ANNABEL CRABB: Meet the Ferrones...
Who set this table? ALL: Julian.
..Peter, Carol, Julian, Sienna and Olivia.
And we like to eat.
Yeah, that's us.
(THEY LAUGH)
This everyday Australian family has set out
on an extraordinary time-travelling adventure...
(OLIVIA LAUGHS)
..to find out how our changing dinner plate...
It's actually the lining of a cow's stomach.
..has transformed the way we live...
Roast beef. ALL: Cheers!
..with their own home as a time machine.
Is this our house?!
The Ferrones began their journey in the thrifty '50s...
..and are moving through a different decade each week.
Oh, my God. Oh, my goodness!
Last time... (GASPS)
It's like an astronaut's meal.
It's cold!
..the '60s launched the Ferrones
into a decade of sweeping social change.
SIENNA: I'm getting a job!
Done! Take that.
I'm the older woman in the home.
That should have been me
and she should have been able to stay at school.
Now...
So excited!
..the Ferrones skate into the '70s...
If I don't end up on my arse, it's fantastic.
..when men became blokes...
And to be a real man, you had to guzzle,
crush with one hand,
throw it behind you, and that was a real Australian.
Oh!
..and food was anything but fresh.
Fried spam and eggs.
It's so quick and easy!
..as they discover how our changing relationship with food
has shaped all our lives.
♪ Hey, do it now... ♪
It's the third decade in our experiment, the '70s,
the era of colour TV, roller discos and bell bottom pants.
♪ Play that funky music, white boy... ♪
What do you reckon the kitchen is going to look like?
I reckon it will be orange and brown.
I'm looking forward to the 1970s.
Up until now, my experience has been women in the kitchen,
so I'm hoping that my husband will contribute more to the home.
I think I'm going to get a job.
It's about time you make some money.
Yeah, about time you pulled your weight at home.
SIENNA: Yeah!
Here we go.
OLIVIA: Excited.
Here we go!
It's the '70s!
Whoa! Oh!
Oh, man, this just got serious.
The living room has had a radical makeover
since it's kitsch '60s days.
Oh, yes, check this out, baby.
OLIVIA: There's tapes!
Yes, you wouldn't even know what a tape is.
At least we are like a cool '70s family.
I know.
JULIAN: Gee, wow.
I'm just, like, overwhelmed with pattern.
It's all hurting my eyes.
This profusion of colours, textures, fabrics and patterns
is a shock to the Ferrones...
Cool.
..but not to design aficionados of the 1970s,
also known as the decade taste forgot.
There's a beanbag! PETER: Oh, cool.
(ALL LAUGH)
Ready? Ready.
(THEY YELL)
I said orange. Orange, we picked it.
The wall that separated the kitchen and dining room in the '60s
is now gone, which creates valuable new opportunities
for Ferrone family together-time.
It feels so much bigger.
There is a breakfast bar,
more space for '70s-style entertaining
and lots and lots of orange.
Oh, hang on, look at the cooktop.
Oh, my God, it's orange as well.
Can I just say? My day has been made.
I know, I noticed that.
JULIAN: Is that an electric can-opener?
That's a can-opener.
We are really stepping up in the world.
Hey, Dad... Yeah?
'Orange' you glad they chose that colour?
(THEY GROAN)
I like that, as we progress, it becomes more open plan.
Like, living in...
Well, it's an evolution.
I feel like it's freer, even within the home.
You know, that dividing wall now between the kitchen
and our dining room has completely gone.
It just feels a little bit more what we're used to in 2018.
I'm just feeling like this is a real entertainer's delight.
Easier for the kids to help.
Yeah. And the dad.
Yes. And the dad.
So the '70s is the decade of my birth.
I'm keen to relive, you know, the food that I ate
and cook them for my children.
Hello! ALL: Hi!
Look, I'm used to walking into this room
and having my eyes hurt, but this is like...
This is a whole new level of clash.
It looks like you've just walked into a polyester factory.
It feels like it. Wow.
You are in the era of pants, ladies. Yes.
Are you liking this? Is it comfy?
Very. Yeah, I love it.
Today, I most enjoyed the green flared pants.
I really liked the colour and they made me look super tall
because I'm not tall at all.
Julian, I see, once again,
you are sensational in those trousers.
It's almost like Travolta on the dance floor.
Yeah, I know!
And look at that little necklace as well.
I'm a bit envious, actually.
I'm still daggy Dad.
Are you doing a bit of a...?
Are you growing a beard? Yes.
You crazy cat!
I'm not coping great with the polyester.
I'll be honest, I have a love-hate relationship with the fabric.
I love to hate it.
We are entering the era of not quite disposable fashion,
but certainly cheap fashion.
And fashion really kind of changed over the course of the '70s.
What else are you thinking will happen in this era, Carol?
I'm kind of hoping that I get to get out of the house
and maybe have a job, maybe a part-time job.
She's been hoping that for 20 years.
And I am hoping that the boys get into the kitchen.
Yes!
All of this will be revealed in your new manual.
SIENNA: At least it's not orange.
Leaf through it gradually. We will.
It's a crazy decade you're moving into.
The 1970s were a time
of political upheaval and social change.
Widespread opposition to the Vietnam War and to conscription
saw Australian soldiers withdraw from the conflict.
Gough Whitlam's Labor government was elected
and abolished the last remnants of the White Australia policy.
Australia, for the first time in 200 years,
had wiped its face clean of racism
as far as the statute books were concerned.
In its place, the nation formerly embarked upon
a policy of multiculturalism,
and women mounted a serious challenge
to their traditional gender role as child-bearers and housewives.
WOMAN: (ON TELEVISION) Women today,
whether they are out in the workforce or at home,
have a voice and want to be heard and they're intelligent.
Step into the psychedelic living room.
