A 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood similar to the one
that was owned by the Phillips in their final years (BC)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1gTN6DX2XE
Pete: Right
Bruce: Did they remain emphatically American, despite all the years that they had been in Australia?
Pete: Oh yes. They always looked, sounded and thought, like Americans. In fact, I think they remained strictly US citizens.
Bruce: Where did Harold and Leon live when you knew them?
Pete: They were both in South Yarra
The Phillips long time address at 128 Toorak Road West, South Yarra
(realestate.com.au)
Bruce: Did one of them seem to be the overall boss?
Pete: No, from what I saw, they were an equal partnership. They had managers who did most of the day to day hiring and firing
Bruce: They owned several film exchanges in Australia and elsewhere prior to WWI and I have heard that they were, possibly, a distributor for Paramount Pictures. Do you know anything about that?
Pete: Not sure. But it's possible. As I understand, Paramount leased the Capitol for several years so there may have been some sort of wider tie-up between them
Bruce: Bearing in mind that they were such big operators they seemed to keep low profiles, certainly in comparison to other showmen such as Frank Thring senior. They were well known identities within the business and they used to get a lot of mentions in trade publications but appeared to shun the public spotlight. For example, photos of the Phillips are hard to find. Do you have any by the way?
Pete: Sadly, I don’t have any photos. However, there would have to be some in existence because they were important figures in the Australian cinema industry. But they weren't interested in personal publicity.
Bruce: Leon and Harold both died within a few months of each other in 1957. Do you recall what happened at the Palais when they passed away?
Pete: Yes, as I understand, all of their attractions were taken over by a group of their business associates.
Harold Phillips (left) and Leon Phillips with god
children William and Helen Kemter (Brighton, Victoria, 1950s)
(Photo courtesy of Helen)
The Age, May 1, 1957
The Age, September 18, 1957
(Garnet Curwen, long time senior manager of
the Phillips St.Kilda venues)
The Age. Date unknown. Probably around October,1957
 |
Phillips brothers grave at St.Kilda cemetery (Bruce Corneil) |
Bruce: How would you sum up your memories of the Phillips brothers and the time that you spent with them?
Pete: They were extremely happy days indeed. The Phillips did everything on a grand scale and with great style. They made a huge contribution to the local entertainment scene and they deserve more recognition.
Bruce: Let’s hope that they get it. Thanks again Peter.
Pete: Thanks Bruce.
Links to more Luna Park photos of Yesteryear:
(Note : When you go over to the Flickr website, ensure that the middle icon
in the set of three that appears at the top right corner of the screen (the toolbar) is highlighted.
If it isn't, then click on it. This will ensure that photos are displayed, initially, in the correct "album" size.
You can then click on individual photos to supersize them.
Ensure that this icon (above) is highlighted.
......................................................................................................................................................
INTERVIEW EXTENSION
Bruce: Pete, you went on to become a famous identity on the commercial side of the industry, most notably with the Nine Network in Melbourne and Adelaide where you did your own tonight show. You were also at radio stations 3AK and 3UZ and I remember you being on air with Bert Newton at UZ, years after this period that we're discussing at the moment. But a lot of people may not be aware that you got the ball rolling at the ABC. What was your first job at "'Auntie", as the national broadcaster is affectionately known?
Pete: Well, actually, we need to go back a step because after I left school, I commenced my working life in the movie business as a junior at the 20th Century Fox distribution office where I was responsible for sending out preview trailers to cinemas around Melbourne. But that only lasted a few months. Then I got a foot in the door with radio as a messenger boy at the ABC.
There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) Trailer #1
(Example of a 20th Century Fox movie preview trailer)
Bruce: ....and we should explain, that, in those days, long before the new Southbank centre was built (A Tour of ABC Melbourne’s New Headquarters - Officelovin'), the ABC in Melbourne was set up somewhat differently. Where was it located when you joined the staff?
Pete: In that era, it was called the Australian Broadcasting Commission rather than the Corporation as it is today and it was based at "Broadcast House" in Lonsdale Street
Bruce: ... and which stations were operating from there?
Pete: There was 3LO which was known as the "home service", 3AR, Radio Australia and the news services for the network's Victorian regionals such as Ballarat, Bendigo etc. also beamed out of that building as well.
Bruce: So, you got started in the office. Then you ended up on air. How did that come about?
Pete: I managed to pass one of the auditions that were open to the public on a regular basis. I was still in my teens when I joined the announcing staff
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ABC Melbourne announcers in the '50s
(left to right) Pete Smith, Jocelyn Terry and John Sloan
(Pete Smith collection) |
Bruce: What sort of programs did you present at Lonsdale Street?
