Telethon outdoes itself again: $3M pledged in 24 fun-filled hours

Press, 3 July 1978, Page 1

Telethon outdoes itself again: $3M pledged in 24 fun-filled hours

Telethon yet again has proved a remarkable success. South Pacific Television’s 24-hour, non-stop fund-raising ended at 8 p.m. yesterday with promises of more than -$3 million for the 1978 Telethon charity, the Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation.

Last year the total pledged at the end of the Telethon was $2,005,750, and in 1976 SI.SM was raised. At the end of the 1978 Telethon the pledges recorded totalled a record $3,002,750. For the fourth successive year, the show took on the atmosphere of a national 24-hour party, thousands flocking to television studios around the country and hundreds of thousands telephoning in their pledges. Christchurch’s Civic Theatre studio was again a centre of tremendous excitment, with David McPhail and Bryan Allpress the hosts. If the national links were anything to go by, it was again the Christa church crowd, spurred on by an enthusiastic team in the studio, which enjoyed itself the mos’ and projected the most feeling and excitement. The relative formality of proceedings in many of the other centres contrasted with the free-and- 1 easy enthusiasm in 'the Christchurch studio. Throughout the 24 hours there were many links with the studios in Auckland, Hamilton, Hastings, Wellington, and Dunedin, bringing acts from these areas to Christchurch viewers. Meanwhile, in the Civic Theatre more than 300 local entertainers helped keep things moving along. As always, viewers sought acts for their pledges — ranging from choruses of “Happy birthday” to requests (successful) for one of the studio personalities to cavort around the studio carolling “I’m a Twit” at the top of his voice. As the show went on in the studio and crowds

thronged Manchester Street outside the Civic Theatre in weather which had become much milder than the mid-week snowstorms, teams of runners, riders, joggers and pushers headed in with their pledges fom all points of the compass. As with last year, it was yesterday morning that the show really began to take off. The S2M mark was reached well before 5 p.m. — and after that, the pace accelerated.

With more than half an hour to go to the end of the show, the national total reached $2.62M. The rocketing total in the closing minutes gave a visible lift to the weariness of the studio team. In a link from Auckland, representatives of the Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation were clearly both surprised and delighted at the total pledged. With 20 minutes to go, the national total topped $2.7M: “There’s never ! been a Telethon like this, I ought to say ‘Thank You’ about three million times,” said Peter Sinclair, from Auckland. With 11 minutes to go, the total was $2.83M, and. the S3M mark suddenly seemed possible. Even the view, from the Christchurch studio, of David McPhail and Jon Gadsby in grass skirts could not detract from the rising excitement and gaiety of the closing few minutes. And so it ended, as 8 p.m. struck, the weary but elated personalities, guests, technicians, cameramen, and studio staff still coming to terms with the remarkable success of what must surely have become an annual national fixture.