Yes! It's crazy, isn't it?
There is so much clashing. There is.
We've asked Carol to step out of the kitchen.
But if Carol thinks it's for good, she's in for a surprise.
Now, I've got a television item to show you.
Oh!
It's from This Day Tonight
which was the premier current affairs program.
Yeah.
This is all about being a wife in the '70s.
WOMAN: (ON TELEVISION) Many astute wives have realised
that their husband's future success can only be achieved
if they groom themselves for a new social strata.
It's a fact that many Australian companies today
insist on checking out the wife of a prospective executive.
I have known of this resulting in rejection of the applicant
because of the fact that the wife didn't measure up.
It's quite possible that the executive will decide
that he's not going to be frustrated in the attainment of his goals,
and therefore he does something a little bit more drastic.
He decides to, you know, get a new wife.
Are you serious?!
Now, that really shocked me about the '70s.
If your wife doesn't measure up,
you could possibly miss out on
a business opportunity or a promotion.
Like, that is ridiculous.
It's such a pervasive level of expectation...
It is.
..that even though this is moving into an era of liberation for women,
there are all of these expectations about what your job is,
and in this case, you need to be an asset to him,
like a piece of equipment, really. Yes.
In good nick. That's a lot of pressure.
Given that we've established this about the era,
it would be crazy not to put you to the test, right?
Oh, gosh. Come on!
It's part of the deal. Yes.
Peter! Are you there? Yeah.
Peter runs his own consulting business
in the hospitality industry.
Hey! Yeah?
Because he's his own boss,
we've asked him to pick someone he truly admires.
Who would you love to impress?
Someone who has really impressed me is someone like Alessandro Pavoni.
Oh, right, OK. High-level chef, then.
Very high. Yes.
Well, he is a huge achiever, isn't he?
Yes, very.
'Cause he's got several highly rated restaurants,
and he's a bit of an entrepreneur. Yes.
What about if we got him round for dinner
and got him to assess you and your living arrangements
and your lovely wife?
Oh, my goodness! Oh, my God!
Alessandro Pavoni owns many restaurants,
including Sydney's acclaimed Ormeggio at The Spit.
Like Peter, his heritage is Italian.
Alessandro's really reached
the pinnacle of the hospitality industry.
He owns and operates four different restaurants,
all of which are very successful.
Would you like to cook a four-course meal...
No! ..for Alessandro Pavoni?
I would.
And it's got to be perfect,
and you've got to be perfectly groomed,
otherwise, you're not going to be a finalist wife.
Oh, my goodness! I'm going to kill you.
Oh, gosh.
Just for a bit of a help for you, actual book.
When The Boss Comes To Dinner. When The Boss Comes To Dinner.
Oh, my goodness. Brought to you by the Home Journal.
I'm scared.
Yeah, this is a real crap-shoot, like, I mean,
you could really get some of this stuff quite wrong.
Oh, wow. Don't let us down.
Look, I am a bit disappointed that I don't have a job yet.
Kill me now.
I'm nervous for her.
You know, we are third decade in, and I'm still in the kitchen.
"Simmer the roast in water and lemon juice."
So I've got two hours, to make a four-course meal.
Carol's boss-charming menu includes mousse of smoked roes,
ducklings with peas,
cheese and biscuits and pineapple in Grand Marnier.
Ew!
Oh.
I've never cooked roe.
I think it's fish eggs.
Never cooked a duck.
I'm literally screaming on the inside.
Ew, gross!
In the early '70s,
men still weren't really allowed in the kitchen.
I would have loved to get in the kitchen and show Alessandro,
"Hey, look, this is me on a plate."
My passion for food would have come out through it.
That's come through from my mum,
Mum's Sicilian background.
That's an Italian way of showing love.
Carol's first assignment is the mousse made from cod roe.
"Pound in a mortar until free of lumps."
I wish I could just throw it in a blender and be done with it.
Walking into the '70s, this is not what I expected.
So I feel like I'm going a bit backwards.
You know, they've upped the ante.
In the '50s and '60s, it was just my husband and children.
Now it's my husband's boss.
So there's really no room for error.
You know, in that sense,
that would have been a lot of pressure for a housewife.
"Cayenne pepper to taste."
Well, I'm not tasting it. So...
Let's just hope for the best.
Like classic kids of the '70s,
the Ferrone children have scarpered outside
to play while Mum cooks dinner.
Back then, kids spent an average of two hours a day in the sunshine,
more than double what they do today.
Ta-da!
JULIAN: Great!
SIENNA: Be careful.
We're definitely spending a lot more time together
because you have a lot less technology,
which means you kind of have to spend time with other people.
So I'm definitely seeing differences there.
OK.
I control the duck. The duck does not control me.
Handling poultry is proving a challenge for Carol.
Oh, my God, that is just really gross.
Ew! It's spiky!
And so is operating '70s appliances.
I think that's a number 5.
Onions.
I'm starting to get a bit stressed.
I have no idea...
..the temperature of this oven.
Oh. Oh, look at that!
So the worst thing that can happen
is that I serve raw duck
to one of the best chefs in the country.
But maybe he'll be forgiving
when he sees how wonderfully groomed I am.
Hey, Alessandro!
Hi, Peter. How are you? Good. How are you?
Thanks for having me.
Smile.
Perform.
And impress this guy.
Hello.
Alessandro. Lovely to see you.
Thanks for having me. Thank you for coming.
It's an absolute honour.
It's such a pleasure to have you in our home.
It is fantastic.
It's sort of our home.
I've cooked duck tonight.
Awesome. A whole duck?
I cooked a whole duck.
It's not the easiest thing to cook. No.
Breast and leg have different temperatures...
Oh. ..usually.
OK, I knew that.
Carol followed a... Yes.
Carol had to follow a recipe.
So please come into the dining room.
