One of the popular music television shows of the 1960s was The Go!! Show, produced by ATV-0 Melbourne (now Channel 10). The program began on 4 August 1964, just four days after the station officially opened and less than two months after the hysteria of the Beatles’ Australian tour.
Heavily inspired by the vibrant format of British music shows like Ready Steady Go!, the 222 episodes of The Go!! Show were taped in front of a live audience. Packed into the iconic Nunawading studios, they screamed at the appearance of regulars like Olivia Newton-John and Pat Carroll, Lynne Randell, Normie Rowe and Buddy England, as well as The Twilights who served as the show’s house band to back solo singers.
Many of the major Australian pop stars of the time made frequent visits, including the Bee Gees, The Easybeats, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Denise Drysdale, Bobby & Laurie, Lynne Randell and Johnny Devlin. Dancing in the background to the popular hits of the day was an energetic group of go-go dancers.
Normie Rowe singing Shakin’ All Over on his final appearance on The Go!! Show, 5 September 1966:
By 1966 the Go!! Show‘s reach extended to a national audience via the 0-10 Network, with a youthful Johnny Young taking over as compere from the charismatic Ian Turpie. Johnny had moved to Melbourne in mid-1966, having already compered a pop music show called Club Seventeen the previous year on TVW-7 Perth, as an 18-year-old (video below). 1966 was a big year for Johnny, hitting #1 on the singles chart with the double-A-side Step Back / Cara-Lyn.
The Go!! Show was made by DYT Productions, a production company run by musician Horrie Dargie, Arthur Young and Johnny Tillbrook. Coinciding with the show, DYT also launched the Go!! record label. The early Melbourne-only TV episodes were an hour long, three nights per week. As a national program it was shortened to thirty minutes, until it was cancelled in August 1967. However, Johnny Young’s good standing with the 0-10 Network made them receptive to his pitch for a young talent show a few years later. Young Talent Time became a Saturday night hit in 1971.
The Go!! Show served as a primary rival to the Nine Network’s long-running Bandstand, offering a faster, edgier, and more volatile alternative, driven by its roaring live studio audience. Buoyed by The Go!! Show‘s success, 0-10 launched a second pop music show in 1965, Kommotion, produced by the Willard King Organisation. Also taped at ATV-0, and hosted by 3UZ DJ Ken Sparkes, Kommotion ran for a half-hour at 5.30pm on weeknights.
A medley by Go!! Show guests in 1966, introduced by Johnny Young:
Ian Turpie counts down the Australian Top 10, 1966:
A one-hour episode of The Go!! Show, compered by Johnny Young:
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