Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Monday 10 July 1989, page 30


Wrestling with

a problem

Received July 5

I AM writing this letter to express my disappointment in Capital Television's coverage of the wrestling.

I have learnt to live with staying up to lam twice a'week. What annoys me is that the World Wrestling Federation started advertising a huge wrestling event known as Summer Slam 88. This lead-up started two months prior to the event.

-My friends and I were looking forward to

the television coverage and waited anxiously . in anticipation. But, surprise surprise. The night that Summer Slam 88 was scheduled for telecast, Capital Television didn't show it.

Even though one of my friends rang up Capital Television prior to the big event, and was reassured that Summer Slam 88 would be telecast, I wasn't surprised at their failure to live up to their word.

The same week that Summer Slam 88 was supposed to have been shown, Capital Television put on Never Say Never Again. Even though I am a James Bond fan, I didn't think it was necessary to show it for what must have been the third time in the last two years, and yet, Capital Television haven't broadcast any ofthe four Wrestlemania productions.

What made me write this letter was the fact

that the World Wrestling Federation is advertising a fantastic up-coming event, mentioned by Ian Warden in The Guiae1as\ week, appropriately named the Survivor Series.

Such an event is going to be so great, even greater than Summer Slam 88. People are going to get their hopes up so high, only to realise that Capital Television will once again fail to come up with the goods. I knew such an event would be too Rood to be true.

DAVID ROCKAWIN

Aged 16

Flynn

Late showings

Received July 7

I AM writing in support of the superb show, Superstars of Wrestling (Monday and Tuesday nights on Capital). But why is it on so late (the show on July 5 — aired at 12.30am) and isso poorly publicised? Professional wrestling is staggeringly popular in America, with stadi• urns around the country being uncxceptional

ly packed to the rafters with screaming fans' (young and old) week after week. The wrestling Capital shows us consists almost exclusively of mismatches, where nameless schleps are mercilessly pummelled by a big-name wrestlers, 200-pounds their senior. These bouts can be entertaining and their predict. ability is necessary; after,all, whatjan v^ants.ta

Fed up with talBvlalon?Something good on the box? Writ* to The Guide about It In 250 words or tea*. All lattara must carry tha author's full address and H poaalbla a tataphona number. Addraaa the envelope : "Letters to the Guide", The Canberra Times, GPO Box, 218, Canberra City, 2601.

see his/her hero beaten by a schlop? The purpose of these mismatches is to build the reputations of the superstars in expectation of a forthcoming main event. These main events have names like Wrestlemania, Summer Slam, and Survivor Series, and occur every three months or so in America. These events are special times when all the big-name superstars take a break from their schlep-pummelling and fight each other.. These are fiercely-contested, well-choreographed bouts, often with unexpected conclusions. However, Capital Television is either unwilling or unable to show us these and has been content to subject the thousands of wrestling devotees in Canberra to weeks of escalating hype only to pass over the main events like they never happened. They could at least inform us of video outlets in Canberra that stock videos of these events (I know these videos exist). Lift yourgame, Capital!

MATTPURCELL

. Weetangera

Congratulations

Received July 4

IT'S exciting. It's outrageous. It's informative. It's fascinating. I'm talking about The Incred

ibly Strange Film Show, currently screening -Friday nights on SBS.

Congratulations SBS for showing such a ; wonderful program, and Britain's Channel 4

for making it in the first place. The Incredibly Strange Film Show emerges, along with Elvira's Thriller Theatre, as one of the few bright lights amid a sea of television blandness.

I'm now hoping that SBS might start show- ; ing some of the "incredibly strange films" in question (at least the-not so gory ones). Please.

PERRY ARMSTRONG

Watson

Bold deterrent

Received June 29

CONGRATULATIONS. The program manager has excelled himself again in dissuading viewers to watch Capital TV. .

What happened to The Bold and the Beau

tiful? It is rather silly and impolite to cut yet

again a serial-midway, leaving the viewers . . guessing about the end of the story

It would be appropriate to show The Ghost

and Mrs Muir at the pumpkin-hour whensome insomniacs may even see it.'But nothingr' short of the outbreak of World War III? will make a working or elderly person watch TV at the ungodly hour of 5am!" .

And we do want ABC's Derrick and more Attenborough back again, please! I could'

name the Comedy Company and some equal- . ly unloved shows as a fair exchange.

(Mrs) M. DE TOTTH,

Narrabundah ■

A bad dream

Received July 7

WAKE ME up, it must be a bad dream! I can't believe that Channel 10 have stopped showing The Bold and the Beautiful. The show really is a sweet-orange in a world of television so full of lemons! The Bold and the Beautiful is a great show that offers suspense, pathos, comedy and romance without sex—- all the elements required for a great soap. So many of the others are drab and offer no light relief. Ridge Forrestorhas becomc an integral part of my life — I'm not sure I'll be able to live

without him.

J.E.LYONS

Red Hill

Withering away

Received July 7

HOW COULD Channel Ten remove The Bold and the Beautiful from its regular daily line up of programs? The Bold, as my husband and I fondly call it, had become probably about the only television program on any channel that we watched every day without fail! It's only a half-hour show; I find it difficult to believe that Channel Ten can't find a regular half-hour slot for it. I'm also ccrtain it must rate better than some other boring shows that do score regular spots on Ten.

My husband and I are withering away without The Bold, there must be many more like us. Please return Ridge, Brooke, Thorn and the rest of the Forrestor clan to us.

A.GREENE

Dcakin

Kiddie's corner

Received July 4

IS IT just me, or does J illian Donaldson (WIN TV weeknights) sound like she's reading the

weather on Plav School? PHIL MAYNE ' Flynn