Today’s TV: Monday 1 April 1991
from the NZ Listener
TV One
10.15am Teletext in Vision
10.30 Classics on One - The Man in the White Suit (1951) (Rpt, G)
Noon Designing Women (Rpt, G)
12.30 Film on One - Jesus of Nazareth (1977) (Part 4, final) (Rpt, G)
2.25 Reviving Antiques (G)
2.35 Matinee on One - Back Home (1989) (G)
4.30 The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Rpt, G)
5.00 Take the High Road (G)
5.30 Me and My Girl (Rpt, G)
6.00 One Network News
6.30 Holmes
7.00 Sale of the Century (G)
7.30 ‘Allo ‘Allo! (Rpt, PGR)
8.05 Fawlty Towers (Rpt, PGR)
8.45 Beyond 2000 (G)
9.45 Haggard (Part 6) (PGR)
10.15 Monday Documentary - Nippon (Part 4) (G)
11.20 In Sickness and in Health (PGR)
11.55 Closedown
Channel 2
6.15am Teletext in Vision
6.30 Zoobilee Zoo (Rpt, G)
7.00 ITN World News
7.25 The Droids (Rpt, G)
8.00 ITN World News (Rpt)
A repeat screening of the 7am bulletin
8.25 Porky Pig (Rpt, G)
8.40 Sesame Street (Rpt, G)
9.40 Play School (Rpt, G)
10.05 Aerobics Oz Style (G)
10.30 Neighbours (Rpt, G)
11.05 Santa Barbara
Noon The Young and the Restless
1.00 Days of Our Lives
2.00 Newhart (Final) (G)
2.30 After 2, including:
2.33 Play School (Rpt, G)
3.00 Rainbow (Rpt, G)
3.15 Fireman Sam (G)
3.30 The Easter Egg (Fox Tales) (Rpt, G)
4.00 The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers (Final) (G)
4.30 COPS (Rpt, G)
5.00 The Bugs Bunny Show (Starting tonight) (G)
5.30 Wheel of Fortune (G)
6.00 Blind Date (G)
6.30 M-A-S-H (Rpt, G)
7.00 Neighbours (G)
7.30 The Flying Doctors (G)
8.30 LA Law (AO)
9.30 Aussie League on 2
Winfield Cup 1991 - highlights of round three’s matches
11.15 Hill Street Blues (Rpt, AO)
12.20am Closedown
TV3
Noon NBC Nightly News
12.30 On Trial (Starting today) (AO)
1.00 The Bold and the Beautiful (PGR)
1.30 Another World (PGR)
2.30 The Oprah Winfrey Show (G)
3.20 Aunties Alphabet (Starting today) (G)
3.30 The Disney Afternoon, including:
3.30 The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Series premiere) (G)
4.00 Mickey Mouse Club (G)
4.30 Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers (Series premiere) (G)
5.00 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (G)
5.30 Home and Away (G)
6.00 3 National News
7.00 Hey Dad…! (G)
7.30 Candid Camera (G)
8.00 Family Matters (Series return) (G)
Series screens Tuesdays at 7.30pm from tomorrow
8.30 Monday Night at the Movies - Manhunt: Search for the Night Stalker (1989) (AO)
10.30 Nightline
11.00 Hot Pursuit (AO)
12.30am Closedown
Sky Sport
Noon Basketball
Rheineck Basketball League 1991 - Auckland Cannons v Nelson Giants; full replay
2.00 Bodies in Motion
2.30 Bodyshaping
3.00 Wide World of Sport
3.30 European Football
France v Spain
5.00 Rugby League
Silk Cut Challenge Cup - semifinal two; full replay
6.30 US Men’s Pro Skiing
7.15 Tennis
Davis Cup 1991 - highlights
8.15 Golf
PGA Tour: The Players Championship - final round
10.00 Boxing
WBC World Light-Flyweight Championship - Rolando Pascia v Melchor Castro
11.00 Golf
LPGA: Nabisco Dinah Shore - final round
12.00am Closedown
Sky News (CNN)
CNN News 24 hours a day, including BBC News at 8.30am & 7pm
Sky Movies
Noon The Golden Seal (1983)
2.00 Under the Bed (GY)
3.00 Bobby and Sarah (GY)
4.00 Short Circuit 2 (1988)
6.00 The Land Before Time (1988) (G)
7.10 Barbie and the Rock Stars (G)
8.00 Who’s That Girl? (1987) (GA)
10.00 Enter the Dragon (1973) (R16)
11.40 Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1981) (R18)
1.19am Closedown
The Bugs Bunny Show
“What’s up, Doc?”
In April 1991 TVNZ introduced a new weekday cartoon show that sent Kiwi kids into a frenzy with its cheeky, crafty, carrot-chomping, wise-cracking star - Bugs Bunny. The Bugs Bunny Show quickly became a favourite among young viewers, providing a half hour of non-stop laughter and entertainment every evening from Monday to Friday.
