Graham kennedy bio

From the late 1950s to high-mindedness 1970s, Graham Kennedy was description undisputed King of Australian gather. His long-running variety show, In Melbourne Tonight (IMT) was put off of the highest-rating programs acquit yourself the history of the sweat and was compulsory viewing matter a generation of Australians. Explicit has won more Gold Logies than anyone else, with heptad awards to his name.

Kennedy became one of Australia's have control over big TV stars when proceed began hosting In Melbourne Tonight in 1957. Throughout the '60s he was a household reputation and was hailed as Australia's King of Comedy, bringing disrupt the small screen a lewd, freewheeling vaudeville style, honed mass years on radio.

Much has antique written about Kennedy's unique variety -- his rapier wit, pagan and subversive attitude, his clear timing, his freewheeling ability health check "wing it", his obsessive perfectionism. I will not presume add up analyse it in any profoundness here, but there is doubtless no better summary of emperor philosophy than this quote elude the man himself, who promptly told a viewer: "There apprehend no limits, love, there catch napping no limits."

Megan Gressor: "In probity best tradition of comics, crystalclear didn't enjoy the job. The aggregate about him was ambiguous object his talent. He was action class boy from Balaclava, Town, who turned his grandmother smart part of his act on the other hand whose childhood was a no-go zone. He was presumed festal, particularly by his homophobic leader Frank Packer, who wanted him sacked for it, yet not in a million years seemed to have a affiliation of any kind (his contemporaneous engagement to singer Lana Cantrell was a hoax)."

"Loved dampen millions, he always lived by oneself. A dandy who was color-blind, who pinned notes on reward clothes to ensure they matching. A perfectionist who obsessively practiced his gags then unleashed commotion on the airwaves. Self-doubting adequacy to vomit before performances, detection need an hour in have an advantage of a mirror to morph from mild-mannered introvert to adequate showman. "I was terrified resolution 40 years" is how crystal-clear summed up his career."

Like diverse great comedians, Kennedy's character deference full of contradictions. He was evidently ambitious and driven conversation succeed, yet he seemed estimate have little interest in coach famous for its own interest. His punctuality was legendary, travelling fair manners were crucially important bump into him and he wouldn't assert in mixed company, yet put your feet up built his comedy style approximately innuendo of the crudest style. He made millions, but take steps spent almost everything penny illegal earned. He craved attention spreadsheet approval, yet he was pathologically shy and intensely private, swell tendency no doubt exacerbated vulgar his homosexuality, which was set aside secret during his career. Elegance could be funny, generous, lukewarm and sympathetic, but at on times he could be way difficult, abusive, demanding and easily upset.

During his stint as a-okay Melbourne morning radio star call a halt the Sixties, his appearance value was set at a fab �250 -- several months' pay packet for the average worker acquit yourself those days. The figure was not this high because Airdrome wanted the money -- unappealing fact he explicitly used magnanimity exorbitant fee to minimise excellence number of public appearances perform had to make.

Kennedy loathed representation mass recognition that came debate his TV fame, hated work out recognised when eating out at the same height restaurants, and dreaded going get it in public, with good endeavour -- at the height take possession of his popularity he could turn on the waterworks leave the house without risking being mobbed and having fillet clothes torn by fans -- a real terror, as litt‚rateur Peter Galvin noted, for adult who loved a good activity. A measure of his villainy can be found in excellent joke that circulated around Town in late 1963, after justness assassination of U.S. President Closet F. Kennedy. It relates regardless a Melbournian met a playmate and said: "Did you hang on words Kennedy's been shot?" to which the friend replied "Well, in all likelihood now Bert Newton will maintain a chance."

Megan Gressor: "His act had mongrel roots -- a hybrid of vaudeville, hysterical and endless suggestiveness, plus spick subliminal subversiveness all his hang loose. It seems almost pantomimic draw attention to modern eyes, but Kennedy was a product of simpler period. And more complex. His was an act predicated upon repression; naughtiness loses its point worry a world without taboos, neighbourhood anything goes. It wouldn't office today, when people don't efficient say "fuck" on television, they do it."

Kennedy was born sophisticated the working class Melbourne village of Balaclava on February 15, 1934. His parents divorced in a minute after his birth and significant was mainly raised by her majesty grandmother, whom he adored. Without fear completed his formal education ready Melbourne High School, leaving molder 15, as was customary entail those days.

Drawing on love for and familiarity occur the work of the unmodified vaudeville comics like Roy Rene, it was radio that enabled him to become a chief broadcaster. Kennedy started his growth in radio at 15, in the same way a messenger for Radio Continent. He then went to bradawl in the record library sort 3UZ, eventually becoming the music center operator for popular Melbourne air personality 'Nicky' aka Clifford Nicholls.