Accompanying the meal
is a jewel in the crown of Aussie innovation -
cask wine.
Let's see what it's like.
Cheaper, bigger and easier to store than bottles,
the cask encouraged Australians to drink more wine.
And by the end of the '70s,
we were the biggest wine-drinkers in the English-speaking world.
Ah!
What do you think of the wine? I think it's pretty simple.
It's out of a... Drinkable.
A cask. Out of a cask, yeah.
You know, the flavour is there. Yeah.
So this is a salmon roe mousse...
..with some fried bread.
With cucumbers, Yeah? Pickled cucumbers.
That's so nice. I'm looking forward to tasting it.
Please try.
I like it. The flavour is good. Good seasoning.
It's alright? Yeah, it's good.
Good.
I might get our main.
That was fabulous, thank you. Thank you.
Italian family as well, huh?
I think it's going well.
The entree was a hit, so that's exciting.
(WHISPERS) I just hope the duck is good
and not overcooked.
'Cause he mentioned different temperatures for legs and breasts
and I didn't know that!
I just put it in the oven.
That looks good. I hope so.
You know, my dinner tonight is about impressing you
so that my husband gets a promotion. Yeah.
And, you know, in the '70s,
there was a lot of pressure for the wife
to be a good cook, a good entertainer,
keep the house clean, look good.
It's a lot of pressure.
I can't believe that. Yes!
Um, wow!
Thank you.
You know, you'll get your promotion for sure.
(THEY LAUGH)
Thank you.
Would you like some more duck, Alessandro?
Yes, I want to try a little bit of breast.
When Alessandro went for a second helping of the duck,
I was just so relieved and excited.
And I don't think he was being polite,
I think it was genuine.
That was beautiful.
Yeah, I was pretty pleased with myself.
So for dessert...
Yes?
We have fresh cherry and fresh pineapple
done in liqueur.
Being able to have Alessandro Pavoni over
and share a meal with us was fantastic.
Carol's on top of everything.
The food has been fantastic.
Alessandro has enjoyed everything.
I couldn't ask for any better.
It's definitely been an honour to be here.
Thank you. And the food was impressive.
Oh, thank you.
Really, really good. Thank you.
Thank you very much.
We should toast to your promotion, then.
Salute! Salute. Auguri!
Grazie. Thank you.
You can get that new diamond ring now.
Oh! Very nice.
As long as I can pay 1970s price.
(THEY LAUGH)
It's 1972, the year Carol was born.
Morning, Mummy. Good morning.
How are you today? Good.
Good, I'm just going to make some breakfast for us.
JULIAN: What's for breakfast?
Fried spam and eggs. Ew!
I know.
The family is trying out
a breakfast favourite of 1970s Australia.
Oh, check this out. Whoa!
Do you remember how much I struggled with the can-opener?
Spam, which was first made in 1937,
experienced a revival in the '70s,
thanks to its modest price
and frighteningly long shelf life.
Ah! Look at this!
You flip... Oh, that's fancy.
Thanks to the open-plan kitchen,
Carol can now chat with the family while she prepares a meal.
Aren't you supposed to be helping set the table?
Yes, she is.
I have noticed a difference in the family dynamic.
The family is coming together more,
whereas, you know, in the '50s and '60s, we were quite separate.
So what's it like?
It's salty. Yeah, it is salty.
I think it's fine.
Yeah, I know, there is nothing wrong with that.
It's not bad... It's just oily.
The texture is unnerving.
It was like a pork pudding.
And I, for one, don't think
that pork should be made into puddings.
OK, you guys are off to the footy. All done.
We'll see you a bit later. Alright.
We'll get out of here. Come on, Julian.
Bye, Dad.
JULIAN: Bye! SIENNA: See you.
Bye! See ya!
I am still in the kitchen, I'm still cleaning up.
I would have expected some changes by now,
by the '70s, you know, perhaps a part-time job.
But, no, everything is still the same.
But change is in the wind.
In the early '70s, momentum gathered for women's liberation from the home,
and a stronger collective voice for feminism began to emerge.
WOMAN: (ON TELEVISION) It's absolutely disgusting
that we are very poorly represented in the parliament.
Now is just the time that's right for us
to all get together and do something about it.
♪ But it's wisdom born of pain... ♪
This is a good song.
Helen Reddy's song I Am Woman raced up the charts
and became an anthem for the women's movement.
♪ I can do anything
♪ I am strong ♪ Strong
♪ I am invincible ♪ Invincible
♪ I am woman... ♪
So, you know, just listening to those lyrics,
I can imagine what a woman in the '70s would feel.
You know, especially a woman of my age
with seeing all these movements on television
and all these women achieving certain things,
and, you know, I'm sensing frustration,
but determination to get out there
and, you know, achieve the next step.
So I'm feeling a bit of girl power happening.
The country's national identity was changing.
Women were getting serious about their role in society,
while men were getting more playful about theirs.
The ocker was born,
a patriotic, sport-loving, beer-swilling larrikin.
MAN: (ON TELEVISION) Don't forget your cup has got to be upright!
Sporting legends like cricketers Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson
and TV stars like Paul Hogan
led the way for this true blue Aussie bloke.
Here we go, mate. Nice throw.
With his migrant upbringing,
Peter is slightly mystified by the ocker,
as is his 17-year-old son, Julian.
We'll sit up there, a little bit in the shade.
It'll be nice.
So they're off to learn more from columnist
and author Peter FitzSimons.
Fitz was a teen in the '70s,
but he achieved life membership of the Aussie bloke Hall of Fame
when he played for the Wallabies.
G'day. Hello.
Peter Fitz, you're Julian? I'm Julian, yeah.
Julian and...?
Peter. I'm Peter. Peter.
Welcome back to the 1970s. Thank you.
We're going to be dinkum about it, you're going to have to have pies.
