Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Adventure Island – Episode 1174 (1972)

play
Email a link to this page
To:
CC:
Subject:
Body:
clip
  • 1
  • 2
'It’s hard to say goodbye'

Original classification rating: G. This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

It’s the final Thursday show and although the pantomime story will conclude on Friday, host Sue Donovan must say goodbye to Samson the Cat (operated and voice by Ernie Bourne), who sings a melancholy goodbye song. Sue and Samson then recite together the farewell rhyme that ends the show.

Curator’s notes

With Adventure Island drawing to a close (this is the penultimate episode), the cast are beginning to say goodbye. This is a simple but affecting scene because of what seems like a genuine rapport between host Sue Donovan and Samson the cat. Sue plays more of a caring adult-teacher role to the excitable and funny Samson. Puppeteer and voice actor Ernie Bourne invests Samson with genuine character, inserting little vocal interruptions and not keeping quite in sync when he recites the closing rhyme with Sue.

Ernie Bourne (1926–2009) played multiple roles in Adventure Island, including operating and voicing Samson the Cat. He had a long career as a character actor, with ongoing roles in Prisoner (1979–86) and Neighbours (1985–current) and appearances in Homicide (1964–76), Division 4 (1969–75), The Picture Show Man (1977) and Gallipoli (1981). Operating the puppets on Adventure Island involved improvising and interacting with the host, Sue Donovan. Samson also possessed magical powers, appearing and disappearing from view with the aid of emerging video technology.

Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer 'It’s hard to say goodbye' from the television program Adventure Island – Episode 1174 as a high quality video download.

To play the downloadable video, you need QuickTime 7.0, VLC, or similar.

You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before downloading the clip:

Downloadable Video – FOR EDUCATIONAL CRITICISM AND REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY

This clip is available for download for the limited purpose of criticism and review in an educational context. You must obtain permission from editorial@aso.gov.au for all other purposes for use of this material.

Terms & Conditions

australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described here and elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions. ALL rights are reserved.

You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before downloading this clip:

When you access ABC materials on australianscreen you agree that:

  1. You may download this clip to assist your information, criticism and review purposes in conjunction with viewing this website only;
  2. Downloading this clip for purposes other than criticism and review is Prohibited;
  3. Downloading for purposes other than non-commercial educational uses is Prohibited;
  4. Downloading this clip in association with any commercial purpose is Prohibited;

The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

This clip is available in the following configurations:

File nameSizeQualitySuitability
adventis2_pr.mp4 Large: 12.1MB High Optimised for full-screen display on a fast computer.
adventis2_bb.mp4 Medium: 5.7MB Medium Can be displayed full screen. Also suitable for video iPods.

Right-click on the links above to download video files to your computer.

Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer this clip in an embeddable format for personal or non-commercial educational use in full form on your own website or your own blog.

You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before embedding the clip:

Downloadable Video – FOR EDUCATIONAL CRITICISM AND REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY

This clip is available for download for the limited purpose of criticism and review in an educational context. You must obtain permission from editorial@aso.gov.au for all other purposes for use of this material.

Terms & Conditions

australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described here and elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions. ALL rights are reserved.

You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before downloading this clip:

When you access ABC materials on australianscreen you agree that:

  1. You may download this clip to assist your information, criticism and review purposes in conjunction with viewing this website only;
  2. Downloading this clip for purposes other than criticism and review is Prohibited;
  3. Downloading for purposes other than non-commercial educational uses is Prohibited;
  4. Downloading this clip in association with any commercial purpose is Prohibited;

The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

Copy and paste the following code into your own web page to embed this clip: