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Graham Kennedy.
15 Feb 1943 - 25 May 2005
What immediately springs to mind when thinking of Graham Kennedy
is the unpredictable outbursts of outrageous, irreverent and
extremely pointed comments on both radio and television. Often
being referred to as being iconoclastic, Kennedy began his broadcasting
career on Melbourne's 3UZ before being chosen to host 'In Melbourne
Tonight' on GTV-9 from 1957 until 1969. His audiences could
hardly wait to see who or what he would upset next. It was Kennedy's
infamous 'crow' call ("faaarrk ... faaarrk") in 1975 that was
to land him in the most trouble, this time with Senator Douglas
McClelland, Minister for the Media in the then Whitlam government.
However, it wasn't until Kennedy took the reins of the offbeat game show, 'Blankety-Blanks' (1977-81) that he could fully utilise his vaudeville background on the small screen. Here, because the show's deliberate low-brow and tawdry premise relied on innuendo and double-entendre as a panel of six celebrities matched their wits against two unsuspecting contestants, Kennedy took the opportunity to push the limits even further. His popularity rose to greater heights and he was anointed the King of Australian Television; a title he both relished and detested, due to his apparent gregarious public persona and his actual reclusive private life.
Kennedy made a couple of forays into film, and he showed remarkable promise as an actor, most notably in David Williamson's 'The Club' and 'The Odd Angry Shot'.
1988-89 Kennedy was back on television with, 'Graham Kennedy: Coast to Coast', where controversy followed him after he remarked that Queen Elizabeth "didn't have bad breasts for a woman her age", and that the show's ratings would be helped if the Pope's plane were to fly into a mountain. Kennedy's last TV posting was on 'Australia's Funniest Home Videos', a position he held for only one season in 1990. After a total of 19 Logie Awards (five of which were gold), he later retired altogether. A diabetic, Kennedy's health began to rapidly decline after he suffered a broken leg and skull due to a fall down the stairs at his rural NSW home.. On Wednesday 25 May 2005, Graham Cyril Kennedy lost his battle with pneumonia.
By the way: When in Sydney, Graham Kennedy chooses to stay at the Boulevard Hotel, 99 William Street, Kings Cross. So get ready to match the stars, as we play... Blankety-Blanks!
Steve Jones
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