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National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive

Bobo the Clown collection

The first program broadcast on Adelaide television station SAS10 on 26 July 1965 was The Bobo Show, starring Charles ‘Hal’ Turner as Bobo the Clown.

When Turner appeared in public as Bobo, he was mobbed by children. At the height of the clown's popularity in the mid-1960s, Bobo's young fans could join The Bobo Club, purchase Bobo dolls and drink Bobo cordial.

Gail Kelly, Hal Turner's daughter, has donated to the NFSA a large collection covering her father's career. It includes Bobo costumes, scrapbooks and merchandise.

You can explore highlights from the collection below.

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