Australian national dish. That's exactly right.
And you're going to have to bathe them,
and I mean bathe them in tomato sauce.
It's the only way to add some flavour to them.
Get it in.
Get that into you. Now, beers.
It's going to have to be Tooheys.
Tooheys for you, Peter. Perfect.
Now, Julian, you're not 18 yet... No, I'm not.
Alright, just have it on the quiet because we are in the 1970s.
Atypically for a 1970s teenager, Julian declines the offer.
1970s, I was born in 1961, so '70s,
I was just coming to, you know,
understanding which way the world worked.
And there was a new... There was a new feeling.
There was a real feeling of time for moving,
time for changing.
Australia, for what it's worth, came out of being little Englanders
and started...
There was much more of a, you know, Australian culture.
Like, one thing I've never understood, especially with,
I think it was the ockers' subculture, again,
the consumption of massive amounts of beer.
Yes, OK, so the thing about this,
now, I'll tell you the way that one drank a beer back then.
One guzzled,
threw it down your throat,
and then to be a real man, you had to crush it with one hand,
throw it behind you,
nowhere near a bin, and fart loudly.
And that was a real Australian... Lovely.
..just before making a sexist comment
at a beautiful girl walking past.
I mean, the culture with males was particularly, I reckon, macho.
'70s... Oh, yeah, hyper masculine.
Yeah, hyper masculine, and there were...
I suppose, there was the beginning of gay rights
and that sort of stuff
coming still through from the '60s
but, jeez, in the '70s, it had a long way to go.
Yeah.
I've got to be honest,
I despise pretty much every characteristic
of the ocker character.
The ocker is this barbaric, crude, uncouth
hulk of a man
and I'm personally pretty much the opposite.
I'm more civilised, I guess,
a refined person.
It's 1974...
..the year the minimum wage was extended to include women.
As a result, more women entered the workforce,
a serious challenge to the status quo.
"Threat in women's job rise."
"The latest rise in the number of women with jobs
"could be a threat to men seeking jobs in the future."
"The figures showed that in 1972,
"the number of men in jobs increased by 33,000,
"and the number of women in jobs increased by 53,000."
Throughout the '70s, increasing numbers of housewives
marched out of the kitchen and into the workplace.
WOMAN: (ON TELEVISION) If a woman has the opportunity and the desire
and the ability to continue with a career, or a job,
I think she should.
By the end of the decade,
married women represented just over a fifth of the total workforce,
triple the figure from 1950.
WOMAN: (ON TELEVISION) I don't see why women should have to choose
between marriage or a career.
I just think it's a matter of combining the two as it suits.
(GASPS) Oh, my goodness!
(LAUGHS)
"Carol Ferrone, it's time.
"Today you will join the workforce."
Yes!
I'm excited. That was a bit of a surprise.
Now I'm curious as to what I'm doing.
I hope I'm allowed to use my mind and my intellect,
so a little bit nervous about that,
but excited to get out of the house finally.
I'd better get ready then.
Yes!
OLIVIA: I want Rice Bubbles! Rice Bubbles for you!
Carol's new job will mean big changes for the family.
I'm going to work. Wow.
What do you think of that?
You've been waiting for a couple of decades.
I have myself a clerical job. A what?!
SIENNA: What's that? JULIAN: Administration.
An office job.
You rock in that outfit. Thank you.
It's good to be going out of the house.
I'm really happy for her.
In Carol's everyday modern life, she's an independent working woman.
So it's great for her to be back out in the workforce
and getting out of her 11-hour days of domestic duty.
See you, Jules.
SIENNA: Bye, Julian. Bye.
The girls are to become classic 1970s latchkey kids,
fending for themselves after school,
just like Carol did as a child of working migrants.
Now, the thing is...
I'm not going to be home when you finish school.
So you are going to be here by yourself.
OK?
Yeah.
Families like Carol's had it tough.
Building a new life in a new country
meant that both parents needed to work full-time,
often in poorly-paid jobs.
I was a latchkey kid.
I came home to an empty house.
I had to fend for myself with only the TV as company,
so I can understand that loneliness.
I guess it's one of the reasons
why I never wanted that for my children,
because I didn't want them to have the same experience that I did.
Now, I need you to look after her until I get home.
OK, are you going to listen to Sienna?
Are you sure? Yes.
'Cause this makes me very sad... Yeah.
..to do this.
But that's what happened when I was growing up.
Yeah.
You know, I was by myself.
And at least you two, you have each other.
OK? OK.
Give me a hug.
I do feel very guilty as a parent.
And I know that my mother felt guilty,
but really had no other choice.
I've never really understood how that would have torn her.
I just, you know, I hope that perhaps they appreciate
what I have done for them and that they understand.
Thank God we actually have a lunchbox.
Yeah, I know.
Are you ready?
Come on.
While the girls walk themselves to school,
Carol is off to the bus stop.
Quite excited to be out of the house,
also a bit nervous as well.
It's a clerical job.
I'm not exactly sure what that will entail in the '70s.
Hopefully, it's exciting and I get paid well,
and I feel like I can contribute
and make some financial decisions in the home.
In the early 1970s, roughly 1.7 million women
were employed in the Australian workforce.
Of course we can.
I'll just put you through.
Just one moment.
Um, I think it's going well.
Um, it's not as exciting as I expected.
I almost feel a bit selfish
because I've wanted to have a job for so long
and now that I do, I feel a bit guilty,
and, you know, uneasy
that my daughters have to come home to an empty house.
So I'm hoping that they're OK,
and they're feeling a lot better about it than I am.
SIENNA: In 2018, usually Mum would pick us up
and we'd be home with her.
So, it'll definitely be a bit weird that we'll be alone a lot more.
REPORTER: Every day after school,
this little boy comes home to his parents' flat,
but his mother is not there to meet him, because she's at work.