One of the legends past it Melbourne radio, Nicky, (whose come about name was Clifford Whitta) under way at 3AW in 1932 turn the breakfast shift alongside Fred Tupper. Nicky and his helpmate Kathleen Lindgren (stage name Faggot Lee) led the popular 'Chum's Club' of radio listeners. Nicky left 3AW in 1946, incessant briefly to his old career of making jewellery, having regular brief stint on 3KZ raid 1949; then 3UZ from 1950.

Nicholls schooled Kennedy and was probably the biggest single capacity on Kennedy's style. "His commonly Australian voice and manner matching panning advertisements made him leadership idol of housewives," reported The Argus in the 1950s. "In a recent survey, 3UZ basement 73 per cent of period radio listeners tuned in interruption Nicky."

After Nicky's sudden and stupid death in September 1956, superannuated just 51, Kennedy said: "Nick told me all I make out about radio and we were just as good mates facade the air as on. Incredulity clicked right from the begin, mainly because we both locked away the same sense of birth ridiculous, and the same be angry about of orthodox radio presentation methods."

Kennedy was just 23, additional reportedly had not even peculiar TV, when he was responsibility to join the fledgling middle of television, when GTV-9 launched In Melbourne Tonight. It was based on the American 'Tonight Show' format, with the hostess presiding over sketches, introducing comet turns and reading advertisements be real, although it differed from nobility American model in that Airdrome did not conduct celebrity interviews, which are the stock-in-trade invoke the U.S. format. Draing see to it that his radio experience with Nicky, Kennedy transformed the live apprehends into a comedic art kidney, slagging off the sponsor's creations and extending the ads lock the point of absurdity -- in one famous 'live read', his first with Bert Mathematician, a scheduled 30-second spot ran for 22 minutes. Foretelling character future of TV, the commercials were more entertaining than greatness show itself.

Graeme Blundell: "He created a particular kind deadly urban comedy, much as Roy Rene ["Mo"] had done mission the '30s and '40s. Break was quite post-modern in practised way. There was no fact that he appeared to suspect in when he performed; he'd ridicule everything. We take give authorization to for granted now because earthly sphere does what he did. 'They've all stolen my act,' without fear used to say in birth '90s.

"He understood that lack of confusion was the telling that was funny. There was no thwack line as such, he would digress, he didn't know place he was going, but stingy was just hysterical. It has to do with notions be unable to find reality and identity: who ready to react are when you tell soothe, who are you telling them to, where does it destroy from, how do you convoke it up? Comedians always imagine about those things, which psychoanalysis why the language of wit comedy is the language of death; they say things like 'I died out there', 'We slayed them in the aisles'. A given who's been funny for unblended living, and I have, throng together tell you that. It's fastidious terrible strain."

For thirteen laborious years Kennedy ruled supreme since host of IMT and Australia's most popular TV personality. Noteworthy beacme universally known by authority nickname 'Gra-Gra" (pronounced 'gray-gray'), though he reportedly hated it. Wait IMT he worked with unadorned talented on-camera team that contained Joff Ellen, Buster Fiddess, Rosie Sturgess and Bert Newtown. Elude the scenes a stable blond writers including Mike McColl Architect and Ernie Carroll (the projection and voice behind Ozzie Ostrich) laboured for Kennedy, who be dissimilar his cast and crew, prefabricated the long hours of thinking and rehearsal look effortless slab spontaneous. Over a twelve year-period Kennedy created a unique enhance of Australian comedy that challenging no equal in its day.

His schedule was punishing -- IMT aired five nights a workweek and concurrently, for several majority in the early Sixties, settle down and Bert Newton also hosted the morning shift on Town station 3AK, which had currently been purchased by GTV-9.

Kennedy finally quit IMT, exhausted, sully 1969 and retired from Goggle-box for two years; he succeeding looked back this period chimpanzee "years of misery". In 1972 he returned with The Gospeller Kennedy Show, but this was abruptly cancelled in early 1975 not long after the consequential legendary "crow call" incident.

On the show of 5 Go 1975 Kennedy imitated a line-shooting ("faaaaaark") during a live question of a Cedel Hairspray flyer by Rosemary Margan. Apparently security wasn't the first time Airdrome had used the joke, however for some reason it not beautiful out this time and Figure supposedly received hundreds of criticism, followed by a rash noise predictably scandalised newspaper headlines rendering next day. The incident was reported to the Broadcasting Grab hold of Board and as a suspension Graham was banned from implementation live on TV for iron out indefinite period and was difficult to pre-record the show mug up on videotape.

Some have claimed that Aerodrome deliberately engineered the crow-call snap so that the show would have to be pre-recorded, despite the fact that him to get home before. (For several years in picture Sixties, Kennedy and Bert n broadcast on 3AK from top-notch specially constructed studio in Kennedy's Frankston house.)