Pete: Initially, I just did minor jobs which included occasional news reading. However, I found a niche for myself as host of the ABC's Hit Parade that was broadcast nationally. That was a weekly countdown of the country's Top 10 records. I also did a version on Radio Australia that was beamed overseas via short wave to North America, the British Isles and Asia. In addition to all that, I conducted another teenage program that featured the ABC Melbourne Dance Band and singers such as Gaynor Bunning, Heather Horwood and Frankie Davidson, all of whom did cover versions in the studio of some of the big songs of the day
 |
Off to Work he Goes:
DJ Pete Smith clutching a stack of 45s
heads into Broadcast House to do his weekly "Hit Parade" |
The "Twist" dance craze came to
to Australia in the early '60s when (left to right) American pop stars
Del Shannon, Chubby Checker and Bobby Rydell
meet Melbourne DJs Geoff "The Hound" Haynes (3UZ),
Mike Walsh (3XY?) Pete Smith (ABC), Ernie
Sigley (3DB) and Stan "The Man" Rofe (3KZ)(Pete Smith Collection)
Bruce: There was a lot going on from your viewpoint...
Pete: Indeed. But there was yet another activity happening via Broadcast House and that was FM broadcasting.
Bruce: How fascinating. Tell me more ...
Pete: They had a transmitter on Jolimont Hill above the MCG. However, only enthusiasts who had the relevant, specialized reception equipment could hear it as an FM signal. It was quite revolutionary, being done many years before any commercial FM stations arrived in Melbourne.
Bruce: Very revolutionary. And I should mention that I found an article in the ABC Weekly magazine from 1942 that includes a photo of Leon Phillips who is pictured at the Radio Australia studios with a group of American servicemen who were apparently broadcasting to US troops in the South Pacific. According to the caption, Leon was Recreational Supervisor for the American military.
 |
ABC Weekly, August 29, 1942
|
Pete: Oh, right... interesting
Bruce: So, you gained some on air experience in radio then you made the switch to television at ABV Channel 2 in Ripponlea as host of your own show that had the intriguing title of the Sports View Hit Parade which sounds like a slightly weird combination. What was that all about?
Pete: Indeed, it was an unusual format. But that was way back in the early days of TV when people would watch almost anything LOL !!. It was all new and exciting. Anyway, that show came about simply because the management said, "we want you to do the Hit Parade down at Channel 2".
Bruce: However, the obvious question would have been ....what was going appear on the screen while you played the records"? Of course, unlike running the countdown on radio, there had to be something visual to support the audio
Pete: Clearly, and that was the first thing that I asked them. So, they told me that, because it would be going to air on a Saturday afternoon, they would put sporting results on the screen that were typed on what's known as the "credit crawl" that rolls down in front of the camera. They were, in fact, on toilet paper because it was absorbent and it didn't shine back into the lens. The lady who typed the results was very skilled because she had to miss the perforations in the paper!
Bruce: Tricky..... Was there a studio audience?
Pete: No. It was never done before a live audience
Bruce: Was there anything else happening, visually, apart from the sports results? For example, did you conduct interviews ? Were there any promotional films to go with the hits such as the one that was used to sell Crash Craddock's chart-topper "Boom, Boom Baby" - perhaps the first production of its type ever to be shown on Australian television https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5KAMWnCByM
Pete: I would say that probably was the first. But there weren't many of those at that stage. Although, they did start to crop up as the ' 60s moved on. Of course, they were the forerunner of what became known, much later, as "music videos".
(Note: Pete is being modest about all this by not mentioning the fact that, as he recalled in a television interview some years ago, he "starred" in what was, quite possibly, the first pop music promo film to be shot in Australia...see first link under 'Sportsview Hit Parade" photos below - Bruce)
I didn't do any interviews. It was pretty much just a case of playing the music. However, I quickly got tired of having nothing but sports results so I cut out photos of the stars, stuck them onto pieces of cardboard and flipped them over manually in front of the camera. So, if, for example, Elvis was singing, I would have photos of his face and sometimes action shots that I would flip… Hence what became known as "flip cards". The cut-outs came from magazines like the Women's Weekly or anywhere else I could find them… Never mind the copyright! In the end, over half the records were supported by photos. However, nobody complained about the sporting results being on the screen while, some teen idol was singing because the audience didn't know any better. Anyway, despite its low budget look, it was a popular program that ran for about five years.
(Promotional Films, Music Videos and TV show inserts shot at Phillips - owned attractions...)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyW0SLrXWVE
(Judy Stone "4,003, 221" - Luna Park, Sydney, 1964
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYxG_4tGZ0E
(Johnny O'Keefe "Shout" - Luna Park, Sydney 1960s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XljmO_KPQaM
(Skyhook's "Horror Movie" - Luna Park, Melbourne, 1975
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq9moPpTFZE
(INXS "Listen like Thieves" - Palais Theatre, Melbourne, 1985)
Bruce: And, even more significantly, having a quick glance through the archives, it seems that it was the first youth-orientated pop music show to be produced at Ripponlea, years before "Countdown" and there were quite a few, other, similar programs in between. Looking back, have you ever reflected on your status as being a pioneer for the ABC in that regard? Were you conscious at the time that you were blazing a trail for them?