So, for a couple of hours every day,
he's left to his own devices until Mum comes home from her job.
Childcare centres were virtually unheard of in the '70s,
so neighbours and relatives
were often pressed into service as childminders,
and one third of working parents
had no choice but to leave their kids home alone.
I want to go to the kitchen. The kitchen? Why?
Wait. What's this?
We'll read this first.
The manual contains a guide
to some of the common snacks latchkey kids ate after school.
And then there's snacks. "Snacks on offer for eating.
"Arnott's Shapes biscuits, pizza flavour.
"Cheezels." "Kraft cheese sticks. Jaffles."
And cordial. Yes!
Yum!
What a mess from breakfast.
Oh! See?
With no parental supervision,
kids of the 1970s revelled in sugary delights
and artificial flavours,
blissfully unaware of their dire health effects.
Oh, my God. No.
Mum will get so angry if you eat any of them.
Oh, that's OK.
Don't have too many.
(LAUGHS)
I enjoyed being a latchkey kid
because we could come home, do whatever we wanted,
and we could have lollies without Mum seeing.
We don't usually get to do that.
You are so silly.
I think that's enough lollies for you.
No! Yes.
Mm-mm.
You had Cheezels. You overdid the Shapes.
No more lollies.
I mean it. Can we do something else?
(LAUGHS) No, no, no.
Too bad!
(LAUGHS)
Go sit down.
We're going to have a little chat before Mum gets home.
Mum is going to get home right this second.
No, a big girl chat. Stop! (LAUGHS)
Stop. I mean it.
I was very overwhelmed,
because once she got into the lolly jar,
she went super crazy,
and she wouldn't listen to me, so I had no authority over her.
Oh, look! Look! OK.
It's actually white paper! OK, you sit down and colour.
Draw Mum a picture saying how much we missed her, OK?
No, no more. I mean it. (LAUGHS)
Olivia!
I mean... Sit down. I'm over you.
No, you just sit down and write cards,
because I can't deal with you.
No more. I mean it.
CAROL: They're both responsible girls.
Sienna knows what she's doing, so I think the girls will be fine.
Hey.
Don't "Hey" me.
Why?
You went and got a job and left me with Olivia.
Turn around and look next to the snail.
(GASPS) Liv!
That was spread across the lounge room.
What did you do?
Look where I had to put the lolly jar.
Oh, Liv!
Mummy!
You promised that you would be good.
So, then you're going to get... Oh!
Oh, are you joking?
Thank you. Thank you. Oh, Liv.
How is she not climbing off the walls?
She was. I made her sit down, and... I wasn't.
..I threatened to put her in the naughty corner.
I wasn't.
Alright, well, can you guys at least clean up here?
Yeah. I have to get into the kitchen.
There's still mess from breakfast.
So, you guys didn't clean up the breakfast yet?
That's Dad's fault. Dad and Julian were left after us.
Great.
I've been at work all day. I've come home.
I don't know why I expected this to be cleaned up.
God, I'd kill them if they did this normally.
Carol is realising that women's liberation from the home
came at a price.
Unbelievable.
I think it was quite hard for the '70s housewife.
You know, I can imagine it was quite a juggling act for them.
Oh! Dinner!
OK.
Banana meat loaf.
OK.
I guess that's what I've got, so that's what I'll use.
Carol's recipe is from the iconic Be Bold With Bananas cookbook.
Ingredients include minced meat, mashed banana,
eggs, mustard and bread.
I can see why housewives went for this kind of recipe,
because I guess they didn't have much time to cook anything fancier.
Oh, wow.
So, I'm actually serving this with tinned salad.
I didn't know that salad came in a tin in the '70s,
so this is interesting.
Hey, honey. Hello.
How are you going? Busy?
I'm very busy. Just popping dinner in the oven.
JULIAN: Banana meat loaf.
Interesting.
OLIVIA: Ew-ie!
Before you judge, how about we give it a try?
Like we've tried everything.
JULIAN: I was kind of surprised
Mum was still really in the kitchen and Dad wasn't.
It felt almost a bit backwards, although, you know,
it is 40 years ago,
so it's natural that it be backwards.
Yeah. My day was great.
Thanks for asking.
How was your day? Oh, just wonderful.
What did you do today?
Um, I'm working as a receptionist... OK.
..in an accountant's office.
Accountancy.
So, um, what would've been nice,
if I came home and you guys had cleaned up after yourselves.
Tomorrow we'll make sure
we've cleaned up after ourselves, OK?
I can understand her frustration at that, and, you know,
maybe the whole family needs to pitch in a little bit.
Why don't you guys give Mum a hand and dry some dishes?
SIENNA: I think Julian should.
I think Julian should,
because you've done nothing all day. Are you kidding?
Excuse me, you've done nothing all day.
Excuse me, YOU'VE done nothing all day.
I went to university.
OLIVIA: Yeah. SIENNA: We went to school.
Don't throw your tea towel at me!
CAROL: You know what?
Everybody get out. Thank you.
You're driving me... No. No "Thank you".
You're driving me insane. Alright, fine.
Go. Fine.
All of you. You go, too.
OLIVIA: Me? Go.
Yeah. We're done. I did nothing.
That's the problem! Exactly!
God!
I go to work now. OK.
And you guys don't even put a breakfast dish away.
Sorry.
So, things need to change around here.
OK.
SIENNA: It made me feel really bad.
In 2018, I would always clean up after myself,
so I found it very difficult.
This salad is good. Yeah.
It's alright.
Well, it's not salad like we imagine salad, like lettuce and tomato.
JULIAN: Yeah, I thought it was going to be canned lettuce.
Yeah.
And I was wondering about the logistics of canning lettuce.
It's quite good.
