graham Kennedy and Panda Lisner were just called the ‘TV Stars of the Year.’ It was actually Graham who suggested that they should be called the Logie Awards, after John Logie Baird, the Scottish inventor of television.

Graham Kennedy won six, including the first-ever Gold Logie that was handed out (before it was even called a Logie).

Graham Kennedy was the king of Australian television for 40 years as a talk-show host, game-show presenter, satirist, commentator and iconoclastic jester.

15 February 1934 – 25 May 2005 – Graham Cyril Kennedy, AO reigned over television but was also a noted radio host and film actor.

Graham ruled supreme as host of IMT (In Melbourne Tonight) and Australia’s most popular TV personality for thirteen consecutive years. Along with Bert Newton, he worked with Joff Ellen, Rosie Sturgess, Patti Newton, Philip Brady and others.

Graham always pushed the boundaries of acceptability with his bawdy, irreverent, iconoclastic, often smutty style, deliberately camp and laden with innuendo and double-entendre.

In 1975, he imitated a crow call “faaaaaark” (f**k) and was banned from performing LIVE on television meaning that he would have to pre-record the show on videotape.

Four of Graham Kennedy’s television shows were named in 50 Years 50 Shows – In Melbourne Tonight topped the poll, Power Without Glory was #15, Blankety Blanks was #20, and Coast to Coast ranked #42.

In the Australia Day honours of 26 January 2006, Kennedy was posthumously appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), for “service to the entertainment industry”.

Television career – TV Shows

-:- In Melbourne Tonight (IMT)
-:- The Graham Kennedy Show
-:- Power Without Glory
-:- Blankety Blanks
-:- The Blainey View
-:- Graham Kennedy’s News Show
-:- Coast to Coast
-:- Graham Kennedy’s Funniest Home Videos

Film career

-:- They’re a Weird Mob (1966) (cameo as himself)
-:- The Box (1975) (supporting role as himself)
-:- Don’s Party (1976)
-:- The Odd Angry Shot (1979)
-:- The Club (1980)
-:- Silent Reach (1982) (telemovie)
-:- The Return of Captain Invincible (1982) (cameo)
-:- The Killing Fields (1983)
-:- Stanley (1983)
-:- Travelling North (1987)