Control - from The Little Oxford Dictionary: Definition: restraint: means of checking the results. and from The Modern Book of Synonyms/Reader's Digest: To control is to exercise a restraining or dominating influence over a person or thing.

My mother a most attractive widow and catholic mother of six children, was studying with the Dale Carnegie School plus the Television School, which operated in the city of Melbourne, when she was offered this wonderful opportunity to be become the first television hostess of the "Catholic Hour", a show produced by the Hector Crawford Studios. She was probably about 39 or 40 years of age at this time.

I remember this "first" because me, my twin brother and my younger sister for some absolutely odd reason, were not allowed to watch the show. Our mother on television; how fantastic! It must have been televised in about 1960 when we were young and she considered that it would far too late for us to be UP. Only the "big boys" - our older brothers - were allowed to stay up to view her debut on I think HSV7 - one of the Melbourne's commercial stations. And of course it was very early days for television in Melbourne due to the 1956 Olympic Games. In fact it was for this reason that Melbourne went to air earlier than Sydney.

Well it seems that although she had learned her words and studied her role really well for the show, she had in actual fact, not been given the opportunity to practise in the studio under the lights or in front of the cameras. And as if this was not bad enough - remembering that this was in the days when working in front of television cameras was considered akin to acting on stage - you know the no notes thing! So no prompt boards operated, no notes flashed up in front of the television actor/actress. Unlike today where every word is scripted and prompted onto a huge scrollng board. Noone suffers like this today. Would have been quite terrifying when I think about it.

So she had her own little pile of notes - on the desk in front of her - just to act as minor prompts should she forget her words. Not going to happen of course, but good to have as a back up nevertheless.

Well as all good plans go, this one didn't.

"Lights....Action..." called the director and just as he said this a long, bony, hairy arm dressed in a black suit jacket stretched out - mid-read - to remove her notes. An arm that belonged to the local, Catholic priest who was I guess, working in the role of editor of the program. He obviously didn't think it was a good look for her to work with her notes resting in front of her. What would the parishioners think!

Talk about being controlling...No warning. No discussion.

Nothing. Just a blankness where seconds before her security blanket had sat. Wouldn't happen today I dare say!

My mother froze, and was as I understand it, caught like a deer in the headlights. The combination of no notes and the shock of the removal of her notes at such an inopportune moment certainly brought her budding television career to a very sharp standstill.

copyright: a.a.gallagher may 2009