You know, I can see why '70s housewives
liked this kind of cooking. Mm.
Because, you know, we'd be eating at 9 o'clock at night
if I had to cook the way I used to in the '50s and '60s.
Yeah, big difference from '50s and '60s.
Exactly. Cheers, and here's to your new job.
Thank you.
Cheers. Cheers.
Ah! This looks different.
Ooh.
Colourama 660.
OVER TV: Good morning, Carol, and welcome to 1975 -
the year we marched first into colour.
Australia was one of the fastest take-ups of colour television
in the world.
But this box isn't your only surprise.
I've hidden a little something for you in the kitchen.
And by the way, I'm coming for dinner tonight,
so I'll see you later.
Oh, gosh.
Hmm. What am I looking for?
The mid '70s also presented Australian housewives
with a revolutionary new kitchen appliance...
No. ..which, when installed,
had the unique virtue of helping the housewife
spend less time there.
Oh!
A freezer!
The deep freezer was enthusiastically embraced by working women.
It meant they could now batch-cook and freeze meals,
or simply buy in bulk.
I can stock up.
I don't have to go shopping every day.
I can put a husband in here. (LAUGHS)
Time to go shopping.
In meeting this new demand, supermarkets became big business.
There was no longer a need for housewives to shop daily,
and working women loved the convenience.
Frozen food became one of the fastest growing product areas
in this one-stop shop.
What have we got?
Crinkle-cut fried potatoes.
OK, I can do that.
All these innovations...
Fish fingers.
..drastically reduced the time
women spent buying and preparing food.
God, this is totally going to change my life.
You know, it's like dinner in a freezer.
There you go.
But frozen food wasn't the only development
that cut down time in the kitchen.
REPORTER: The fast food business. A limited menu, a hard sell.
Narrow margins, but big turnovers.
The '70s saw our love affair with America continue,
with fast food chains springing up across the country.
This kind of outlet has almost ruined the corner hamburger shop,
and many say it's done the same to the hamburger.
By you can like it or lump it - and a lot of people like it.
As the popularity of processed food ballooned,
so did the country's waistlines.
Health and environmental concerns about our new diet
were pushed aside in favour of convenience.
For dinner tonight, Annabel will be joining us,
so my entire meal will come from the freezer.
So, I should be able to put that together in no time.
Oh.
(SIZZLING)
Oh!
Hi! Hello! Hi!
I've been expecting you. I can't wait for dinner.
Come on in.
Oh, my goodness. The chips!
The chips?
What, you've got chips? I have got chips.
Aren't you rocketing through the ages?
I have got quiche. I've got frozen dessert.
Is it just a full-frozen dinner that we're doing?
It is a full-frozen dinner. Oh, nice.
But the great thing is, it's so quick and easy.
But does it worry you
that you're feeding them more processed food?
It really does worry me.
You know, through the '60s and certainly now in the '70s,
it's very processed.
We've gone from, you know, single-processed foods
like mashed potato to now a full meal.
Right. OK. So, I really struggled with that.
Welcome to the... Exactly.
..'70s working mothers' conundrum. Yes.
Yeah. Yes.
JULIAN: Great. I'll get the cafeteria tray.
With colour TV sets taking centre stage
in Australian households,
it was common for families of the '70s
to dine in front of the telly.
Well, you can even put it over...
What, like this? Yeah.
So, Julian and Peter are setting up
for their first meal in the living room.
Now, that there. That there.
Not that there's much involved.
Yes. Oh, this looks good.
Oh!
Who wore it better?
(BOTH LAUGH)
Oh, look. This really took no time at all.
OK. Skills.
(LAUGHS)
Oh, I love these things!
Oh, my gosh. Here we go.
Oh, look! It's the Dismissal.
It is the Dismissal. I haven't seen this.
Whoa. Thank you.
So, that is Sir David Smith.
He was the secretary to the governor-general...
OK.
..who has just sacked the Whitlam government.
(CHANTING AND JEERING OVER TV)
(CHANTING DROWNS OUT SPEECH)
The dismissal of then prime minister Gough Whitlam
by governor-general John Kerr remains one of the most dramatic
and divisive events in Australia's political history.
Well, may we say "God save the Queen..."
(CHEERING OVER TV)
..because nothing will save the governor-general.
(CHEERING)
It was just an historically weird thing to do, and very controversial.
And almost... I can imagine it would have put the Monarchy,
or the Crown... Mm.
..it wouldn't have a painted them in a good light either.
Well, it's been a long-running debate,
and certainly it was a constitutional anomaly.
I wonder if the Queen was sitting in front of her TV...
I know, right? ..and got a call,
"Oh, by the way, we just sacked
"the prime minister of Australia." I know.
"Oh, I'm just enjoying my quiche."
Another... "My frozen quiche."
Another brilliant soap opera from Australia.
Yes!
Let's be honest.
Even though the quality wasn't super high -
well, at least compared to today -
everyone loves having cheap, quick, convenient food,
especially when you've got both parents
in the household working.
I'm all about convenience, baby.
You could seriously hurt someone with that.
Thanks for a lovely spread, Carol. You're welcome.
I placed it in the oven myself.
And, uh, well, there's a new government now,
so we'll see how the rest of the decade is going to pan out.
Yes.
It's the second half of the '70s, and pop culture is in full swing.
That's cool.
"Give yourself a Farrah hair-do."
Colour television brought fashion and music trends into our homes.
Stars like Farrah Fawcett-Majors,
who was cast in the series Charlie's Angels in 1976,
became global sensations.
Farrah seems like she's the perfect girl
in the spotlight, and everyone wants to be like her.
So, Sienna is following suit, styling her hair like Farrah's.
This is a challenge.
"Give yourself a Farrah hair-do."
Yeah.
With Mum's health, of course.
So, do you know much about Farrah Fawcett?
