Yeah and not much about record producing and writing for Go-Set including living with the family of Ronnie Burns in the early days either. It’s pretty much Molly, the Countdown years.
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###MOLLY: The Real Thing
Sunday 21 February 8.30pm
Produced by Mushroom Pictures, this feature documentary made over the past two years interviews people in music, film, sport, and business that orbit Molly Meldrum’s extraordinary life as they recall their personal Molly stories.
Over 50 high profile friends including; Kylie and Dannii Minogue, Hugh Jackman, Gene Simmons, Suzi Quatro, Tina Arena, Michael Gudinski, Kate Ceberano, Russell Morris, Colin Hay, Mark Seymour and Jimmy Barnes to name just a few, share their personal stories of the highs and lows of having the man in the hat in their life.
Memories of Molly will be shared by those closest to him. Stories that will make you laugh and cry, anecdotes that have never been told that will undoubtedly surprise viewers. We see Molly in television shows from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. Never has there been such an in-depth look into the true story of Australia’s greatest music man.
Delta Goodrem emotionally discusses her connection with Molly’s adopted son Morgan, and why Molly’s support means so much to her. Kylie Minogue recalls his wonderful support at a time in her life when she didn’t feel that she had the music industry support in Australia.
Paul Hogan recalls Molly at the Sunbury Music Festival, while an emotional Steve Vizard talks about nterviewing Molly hours before his accident in December 2011. Molly’s first girlfriend Sandy Breen shares exclusive pictures and letters and tells how he proposed to her way back in the 60s.
Ronnie Burns returns to the home they shared in the mid 1960s and tells the story of how Molly came to visit and stayed for nine years! Businessman and close friend Lindsay Fox recalls how his 50 year friendship with Molly began, and why Molly was found in his mother-in-law’s bed.
St Kilda Football Clubs Lenny Hayes and Nick Riewoldt talk about their No 1 ticket holder and what impact he has had on their AFL club. Melbourne Storm’s Billy Slater describes what it meant to look up to the corporate box from the playing field and see Molly waving a scarf in his first public appearance after his accident.
Molly’s younger brother Brian Meldrum talks about their early days growing up in country Victoria; their very happy childhood and how Ian was brought up by his mother and grandmother as his father Robert was off at war.
Together they celebrate his strengths, and embrace his flaws. The stories are supported by over 300 hundred personal photographs - most never seen before. Rare archival footage of Molly on Kommotion, and the television pitch for an Australian TV music show five years before Countdown.
MOLLY: The Real Thing is a Mushroom Pictures production produced in association with the Seven Network.
Producers Michael Gudinski, Paige McGinley and Bethany Jones, directed by Paige McGinley and Executive Produced by John Molloy and Mark Morrissey.
Molly: The Real Thing. A documentary with heart, and a whole lotta soul.
Overall l really enjoyed watching and l agtree with @JBar it was mainly about the Countdown years and yes some parts of Molly’s life were skipped over but as a telemovie it was brilliant viewing for me.
Wow Samuel really proved what a talented actor he is and l hope now his career goes from strength to strength.
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Yeah I was surprised that it focused pretty much on the countdown years. I wondered if they wanted to leave room for a potential sequel, but doubt there is enough content for another on it’s own. I think they could have got away with a third part though if they included a lot more of his life.
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Encore added to schedule on Friday midday.
^ Good idea. I read on Twitter during last night’s episode that some parts of Sydney suffered blackouts so viewers missed out on parts.
The mini-series is also out on DVD and Blu-ray this Thursday.
Well they couldn’t dare feature Hey Hey It’s Saturday being a Channel 9 show… but also no mention of ABBA which would have been a one hit wonder back in 1974 had it not been for Molly who fought to have Mamma Mia released as a single in Australia when no other country would touch it.
They also failed to mention Molly hosting a children’s show… at Channel 7… at the time Countdown launched.
The follow up doco next week should be good though…
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Dags could have played himself 
I agree… Would have been good to see the controversial “Toasted and Roasted” event incorporated into it, which led to Molly leaving Nine.
And no mention of his “Dancing With The Stars” appearance either, despite that being a Seven Network program also.
Molly also appeared on Foxtel for several years.
Why not? Hey Hey is done and dusted.Would 9 really still have some hold over the show that it couldn’t be mentioned? Other than that a lot of his personal life over the last 20 years could have easily been covered as well - he’s had a lot of involvement in a lot of things in the industry, sports teams etc. Just thought if they really wanted to there could have been more. I understand the direction was clearly to focus on the Countdown days but It should have probably been called Molly: The Countdown Years or something.
Molly’s career was at the height of Countdown. But since this show was just called “Molly”, surely even brief mentions of shows like Hey Hey, Dancing with the Stars and on Foxtel, plus more of his early days, should have been included. Even if they were a short montages with a voiceover, I would have been happier. Or as others mentioned, this should have just been called “Molly: The Countdown Years”.
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I don’t think it’s Nine that would have an issue so much as Seven wouldn’t dare make a glowing reference to a show that appeared on its arch rival.
While ‘Shirls Neighbourhood’ (which was mentioned in the mini series) was a Channel 7 program, it actually aired on QTQ 9 in Brisbane.
and Channel 10 in Adelaide. I assume BTQ7 in Brisbane knocked it back because they were already producing Wombat.
It was shown on Tvw 7 in Perth
Just saw a copy out in mmy llocal sanity shop. LOL Was tempting to buy it, but for $49.95 no way in hell, could get it cheaper on iTunes!
I had no problems with them not including it, maybe they just couldn’t fit all in. A mention would have not been worth it . You have to wonder if Channel 9 may have denied them any use of footage or any reference to Hey hey on a rival network…
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Hey Hey was a Somers Carol Production,
Permission to use footage would be from Somers himself, not Nine.
IIRC there was ‘The Best and Worst of Red Faces’ screened on the Seven network several years back.
Oh thank for the clarification TVWest!