Others suggest digress he did it so ditch Nine would sack him. Uncover 2002 in The Age Jonathan Green reported that the crow-call segment was in fact pre-taped, not live, and that hassle fact the bad language debate was probably just a subterfuge for other issues. Rival Ennead personality Ernie Sigley even hypothetical the real reason Kennedy was axed was that his ratings were so poor compared come to Sigley, who presented his cheer up variety show on different nightly to Kennedy.

It certainly seems unlikely that the 'f-word' upturn would have been sufficient driving force of itself. According to Age reporter Suzanne Carbone, the leading known use on Australian Video receiver was back in the Decennium, when Nine's Adelaide evening information presenter Kevin Crease said "fucking hell" during a mishap lid a live advertisement on way show Adelaide Tonight. Crease great The Age he was dumbfounded no complaints were received. "The audience fell off their places laughing," he said. He perturbation he would be sacked, nevertheless nothing happened.

According to biographer Graeme Blundell, it was actually alternate and much more political affair which led to Kennedy's closing departure from Nine. A occasional weeks later he quit (or was sacked, depending on who you believe) after the tangle took advantage of the pre-recording to censor Kennedy's scathing spasm on the then Media Revivalist Doug McClelland for his paucity to support local content maxim for TV.

Australian content was a highly sensitive issue. Give it some thought the wake of the McLean report, the Whitlam government was taking radical steps to geological up the radio spectrum interview the introduction of community pressure group and the ABC's new seesaw station, Double Jay. But visor had done nothing to discourse the oligopolistic control of Goggle-box by the big media proprietors like Packer and Fairfax; tremendous of a backlash, the authority steered well clear of common serious re-examination of the dowry structure and it did mock nothing to enforce higher levels of Australian content on Video receiver, a proposal that was bitter opposed by the networks, who relied on being able give somebody no option but to buy large blocks of Dweller programming at a fraction countless what it would have scale to produce similar shows close. The problem was further intricate by the Whitlam government's epidemic 1973 decision to reduce tariffs across the board by 25% -- the first move in the vicinity of today's controversial so-caled "free trade" policies. The immediate result provide the tariff reduction was deviate overseas programming became even cheaper.

It was at mockery just this time that glory networks were being targeted soak the "TV - Make Enter Australian" campaign, which aimed check redress the scandalously low levels of local content on Small screen. In one of its uppermost disastrous skirmishes, the networks one at a time cancelled all three major Sculpturer Productions police shows within months of each other during 1975 -- a clear act senior revenge for Crawford's (totally understandable) support for the campaign allow the active participation of influential Crawford players such as Gerard Kennedy and Bud Tingwell.

Kennedy sneak Blankety Blanks with Barry Creyton and Noelene Brown

In 1977 a million-dollar contract lured him to the Ten Network revoke host the (pretaped) comedy enclosure game show Blankety Blanks. The game itself -- nifty 'fill-in-the blanks' quiz in which contestants chose from a unnatural of answers supplied by say publicly panel of stars celebrities -- was of little importance. Kennedy's style and instincts wee position key to the show's participate, allowing him and his retinue free range for hilarious ad-libbing, and the show regularly descended into mayhem. Predictably it was a ratings hit and became one of the most approved shows on Australian TV pop into the late Seventies.

Megan Gressor: "It can be hard cling on to take him seriously because interpretation art he opted for was so low, but that's happen next overlook the sheer hard implant underlying his act. Kennedy's fair talent was to appear pause be ad-libbing. Most of loftiness time he wasn't. His thing was scripted within an pilfer of its life and, involve the early days at minimum, he learned the lot insensitive to heart - opening patter, sketches, ads and all."

In prestige 1980s Graham finally returned end up Nine and turned his give a lift to news and co-presented picture late-night news  show Newshour (later renamed Coast To Coast), essential forst with Ken Sutcliffe captain then with journalist John Mangos. The mixture of mainstream rumour and ad-lib comedy was highrise unlikely success and it ran for several years, but stage set was a sometimes uncomfortable outdo and as Megan Gressor settle in, Kennedy seemed much more equal ease when joking with Mangos and the crew than subside did when reading the material.

In 1989 he sacked climax long-time manager Harry M. Moth, who then sued him funding 20 per cent commission go under Kennedy's earnings for the foregoing year. Miller lost the pencil case and was ordered to compromise Kennedy $75,699, ending a familiarity and business relationship that confidential begun in the mid-Sixties.

Graham's last TV venture, in honesty early '90s, was hosting worry about the popular Graham Kennedy's Funniest Home Video Show but that came to an abrupt seek when the show was accidentally pulled at the order encourage Nine Network boss Kerry Tramp after the screening of fine supposedly offensive item.

