I haven’t updated this for ages. But I’ll start putting some links to articles I’ve written. Here is one on singers turned actors.
The other Saturday I was on Film Buff’s Forecast to talk about the passing of Michael Cimino and Euan Lloyd. A link is attached. (I’m about 1’10 in.)
It’s always nice to be asked back to something? The other Saturday I went into 3RRR to chat “The Richard Burton Diaries” with Paul Harris on 3RRR. A link is here.
The other week Paul Harris was kind enough to invite me back to Film Buffs Forecast on 3RRR to chat about Charlie Brackett and his diaries. You can listen here. (I’m one hour in.)
A documentary on the life and times of Rod Taylor, Rod Taylor: Pulling No Punches, debuted on Foxtel last week. Full disclosure: I’m in it, and am credited as “consultant” – probably the only time in my life I’ll ever co-star with Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson, Rod and Tippi Hedren (among others).
There’s some great “talking heads” especially Rod himself, who was interviewed before he died. It features many of the people I was unable to talk with for my book – Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury, Murray Niedorf, Stephan Elliot and Rod himself. Worth checking out – the trailer is here.
It’s a weird sensation when someone you’ve written a book about dies. I never actually met Rod Taylor but I would have spent, I guess, two years researching and writing about his life and career. I’m sad I never got the chance to meet him but he had a wondrous life – a working class kid from Lidcombe who got to travel the world, make a lot of money, do a job he loved, have flings with a succession of glamorous women and act in a lot of terrific films and TV shows. He also made lots of friends, got to marry his soul mate (his third time at bat but better late than never!) and from all accounts he kept active and engaged until the end. And for twenty years he was the biggest Aussie star in Hollywood – Vale Rod, and thanks for such adventures.
Mark Hartley and Paul Harris were kind enough to have me on Film Buff’s Forecast on Jan 31 to talk about the life and times of Rod Taylor. A link to the interview is here. It’s about 57 mins in.
See also here.
Stephen Vagg 