Entertainment
The remainder of the 'session' was given over to a variety of entertainments depending on the day of the week: 'singos' (singalongs), stories or skits by the team in their studio personas, written by Atholl Fleming or G K Saunders involving perhaps a confrontation with the studio supervisor 'Stewed Soup' or discovery of a secret passage from the studio.
On Tuesdays, "Orpheus" (baritone Harold Williams) would sing a segment from opera, a ballad like The Golden Vanity or Up from Somerset or fun song such as "One Fish Ball" or "The Green-eyed Dragon with Thirteen Tails" Harold had perfect diction and wide range of expression, so children clearly heard what he was singing about.
The finale was a serialised book dramatisation, usually by an Australian author such as Ivan Southall. An early success was Budge's Gang with actors Ron Rousel (as "Budge"), Rodney Jacobs (as "Tubby"), David Stout (as "Snick"), Patti Crocker (as "Dolly") and Queenie Ashton (as Budge's mother). John Meillon was a later addition to the gang, and Morris Unicomb is also known to have taken part. The show, scripted by John MacLeod, was the basis of a series of illustrated books published by the ABC. G K Saunders' The Moonflower and The Nomads and Coral Lansbury's first published play The Red Mountain were written for the Children's Session.
The program ended with the closing theme (again composed by Elizabeth and Wally Portingale):
- A jolly good night to you and you and you and you and you
- The time has come to finish and the session now is through
- The thought is old, is old, is old but the wish tonight is new –
- A jolly good night to every one
- A jolly good night to every one
- A jolly good night to all especially you :And you and you and you ... and you.
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