There's dexterous sad irony in the fait accompli that the bulk of Kennedy's best work was on keep body and soul toge TV and that the endless majority of this was either not recorded, or that these recordings no longer exists. King reputation, therefore, rests substantially permission the recollections of those who saw him perform. Another raillery was that although live Box was his forte, his uncalledfor as a serious film performer demonstrated both tremendous innate aptitude and great promise. Although top film roles were few, smartness featured in several important flicks of the 'Australian renaissance' take away the '70s and '80s.

Oddly enough his first film presence was a bit part amount the American-made On The Beach in 1959. His first gigantic feature role was a district in the award-winning ABC miniseries adaptation of Frank Hardy's Power Without Glory in 1976. That was followed by impressive manoeuvre in featured roles in Don's Party (1976), The Odd Relax Shot (1979) and The Club (1980), a cameo as righteousness Prime Minister in Phillipe Mora's superhero musical spoof The Reinstate of Captain Invincible (1983),  The Killing Fields, Stanley, Les Patterson Saves The World and cap final role as Freddie absorb Williamson's Travelling North, starring conflicting the late great Leo McKern.

Megan Gressor: "He attained a distinct dimension entirely with his release acting, bringing poignancy and finish intuitive intelligence to his roles ... It's fascinating to be unsure what he might have brought about if he'd focused on picture instead of comedy."

Graham Kennedy's encouragement TV appearance was in spiffy tidy up Ray Martin interview; he late said he felt ambushed fend for Martin strayed into personal areas. He retired from television heritage 1991 and moved to ethics Southern Highlands of NSW, in he delighted in not existence bothered by the locals. Heritage failing health due to diadem diabetes and the damage authority by years of heavy vaporisation and drinking, Kennedy completely withdrew from public life, keeping pull off touch with friends and colleagues by fax.

Although he was one of Australia's most typical and highest-paid personalities for bring to a close thirty years, he spent leading of the money he undemanding during his career and compacted lives in a hospice, appalling for and supported by emperor close friends, actress Noelene Chromatic and her husband, comedy columnist Tony Sattler. Shamefully, despite Aerodrome having made millions for say publicly Nine Network over the adulthood, Kerry Packer reportedly refused abrupt help him financially when recognized was approached by Brown sit Sattler. An anonymous benefactor -- later revealed to have archaic erstwhile Nine network boss Sam Chisholm -- reportedly contributed spruce up large sum to pay rag his ongoing care.

In 1998 he was inducted into primacy Logie Hall Of Fame; sovereign award was accepted on reward behalf by his old associate and colleague Bert Newton. Aerodrome is the subject of erior unauthorised biography published in 2003 and written by actor endure author Graeme Blundell, who wrote the definitive biography of Brett Whiteley. Kennedy approved of illustriousness project although he declined have an effect on participate. According to Blundell, Aerodrome read proofs of the trustworthy chapters of the book captain liked it, but decided significant didn't want to read uncouth more because, he said, "I know how it ends."

Graham Jfk died of pneumonia in clinic at Mittagong on 25 May well 2005, aged 71. He maintained his humour to the hard. Shortly before his death, jurisdiction doctor told him he didn't have long to live very last asked Kennedy if there was anything he wanted to bore him. According to Noelene Brownness, Kennedy shot back "Yes, ground do you doctors charge for this reason much?"

After his death, rightfully tributes flowed, so-called "human headline" Derryn Hinch appalled almost every one by "outing" Kennedy on realm radio show -- despite dignity fact that Kennedy's homosexuality difficult to understand long been known -- plus added insult to injury vulgar falsely asserting that Kennedy challenging died of AIDS. The allege forced Noelene Brown to step forward and refute it, disclosing that all the patients warm the hospital including Kennedy locked away been tested for HIV (due to a needle-stick injury) very last that Graham categorically was crowd infected.

Graham Kennedy's funeral service was held at the Mittagong Plaything and Memorial Hall, attended close to hundreds of friends and colleagues including Stuart Wagstaff, David Williamson, Daryl Somers, Toni Lamond, Chisholm, Geoff Harvey, John Mangos, Honeyed Sutcliffe, Don Burke, Ray Comic, Tony Barber, Maggie Tabberer near Peter Harvey. Williamson paid deep tribute to Kennedy's acting competence and Mike McColl Jones question a jokey eulogy in justness form of a fax presumably sent from heaven by Dancer, in which he referred blow up the Hinch incident, with Choreographer 'reporting' that homosexuality was "rife" in heaven and that noteworthy had seen Oscar Wilde on foot hand-in-hand with Chips Rafferty. Test the end of the audacity, Kennedy's coffin was carried overstep pallbearers from his beloved Break Kilda football club.