Not much, but, like, she was married to, like,
a millionaire, or something. No, no. She was...
She was married to... I think it was Lee Majors.
No...
And he was an actor who played a character
called The Six Million Dollar Man.
Oh, so, he wasn't actually a millionaire.
It was like... Where are the numbers on these?
So, yeah, he was like a bionic man.
Oh, like, actually? Or, like, in the show?
No. Like, in the show, he was bionic.
Oh, OK.
This is hard work. I know.
Look, I have many skills.
Hairdressing your hair is not one of them.
Do you want me to hold it? Just...
OK! Just give me some clips.
Ow! Ow! Ow!
These '70s young girls...
Take that out. That's trash.
..were really, like, high-maintenance.
Ooh. I've gotten some cassettes.
Sienna isn't the only teen getting swept up
in the changing '70s trends.
Julian is discovering another popular pastime of the era.
Put it in the wrong way.
But it's not as simple as downloading music from an app.
Oh.
It's a little arrow.
What if I do it the other way?
(ROCK MUSIC PLAYS)
(PLAYBACK SPEEDS UP AND DISTORTS)
What?
Great.
Just...
..great.
Look, let's style it up now. These ones are hot.
Come on. That one is hot there.
Come on. OK. Just hold on.
OK. Now, look in the mirror.
(SIGHS)
Look, we've got, like, some flick action here.
Look. See?
I don't think my hair worked with it very well.
It was a little bit of a fail.
But it was definitely a lot of fun to spend the time with Mum.
You want to look like Farrah Fawcett?
(LAUGHS)
Unfortunately, um, unlike Farrah's short layers,
Sienna has very, very long hair,
but, you know, we had fun trying it out.
Do I look like I'm in a car commercial yet?
No, it's good. See?
You've got the whole Farrah Fawcett thing happening.
Well, you definitely look like a Charlie's Angel.
I know. Slow-mo.
Although, they're not as difficult as you are.
(LAUGHS)
Having abandoned the audiocassette,
Julian is turning to a slightly more user-friendly source of music.
♪ I feel a little crazy
♪ I feel a little strange... ♪
Countdown became an institution for a generation of teenagers,
hungry to get their weekly fix of the latest hits.
♪ I'm livin' in the '70s
♪ I'm livin' in the '70s... ♪
What is this music?
Skyhooks hurtled into the Australian music scene
in the mid '70s.
With their over-the-top make-up and controversial lyrics,
they're a complete departure from the prevailing blokey-ness
of Aussie rock.
This is the most horrific thing I think I've ever seen.
I don't really like 1970s music.
And if I wanted to improve it, I'd stop playing it
and I'd start playing something else.
Wearing platform shoes, long hair and eye make-up
wasn't even the most confronting thing
that men did in the '70s.
By 1977, they were even making their way into the kitchen as chefs.
Whip some beer in, and you just beat that up.
Ah, "Men In The Kitchen."
Finally I get to pick up a knife and a pan again.
With Carol now working,
the Ferrone men will surprise her by cooking dinner.
Looks like me and Julian are cooking today.
We've got some recipes.
Julian and Peter will be making the winning recipes
from a men's cooking competition
staged by the Australian Women's Weekly.
I'm really excited to be back in the kitchen
after two and a half decades.
It's something that I've really missed
along this journey,
and it's something that I really enjoy doing.
Guess what we're doing today.
"Men In The Kitchen."
We're cooking. We're cooking.
..so it doesn't go everywhere.
Julian is re-creating the runner-up recipe
by Mr W. Priest of Bridgewater, South Australia -
veal with almonds.
You know, what's the worst that could happen? You know?
It's not pharmaceuticals we're doing here. It's veal.
While Peter will follow with the winning recipe
by Mr J.H.M. Van den Brink of Gardendale, Victoria -
a daring ice-cream a la maison.
Oh, this is my favourite bit.
What...? Is that alcohol? Yes.
You do like cooking with alcohol, don't you?
I do.
Sometimes you even put it in the food.
Very true.
I think it must have been really foreign for men
to be thrown into the kitchen.
You know, only a couple of decades ago,
they wouldn't even clear their own plate.
We've moved forward 20 years,
and they've got cream and a whisk in their hand,
and making ice-cream for dessert.
So, I've managed to get this to whip up properly,
and we'll pop that in the freezer.
We've got some oranges to go on top of it.
That's it.
It's... It's coming pretty well. OK.
Only problem is the what-do-you-call-it.
The coating is falling off. Coming away a little bit.
That does happen to the best of us.
One more round and you'll be done.
Yeah.
I've quite enjoyed being in the kitchen,
especially as this was my first time cooking a significant meal.
It's a lot harder to cook veal with almonds, veal schnitzel,
than scrambled eggs,
but I'm pretty pleased that I did.
Oh. Hey.
This is a sight for sore eyes. Yes.
Upon returning home from work,
Carol is pleasantly surprised to see the boys in the kitchen
for the first time in decades.
You made that? Yep.
He did.
Did you help him? A little.
Might have given him a few little pointers.
But I did all... like, most of the...
Oh, my God. I am so impressed!
Do I get to try it?
Of course you do. Ooh.
Parsley, thyme, parmesan, breadcrumbs, flour, egg.
Oh, my God. That is good!
Thank you.
You should be really pleased.
There we go. No, it's set now.
It's very creamy.
It is creamy.
Yeah.
Mmm.
No, it's too hard. You know what?
That's worth a $50 price.
Mm, with the oranges on top, it'll be great.
Mm.
But I'm so happy that I'm allowed back in the kitchen.
Mm.
It was great to have the boys in there getting their hands dirty,
and I'm hoping that that will continue further.
You cook one night.
Oh...
You cook four nights. Yeah.
And when do you cook? We go out one night.
On the weekend!
