OBSERVER: Philip Brady, take your bow
Observer Editor Ash Long pens some memories of a 50-year friendship with Philip Brady
In 1975 – half-a-century ago – I was the ambitious 18-years-young newspaper reporter. I had secured the only interview of the time with Ernie Sigley, whose twice-a-week variety programs were blitzing the GTV-9 ratings.
Part of Ernie’s team included TV journeymen Philip Brady and Pete Smith, and lifelong friendships began there and then.
Perhaps my first conversation with Philip was at a Channel 9 promotion at the BHP Theatrette. It was memorable because Philip had what comedy writer Mike McColl Jones called ‘Fanta’ coloured hair, all in readiness for colour television.
Philip had started at Channel 9 on Good Friday 1958, as a 17-year-old booth announcer on a two-week assignment. One role was as ‘Prince Philip’ in The Tarax Show featuring Ron Blaskett and Gerry Gee.
Television legend Graham Kennedy took a shine to Philip, eyeing him as a ready target for gags. Kennedy, the Freemason, loved poking fun at Brady, the Xavier boy. Such were the times in Melbourne in the 50s and 60s.
Philip graduated to having his own IMT programs each week, when the show was running four times a week.
Over the journey, he had his own TV programs including Concentration and Everybody’s Talking for Nine; and Moneymakers, Junior Moneymakers, Casino Ten, Get The Message and Password for the 0–10 Network.
Philip was later to ‘warm-up’ the audiences for the Steve Vizard Show, and in the 1990s made weekly appearances on Bert Newton’s Good Morning Australia (as did I).
Philip had worked on radio since the early days of Channel 9, when the owners – the Packer family – extracted value from their on-air staff by having them each do shifts on their radio station 3AK.
This experience came in handy for Phil when there were cutbacks in the TV industry, and he took on the morning program at a radio station in Murwillumbah/Tweed Heads on the NSW/Queensland border.
Philip, out of work, had been advised by his agent to buy a Mercedes-Benz, to give the appearance of success and prosperity.
A remarkable chapter in showbiz industry came around 1990 when the Remember When and Nightline programs became vacant at 3AW.
Philip, always with a business brain, came up with the solution for the Sunday night nostalgia program: he found the sponsor (State Trustees) and he found his on-air partner Bruce Mansfield.
And so began a showbiz partnership that continued until Bruce’s death in 2016.
I became heavily involved with Bruce and Phil in the mid-1990s. Bruce wanted to copy the success that Sydney radio man John Laws had with his best-selling books full of poetry pieces.
So, I published the best selling Nightlines books, which the duo sold at personal appearances everywhere. The books, in several print runs, were best sellers. The personal appearances did not harm the already-high Nightline ratings.
There were Nightline wall calendars, the Nightline magazine, and then the Mansfield’s Melbourne nightly TV programs on Optus (later on Channel 31).
Phil was a willing contributor. He made special appearances on Bruce’s TV programs.
This was quite special, because behind-the-scenes, Bruce and Phil did not get on particularly well. Philip would have loved a full friendship with his on-air partner, but that was not to Bruce’s liking.
As his TV producer, Bruce told me that he wanted to keep a distance from Phil in their private hours away from the microphone. He told me that Philip enjoyed his Saturday nights, often in dress-up.
Philip would also travel widely to all points of the globe, sometimes staying in youth hostels. Bruce viewed this with disdain.
Around that time, prominent Australian personality John-Michael Howson declared himself as gay. Who knew?
JMH, who filed a column weekly for us from Hollywood, told me that Philip had implored him not to ‘out’ him.
The Melbourne fans loved him anyway. Philip provided ‘comfort radio’ to many thousands, easing their day with a friendly voice and a reassuring tone until midnight.
After Bruce’s passing, Philip continued on radio with hosts including Paul Cronin, Marty Fields and Simon Owens.
Off-stage we continued to enjoy his Brady Bunch coffee mornings and lunches. He loved bringing guests to the twice-a-year Survivors functions.
Philip Brady laughed about his 67 years in show business, pointing out that he did not sing, he did not dance, and he did not tell jokes.
He knew that HE was the show.
Rest in peace, Philip Brady. An Australian showbiz legend.