Pete: No. As already mentioned, everything was being done for the first time and there was a lot of experimenting going on
 |
Presenting his Sports View Hit Parade show on ABV2 (1960)
with Paul Anka's song "Lonely Boy" making it to No.1
(Pete Smith Collection)
|
Bruce: Did you do any other on-air work at ABV? You said that you occasionally read the news on radio. Did you ever present the Channel 2 news?
Pete: No, I never made it into news reading on television. Although, I did a brief stint as a reporter, years later at GTV Channel 9. I was, however, an on-camera "continuity announcer" at Ripponlea where I filled in for the likes of Corinne Kirby and Jocelyn Terri. Basically, the job involved sitting there linking the shows which only ran 24 minutes. So, the extra six minutes that was needed to make up a half-hour block had to be filled with community service announcements etc. That was before videotaped program promotions became a reality. I also hosted several variety shows, most notably one called "Fancy Free" which was a six-part series featuring the ABC Melbourne dance band and local singers just like we had on radio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJg0ty1Qib0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laEwOj5qXNo
Bruce: When and how did you make the move to commercial broadcasting?
Pete: In 1964 I was offered an interesting, multi-faceted role at GTV. It involved booth announcing, doing comedy sketches and live commercials on Graham Kennedy's In Melbourne Tonight and also presenting my own DJ show on radio station 3AK. Channel 9, or more specifically the Packer family, had purchased AK and relocated it from St Kilda to what was known as "Television City" in Bendigo Street, Richmond where Nine was based. In fact, the first 3AK shows from there were broadcast from a caravan that was parked in the courtyard because a state-of-the-art studio complex had not yet been built
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS-7FzpLjnw&t=40s
(3AK program from 1963)
https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20021021033616/http://www.long.com.au/3ak_complete.htm
Bruce: That was another hectic work roster for you...
Pete: Well, most of those duties where shared with others. There were nine booth announcers and quite a few people doing the comedy sketches and commercials on IMT. The booth was very busy in those days. It was not only used to promote upcoming shows but also for a lot of commercials because so much was done live to air. Later, with videotape, the commercials were being fully prerecorded. In the beginning, however, they were, either, shot on 16 mm black-and-white film or done as live reads from the booth with slides being changed to support the script. But I did the AK program by myself.
Bruce: You were a member of the legendary line-up of "Good Guy" DJs at AK along with the likes of Lionel Yorke, Grantly Dee, Bill Howie etc and you did a program called "Pete Smith's Penthouse Party" which, as I understand, became a real favourite with Melbourne teenagers.... according to my chemist who once told me that he was a regular listener
Pete: Yes, it had quite a following. It was basically just a straightforward shift but I used to include a lot of recorded messages from visiting music stars who were in Melbourne....for example... "This is Roy Orbison... you're listening to Pete Smith's Penthouse Party on 3AK" etc. I would go out and record them, usually wherever they were staying in town.
 |
(Left to right) Sammy Davis Jr, Roy Orbison and the Bee Gees
(Pete Smith Collection) |
 |
Publicity pic for 3AK's "Penthouse Party" show
(Peter Smith Collection) |
 |
Pete doing his own production at AK in the '60s
(Pete Smith Collection) |
Bruce: Any second thoughts about leaving the ABC?
Pete: No, not really. But I certainly wasn't unhappy there because I enjoyed what I was doing. However, I felt that being able to do variety, five nights a week, on Melbourne's most popular show - namely In Melbourne Tonight - was a step forward. In the end, the offer to join such a wonderful company of players was just too appealing to knock back and I accepted.
Bruce: ... and you were ideally suited to that sort of program in terms of your skill set. We spoke earlier, for example, about miming records. But I doubt that many people are aware that you're a competent singer in your own right. You can definitely "hold a tune". Indeed, there's a video doing the rounds which features you performing quite a complex production number with considerable panache .......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOiUuCWJa18&t=3s
Pete: The thing was you had to be able to do just about everything on those big variety shows. We did comedy sketches, live commercials, a bit of singing and dancing, occasional interviews... once I even stepped in to host the program. It was a great training ground for all of us.
(Left to right) Pete chatting with Graham Kennedy on "The Graham Kennedy Show" (1970s).Presenting a live commercial for Colvan Chips on "In Melbourne Tonight" (1960s)
Graham and Peter doing a comedy sketch on "IMT" (1960s)
(Pete Smith collection)
Bruce: Well... we have barely touched on the initial part of what turned out to be a very long and successful career - one that has continued, unbroken, all the way from the 1950s right up to the present day. You worked, not only with Graham and Bert, but also Ernie Sigley, Denise Drysdale and Don Lane. Then, you reached a whole new audience with radio and television programs such as the D-Generation, Micallef Tonight, Martin and Molloy, Frontline and the Late Show. And, even today, when most of your contemporaries have put up their feet to enjoy retirement, you're back on air, with D-Gen alumni, Tony Martin, as part of a monthly podcast called "'From the Hideout" which is getting rave reviews... and I will provide a link at the end of all this....
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