Bert: The Story Of Australia's Favourite T.V. Star

by Graeme Blundell

384 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2014

Reviews

[Malcolm Frawley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bert Newton's career in performing arts, generally, & television, specifically, is without peer in this country. He is the most successful broadcaster the country has ever spawned. While Blundell's biography illustrates clearly how his subject's career became his life the whole thing feels ... air-brushed. I don't presume that there is a warts'n'all story that could have been told, @ least not while Bert is still amongst the living, but the warts in this story are few & far between & are generally located on the face of Bert's son, Matthew. Less than a single page is devoted to the revelation that Bert at one stage racked up around a million dollars in gambling debts but, surely, to have accumulated such a debt, even allowing for Bert's earning capacity, one must have been suffering from an addiction for some time. So what we end up with is little more than the public face that Bert has displayed to viewers for over 50 years. While it is not identified as an "authorised" biography I doubt that Bert could have been happier with what has been, or hasn't been, revealed.

[Frank Pagram · Rating 3 out of 5]

It reads well, but after reading it I'm not sure I know Bert that much better. It appears Mr Newton did not agree to be interviewed for the book: had he done so, it would have been much more authentic. Still, even without Bert's help, Graeme Blundell's research could have been more thorough, as there are some fundamental errors of fact (e.g., IMT’s regular timeslot was always 9.30pm) and chronology (e.g., when Bert began hosting New Faces) that fans of Bert and Graham, including me, can detect. Blundell omits to elaborate on Bert’s surprise guest appearance on IMT the night studio 9 was officially opened, except to suggest this was from a regular IMT of the late 1950s (it was actually 1964, when Bert was recovering from his breakdown). The Pussy cat food ad was from The Graham Kennedy Show, 1972-3, not IMT from the ‘60s. I could go on.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and insightful account of the career of Bert Newton. Apart from explaining his character and career, the book is a marvellous account of the early days of Australian television and the era when night time variety shows ruled the ratings. Like a big television variety event, the book has a huge cast of people who worked with Bert over the years and contributed to his life and times. Reading the book reinforced my view of why Bert Newton sustains his popularity and connects with regular people. Well crafted by Graeme Blundell - himself an icon of Australian entertainment.