Publishers:
Pan Macmillan |
Hardback AUS $40.00
Actor Graeme Blundell, still
probably best know for his
starring role as Alvin Purple,
here gives us an indepth,
insightful, well researched
biography of Graham Kennedy, one
of the key icons of Australian
TV, there right from the box in
the corner's very beginnings
down under, Kennedy was chat
show host, game show host, actor
and so much more.
Born in Melbourne in 1934, two
days before Barry Humphries,
Graham Cyril Kennedy showed an
interest in the entertainment
industry from an early age,
making his own miniature
theatres and putting on his own
concerts. By the time he'd left
school Kennedy was determined to
try and make it in radio, at
that time in the late forties
the most popular form of
entertainment for most families
was "The
Wireless".
Graham was lucky enough to land
a job as a copy boy with the ABC
which in turn led to a job
choosing the records for 3UZ, a
local Melbourne station.
Graham's big break came when
Melbourne's top radio DJ Nicki
Whitta came to 3UZ and needing a
new foil to work with (his
previous one, Alfie, having been
conscripted into National
Service) chose Kennedy.
Whitta
became Kennedy's comedy teacher
and the pairs radio show became
a big success, the talents,
ideas and tricks he learned from
Whitta would serve Kennedy
throughout the rest of his
career.
Television by the mid 1950's had
become an inevitable in
Australia and starting on 16th
September 1956 Channel 9 began
broadcasting, soon after Nicki
Whitta was signed up to star in
a show called "Children's
Theatre". Graham however
found it difficult to break into
TV. Graham by this stage was
still working for 3UZ but with
Happy Hammond as his new
partner. When Hammond was given
his own Channel 9 TV show (The
Happy Show) Graham went with
him; thanks to producer Norman
Spencer spotting Kennedy's
talent he was given the job as
host of new nightly talk show In
Melbourne Tonight, shaky at
first, Graham, using the skills
he had learned from Whitta
quickly turned the show into
unmissable TV.
In 1959 Bert Newton was poached
from Channel 9 to join Kennedy
and the duo quickly became the
stuff of legend, the pair
sparking off each other and
leading each other on to greater
heights of comedy and
improvisation.
After
10 years on IMT Kennedy was
tiring of the show and wanted to
spread his wings a little even
going so far as investing in the
musical Hair when it reached
Australia. In early 1975 Graham
made his infamous Crow
Call (Faaaaark - sounding
like a well known four letter
word) during a commercial and
even though Kennedy had made the
call many times in the past he
was here picked upon by the
Australian Broadcasting Control
Board and ended up being banned
from live television for an
indefinate period. Graham then
resigned from Channel 9.
Kennedy
then moved into acting appearing
in such notable productions as
Don's Party, Power Without Glory
and The Odd Angry Shot but by
1977 was hosting TV game show
Blankety Blanks and to a new
younger generation Kennedy, with
his quick wit, single
entendres and rapport with
celebrity guests, especially
Ugly Dave Gray, turned the show
into must see TV.
Blankety Blanks was really
Graham's last big hurrah,
although he still continued to
work in TV his interest wasn't
there, he appeared on the show
Coast to Coast for awhile and
presented the clip show Graham
Kennedy's Funniest Home Video
Show.
Graham is now living in
retirement in Bowral in NSW
rarely venturing out after a
fall left his memory severely
affected.
Graeme
Blundell has done a fantastic
job on the life of Australia's
King of Comedy including some
great chapters on the early days
of Australian TV.
A Must read.
Available
to buy online from Pan
Macmillan and from all good
bookstores.
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