I'm feeling like this is a win-win situation.
Oh, OK. For me, anyway.
I might just retire and I'll cook every night and you work every day.
I'm happy with that.
♪ Burn, baby, burn
♪ Disco inferno... ♪
Today, the Ferrones are strapping on skates
and grooving onto the disco skating rink.
♪ Disco inferno... ♪
With the disco craze at its peak in the '70s,
teenagers flocked to roller rinks across Australia.
What was more outrageous - the outfits or the dance moves?
On a good night, you couldn't pick it.
I'm so excited.
I'm not. No, I'm not either.
Rollerskating is definitely something
that we would never have tried in 2018.
You know I can't do this, right?
Yeah, I know.
OLIVIA: I can't either, but I don't know.
I struggle to walk on bare feet. SIENNA: Yeah.
This is like a spinal injury waiting to happen.
Oh, she's on. They're going!
Oh, my God! JULIAN: And they're off!
OK.
PETER: Oh! These pants aren't helping.
Keep calm, don't rush.
JULIAN: I think I'm getting the hang of it.
See, this is where Year 12 physics really helps.
Oh, my God. I can't do it. OK, you just...
You just...
..roll along.
See you, baby. See you next decade.
(LAUGHS)
OLIVIA: I was skating pretty good at it. It was so fun.
We suck at this!
Oh, my God. Where's...? Oh, there she is.
I'm happy to stand here and just observe...
Supervise.
Way to go, Julian.
Maybe I have a future as a rollerskate athlete.
I was very pleasantly surprised with Julian's efforts.
Julian really does not like
to step out of his comfort zone at all.
Oh, it's great to see the family. They're all having a go.
It's fantastic.
If I don't end up on my arse, it's great.
Can't say that I aced it,
but really proud of Peter and the kids.
I guess this journey is really making us all
become risk-takers more than normal, which is really great.
Ah!
I think I'll definitely go again. Mum said she'd bring me.
(LAUGHTER) Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
I almost died!
"Fondue And Tabletop Cookery."
This looks like fun. French salad.
Oh, that's easy.
To celebrate reaching the end of the decade,
the Ferrones are dipping into the 1970s' most glutinous classic -
fondue.
Arrowroot. Kirsch.
Carol's melting cheese pot comes from
The Colour Book Of Fondue And Tabletop Cookery.
The ingredients include cheese, garlic, white wine,
arrowroot and butter.
I think the family will like it.
I think especially the kids will enjoy the novelty of it.
PETER: Do you need a hand? I do need a hand.
If you want to start on the cheese fondue...
Yeah. ..I'm going to make the salad.
OK, cool.
JULIAN: So, what are we having for dinner?
OK, so, we're doing a cheese fondue.
I think you should start grating some cheese up...
..over here.
The '70s brought the boys into the kitchen, which was so great.
Do you want me to do the entire thing?
Do the whole thing.
So, it's really evolving and bringing us together as a family.
I hope you like smelly cheese.
Annabel! Wow.
Mmm! This is a modern cheese aroma.
This cheese smells yucky! Don't like it?
Mm-mm. Hi.
It smells like vomit. Do you know what is modern, though?
Guys in the kitchen. Yes!
I know. When did this happen?
The '70s started with, you know,
Carol having to perform for my career advancement.
I wasn't allowed in the kitchen.
It meant by the time we got to the end of the decade,
I was through that wall that wasn't there anymore.
And I believe it was a very pivotal time
and there was lots of change starting to happen.
I tell you what,
this is a very different kind of meal, though, isn't it...
It is. ..from what you've had before?
Because you've all helped to cook it, you're all sitting around.
It's very democratic.
It's quite a social meal, which I'm enjoying.
The '70s was a decade of such intense colour
in interior decor and kitchens, and such white food.
Yes. Why?
Very bland food.
So, what was the best thing about the '70s.
Oh, definitely the rollerskating. Right, OK. Clear winner.
Were you excellent at it?
I did our best. We all looked like fools,
but we all gave it a go... Not me.
..which is good to get out of our comfort zone.
Seems like you spend a bit more time together as a family in this decade.
You know what? We definitely have.
We have.
Like, even, you know, putting the fondue together,
you know, everybody pitched in.
I feel like the '70s has brought us closer together.
Yeah. Yeah, I think so.
So, I thank the '70s for that.
So, overall, the '70s has been a fairly good decade.
We've socialised and bonded more
between that kitchen and dining room.
It's a warmer environment.
What are your worst fears
and greatest hopes for the 1980s, anyone?
Oh, the hair.
The fashion. The fluoro-ness.
OLIVIA: The high-tops.
This might challenge Sienna's reputation
for looking great in every single decade.
Yes.
I'll find a way to pull it off. (LAUGHTER)
I always do.
I feel like we should have a fondue salute...
I agree. ..with the cheese.
Cheers to the '70s.
ALL: Cheers!
Daddy!
Bye-bye! CAROL AND SIENNA: Bye-bye, '70s.
PETER: See you, house. JULIAN: Bye.
What are you going to miss about it?
I'm going to miss that orange kitchen.
It'll never leave your mind, though, will it?
It's just a permanent scar.
Next time...
Oh, wow. Oh, my God! It's really nice!
..the Ferrones power into the '80s.
(LAUGHS)
Oh, my God. You look like a gangster.
..a decade of fashion faux pas...
(LAUGHS) ..getting fit...
SIENNA: I don't do physical activity.
..and getting fat.
Something that happened,
the kids of Australia started getting fatter.
Stop that.
With new technology...
JULIAN: Aha! Oh.
What the hell is that supposed to be?!
..that would change what...
I don't know how this is going to cook.
..when and where we eat.
SIENNA: We're going to go into the lounge room.
I know. Putting the 'TV' in 'TV dinner'.
Exactly. Where is everybody?