A couple of weeks ago my friend Beryl and i decided it was high time we paid our respects to the block of units where the legendary Aussie tv show ‘Number 96’ was filmed.
We’d talked of finding this place for years, so finally we jumped into Beryl’s automobile and headed for the very shee shee suburb of Woolarah, as we rounded the corner the block of unit’s came into view, i couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by heaving sobs of emotion, i was literally fizzing at the bung hole, it was as if my entire television life flashed before my very eyes.
When i was little i was lucky enough to be allowed to watch this show, it was racy and rude and controversial and everything you’ve ever heard, but i never really saw the rudeness, it didn’t really register, but the camp value was set to ’11’ and i loved it, i absorbed it, i chewed it up, masticated the high camp. Years later my friend Miss Marcia and i discussed what it was that drew us to this show, and why in 2014 it still holds up, and we both agreed it was because many of the actors had a stage and vaudeville past, and that shone through in their rolls, to the point many scenes were almost slapstick.
After watching the show the next day at school my friends and i would recite the previous evenings dialogue, i held a special place in my affections for the character ‘Dorrie Evans’ and still, to this day my speech is littered with her malapropisms, i guess this should be filed under the heading ‘I should have known i was gay when .. ‘ how many other ten year old boys do you know who could recite whole passages of dialogue from the likes of ‘Mummy’ ‘Daddy’ ‘Norma’ and ‘Dorrie’?.
I have vivid memories of when ‘Number 96’ mania reached Wollongong, when the Logies were being presented in Melbourne the whole cast of Number 96 travelled down to Melbourne by train, they stopped off at Corrimal station and the place was packed, how someone didn’t fall or get pushed onto the tracks I’ll never know.
When the train stopped, the stars appeared at the doors and threw out photo’s of themselves, i was lucky enough to catch one of Reg Dorsey who played ‘Daddy’ on the show, i remember strait away racing into the hospital to see my dad who had been struck down with two very severe heart attacks, he was in intensive care but i was so excited to show him my photo.
It amazes me that i can’t remember my mobile phone number, but i can recall characters names from Number 96 like ‘Weppo’ and ‘Trixie O Toole’ off the top of my head.
I only wish i had taken some flowers when Beryl and i visited, it only seem’s right to have laid them at the entrance to Aldo’s deli where the bomb went off, searing the synthetic fibers of his mo, and blowing up the totally hot Miles Buchanan in the process. If i had any petals left, i would have sprinkled them over the entrance to ‘Duddles disco’ and rolled around on them naked, smearing the scent across my supple man titties. Dreaming of a time when Trixie and Flo serenaded the punters in Normas wine bar, and even if it was only in my mind, i would have been there, if not in body, then at the very least in spirit, it would have been enough to drive a body Beresk.
For all things Number 96 click “Here“.
Tags: Number 96