Distributor:
Sony-9 Network Certificate: PG | 162
minutes | Region 0 Pal Format Available to buy Extras: Yes
ANYONE
IN IT WE KNOW?
Bert
Newton, Graham Kennedy, Don Lane
WHAT’S
IT ABOUT THEN?
A
sparkling overview of the work
of TV legend Bert "Moonface"
Newton from his earliest days in
the business through IMT and the
Don Lane show and his tenure as
King of the Logies, Newton
hosted the show 18 times.
SO
IS IT ANY GOOD?
Bert
Newton has been a TV legend for practically as long as we have had TV
down under, right back to the mid 1950's in fact when he had his own
late night talk show on Channel 7 before switching to 9 to partner
Graham Kennedy on In Melbourne Tonight, make no bones about it, this
release is simply awesome, containing as it does brilliant archive
footage from five decades of Australian TV, from IMT to The Don Lane
Show to clips from the Logies its all very essential.
The
Channel 9 Salute covers all the prime bits of Bert's career, sometimes
unfairly seen as a sideman when he worked with Kennedy and Lane his
appearances on these shows were always the cue for some hilarious bits
of business, his relationship with Kennedy in particular was very
dynamic, whenever you see them together in these clips it is obvious
that both of them are ready and willing to take risks, at any moment the
skit could degenerate into a fit of giggles whilst his time with Lane
also showcases his variety skills, some of the best material comes from
the Logies with Newton hosting the show a record 18 times. If anyone in
the business deserves to be known as a Legend then Bert is one of them
and this is a fitting tribute to the best work of the man.
ANY
SPECIAL FEATURES?
Extras
are fantastic consisting as they do of a 45 minute special from 1981
hosted by Bert looking at the first 21 years of Aussie TV, 2 classic
sketches from IMT (Shoe String Theatre and The Water Cooler) and the
vintage 8 minute Remembering IMT; There's also an 8 minute segment which
looks to be from the logies and features Bert and Kennedy reminiscing.
To round things off there is Bert's infamous 1988 Logies speech where he
tells it like it is about the state of the industry at that time.
