Panda Lisner (born Joan Dorothy Kelly; 29 August 1930 – 2011) was an Australian model and television presenter, most notable for her work during the early days of

Australian television Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with radio stations 3DB and 3UZ, and 2UE in Sydney, using the ''Radiovision'' system by Gilbert Miles and Donald McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Brisb ...

. Lisner is arguably best known for her time as a "barrel girl" on the prize wheel audience-participation segment of the live variety show, ''

In Melbourne Tonight ''In Melbourne Tonight'', also known as ''IMT'', was a highly popular nightly Logie award-winning Australian variety show, variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970. Overview Graham Kennedy was the show's mai ...

''. On 31 August 1966 she joined only a handful of women who filled in as replacement comperes for

Graham Kennedy Graham Cyril Kennedy Order of Australia, AO (15 February 1934 – 25 May 2005) was an Australian entertainer, comedian and variety performer, radio and television host as well as a personality and actor of theatre, television and film. He wa ...

in the first 10 years of that program.

Personal life

She was born in

Claremont, Western Australia Claremont is a Western suburbs (Perth), western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, on the north bank of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River. History Prior to European settlement, the Noongar people used the area as a source of wat ...

. Her first marriage to actor Francois Lisner, which produced a son, ended in divorce in 1959. In 1961, Panda Lisner married American entertainer and band leader Jimmy Allan, and they eventually relocated to the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

in the late 1960s to work in Las Vegas after obtaining residency permits.Lennon, Troy (7 May 2016
Winning a Gold Logie is not always a passport to stardom
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

''. Retrieved 9 November 2018. She published her memoirs ''Surviving Fame: Memoirs of a TV Princess'' in 2001 through Spectrum books.

Career

After arriving in Melbourne, Lisner worked as a fashion model. She was noticed during in-store parades and chosen in 1957 to represent the Darrods department store in live promotional spots on GTV-9. A year later she signed a contract with Channel 9 that reputedly made her the highest-paid woman on Australian TV. Apart from ''In Melbourne Tonight'', Lisner also appeared on '' Astor Showcase'', ''The Bob Dyer Show'', ''The Panda Show'', ''

Merry Go Round A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride consisting of a rotation, rotating circular platform with seats ...

'' and '' The Happy Show'' and other specials. When working in children’s television she was sometimes styled as “Princess Panda“ and wore a

Tiara A tiara (, ) is a head ornament adorned with jewels. Its origins date back to ancient Greco-Roman world. In the late 18th century, the tiara came into fashion in Europe as a prestigious piece of jewelry to be worn by women at formal occasions ...

Logie awards

During her television career, she won a number of

Logie Awards The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an annual ceremony celebrating and honouring the best shows and stars in Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The event is telecast live and ...

including the TV Star of the Year Award (which was renamed the

Gold Logie The Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television, commonly referred to simply as the Gold Logie, is an award presented annually at the Australian Logie Awards. The Gold Logie was first awarded at the 2nd Annual TV We ...

) at the first Australian television awards ceremony in 1959. Lisner was also awarded Logies for being Best Female Personality (Nine Network) in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

, Most Popular Female (Victoria) in

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

and Most Popular Female (Victoria) in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

Popular culture

Australian actress Kate Doherty portrayed Lisner in the 2007 biographical film about

, '' The King''. Lisner moved back to Australia with her husband in 1989 to live in quiet retirement before she died in 2011. Explaining her decision to drop out and disillusion with contemporary television in 2001, she told journalist Bob Hart, who had rediscovered her:

TV used to look for the best in everything, and everybody. Now it just looks for the cheapest programming. It’s sad. The magic disappeared.Hart, op. cit.

References

Other references

* (via archive.org) * * Australian television presenters Australian women television presenters 1930 births 2011 deaths {{Australia-tv-bio-stub