Hosted by Hine Elder, who had just lost her popular after-school show 3.45 Live! the year before, The Bugs Bunny Show featured classic cartoons from Bugs Bunny and his Looney Tunes friends such as Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Wile E Coyote and the Road Runner. Along with the classic cartoons, the show featured celebrity guests, competitions and a mailbag segment where viewers could send in their questions and comments.
This daily dose of fun and laughter was produced in-house by TVNZ at its Auckland studios and screened at 5pm on Channel 2 (now TVNZ 2). It was the perfect way to wind down after a long day at school, just before the popular game show Wheel of Fortune at 5.30pm. (By early August 1991, Wheel of Fortune was moved to TV One [now TVNZ 1] as a lead-in to the news.)
The Bugs Bunny Show gained such a huge following that by early August 1991, the show was extended to a full hour, ending at 6pm instead of 5.30pm. But in April 1992 a new music quiz show called Face the Music was launched and took over the 5.30pm slot, causing The Bugs Bunny Show to revert back to its original half hour format.
Hine Elder was soon replaced in mid-September 1991 by Fenella Bathfield, a familiar face from 3.45 Live!, as the new host of The Bugs Bunny Show. However, during 1992, Fiona Anderson took over as host and she continued to entertain young viewers with her charm and humour the show ended at the end of that year.
In 1993 The Bugs Bunny Show was replaced by The Cartoon Company, but the format remained the same with an exciting mix of cartoons, competitions and celebrity guests. This new show was produced by Dexterity Productions - a newly formed independent production house led by the husband and wife duo, Mark Leishman and Jo Raymond - for TVNZ.
Dexterity went on to produce the beloved Tux Wonder Dogs but it all started with The Cartoon Company, which came to an end in early 1994. Simone Kessell took over from Fiona Anderson as the new host for its final few months and the show bid farewell with plenty of laughs and memories.
Looking back, The Bugs Bunny Show and its successor The Cartoon Company were more than just TV programmes - they were a part of many childhoods filled with joy, laughter and entertainment. It was a time when kids could forget about their worries and immerse themselves in the silly, lovable world of Bugs Bunny and his friends.
Though it has been 30 years since these shows screened, the legacy of The Bugs Bunny Show and The Cartoon Company lives on in the hearts of its fans. They continue to be a reminder of a simpler time when Kiwi kids couldn’t wait to rush home and switch on the TV to catch up with their favourite characters.
Aunties Alphabet
On the afternoon of Monday 1 April 1991 a brand new children’s educational series made its debut TV3 (now Three). At 3.20pm Kiwi kids were introduced to Aunties Alphabet, a show that would go on to captivate and educate children for years to come.
The Aunties, as a now-defunct children’s theatre group, had a long history of entertaining and educating children with their original, professional and imaginative shows.
The group was founded by Arif Usmani in 1982, who was tasked with setting up creative PEP (Parental Education Programme) schemes. One of these schemes was titled ‘Theatre for very young children’ and it was an instant success. Within a week the group named themselves the Aunties, inspired by kōhanga reo (Māori language preschools) where the adults are known as Aunties.
Over the years the Aunties had produced a staggering amount of material, including over 30 major two-week seasons of theatre shows at various venues across Auckland and at Downstage Theatre in Wellington. They had also toured extensively throughout the rest of the country with both stage and school shows, making a lasting impact on youngsters nationwide.
In 1991 the Aunties’ theatrical success was translated to television when Aunties Alphabet was produced by Vid-Com, a now-defunct independent production house, for TV3 with funding from NZ On Air. The show was described as a ‘wacky alphabet series’ featuring such characters as Madame Salami, Auntie Emma, Auntie Hugh and occasional guests like Parson Tui, Kiwi, Old Kina, Queen Bee, Einstein and Dr Bop.
Aunties Alphabet consisted of 26 short form episodes that focused on teaching Kiwi kids the alphabet in a fun and interactive way. Each episode, under Carole Nicholson as producer and John Givins as director, featured a different letter of the alphabet and it was accompanied by a catchy song that children could sing along to.
The show’s success was also evident by the fact that it was rerun multiple times on TV3 throughout the 1990s. Children and parents alike loved the show for its unique approach to education and its ability to make learning fun.
Aunties Alphabet proved that education could be fun and that learning the alphabet didn’t have to be boring. It captured the hearts of young Kiwi viewers and instilled a love for learning from a young age. The show’s success was a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Aunties and their mission to educate and entertain Kiwi kids.
Although the Aunties are no longer with us, their legacy lives on through their much loved TV show which continues to spark joy and learning for children today.
The first episode of Aunties Alphabet, i.e. the letter ‘A’, can be watched on YouTube (above).
