3AW Remember WhenTrask's Time Tunnel - 1977 - Kevin Trask with Simon and Andrew - 15 Jun, 2025
Kevin Trask takes Andrew, Simon, Ben and listeners on a trip back to 1977. Hear Trask's Time Tunnel at 10.15pm every Sunday evening on 3AW or catch up with the podcast here.
Kevin Trask's Time Tunnel. The Blind Factory's Birthday sale is on Big Savings Call one three Blinds or head to the Blind Factory dot com dot au. Before it ends.
It's time to go back and remember the people, events and music to.
The soundtrack of our lives with Trasks Time Tunnels. Well, yes, it's good to be in the Time Tunnel tonight. It takes me back to a year, a year for me that I found out the truth about Jillian Patterson who lived out three doors down. But for that, there were many other events of that year, were there Jillian Patterson.
I'm waiting for the movie. I'm angel waiting for what he's talking about. What was the secret?
I'm not going to reveal her. I don't kiss and tell.
Oh, I see, I'm not one of those I see. Okay, well, fair Enough'll just leave it at that.
Thank you.
Hello, Jillian. If you're listening, she won't. Is she an ABC listener? Is she?
No? We're moving off a lah. I'm not going to discuss any further.
But that was the year, and the year was nineteen seventy seven.
What a year.
It's only forty eight years ago.
Hmmm, Jilliana worried Jillian would be ninety three?
Would she good? Is she the one who taught you that dance you did before they ad braged?
That's it? God bless you, Jillian the ankle and foot Well.
Elvis Presley passed away in nineteen seventy seven, and I guess what was it? The sixteenth of August nineteen seventy seven. And I guess we all remember where we were when we got the news that Elvis had died.
Because I was six and I didn't do I didn't know Elvis.
But remember where where are you? Kevin?
I was at work. I was working in Telstra or Telecom in those days, and I got a phone call and I was sitting at my desk and I'm still with you know, just sitting at my desk, and I couldn't believe it. I could. I couldn't believe Are you sure? Are you sure?
I got a telegram from Jillian Patterson?
Did you?
I just couldn't believe what.
I opened that envelope at the front door.
I just ab broke down.
I will look at that's just the way is thist it? You know, you're you don't seem to remove by the it was a very soft hearted. I get too caught up with people emotional.
Anyway, Elvis died, which was very sad and a bit of a shock because I don't think very few all in Australia, very few people knew that he was ailing.
Really he was well.
He was very sick, wasn't it. He's been on all sorts of medications. He lost the interest in recording around about nineteen seventy six. RCA used to drive a truck out to to Gracelands and set it all the recording studio up so he didn't have to go anywhere, just do the songs. But he sort of no, no, no, things had gone bad with Priscilla and his daughter and things like that.
He lost his mojo.
He lost his mojo and unfortunately he passed away. And we're going to listen to the news report in just a second. But you know, he lived at Graceland and was found at Graceland by Joe espasdo what is it? I think found him in the bathroom.
Yeah, well he was one to be Yeah, the Memphis Maffia, wasn't it.
Yeah? Yeah, so Elvis himself. I loved Elvis. I still even though the movies are really bad. I like to see the songs, and couple of the movies are good. There's a couple of Elvis Presley memories that are good. But he'll be around for a long long time and very I'd love to go to Graceland. Have either of you been to Graceland? No, I haven't known.
Well, I've been there, but he was still alive. So I just I just stood outside side the gates. Did you see him? No, people were waiting around. Apparently he'd been out earlier in the morning. The car had come out, and a few of the people. They just people were just standing here for an hour after hour.
I waiting to see Oliver.
Yeah. Yes, there are always people at the front apparently always.
Oh what a life? Yes, yeah, Oh, well that's great. So let's go to the news report in nineteen seventy seven on the passing of Elvis Presley.
Well, everything has happened to me so fast in the last.
Year and a half till I'm all mixed up, you know.
I mean, I can't keep believe.
Everything is happening.
Any news. Elvis Presley suddenly dies in Memphis. I'm Anne Marie Dear, the King of rock and roll, forty two year old Elvis Presley suddenly died of what doctors believe was respiratory failure this afternoon. Anita Help has a complete report in the Baptist's Hospital in Memphis.
There probably several hundred people in front of Baptist's Hospital. They all can't believe that Elvis Presley, the King of rock and roll, is dead, has reported from Maurice Elliott's vice president of administration for Baptist Hospitals, and Elvisi's road manager. Joe Spizito, found Elvis in his bedroom at two thirty this afternoon, unconscious midreds the Zito reported that he's found no vital signs at the time, but he immediately began resuscitation efforts and the Memphis Fire Department ambulance was called. Resubpitation in fort Worth continued. He arrived at the hospital about three o'clock this afternoon, and Baptist's Hospital's Special Harvey Team, a special team of emergency resuscitation experts, began work on Elvis's body. Their efforts were futile after about thirty minutes. Doctor George Mecopolis, Elvis's personal physition for many years, pronounced Elvis Presley was dead.
I've never heard the full report like that before. You haven't, No, yes, yes, you imagine the shock throughout the world. Yeah, I say, you'd say, yeah, sure? Are you sure?
My next my next door neighbors were very big Golf's Presley fans. They used to play a lot of his music, so they would have been very upset. I'm just I'm a bit too young to really remember it.
I'm sad. I know someone who you know him to.
His first name is Don, who has all the Elvis Son original forty fives. He recorded five records for Son and Don has the five, which would be worth a fair old bit, wouldn't they.
Ye has to be worth should tell Rick Milnan about that?
Yeah?
Yeah, I think Rick was in his day when he did collect records. I think he had the five too, but he sold them since then.
Okay maybe so yeah.
Quick quiz time, Kevin, Here we go boys.
Who played the role of car the little Dutch girl in the TV series The Sullivans. Was it a Danny Minogue, B Tina Arena, C Kylie Minogue or d Sigrid Thornton Little Carla?
Okay, I'm gonna go just like go first, certainly, I'm thinking I don't recall Danny and Tina ever doing any acting, just myself, so that narrows it down to me to Kylie and Sigrid. But I'm sure Kylie's first role was in The Henderson Kids or something. So I'm going to go SIGRed, I'm going to go d Sigrid.
Ben, I'm going to I disagree with Simon. I wonder if Tina Arenas actually done some acting, so I'm probably going to go Tina Arena.
I'm going to go Tina too, Tina too, Tina too? What about Greg? Who's with us tonight? Greg? Any thoughts? I'm going to go Danny Minogue, even though you know I said that you don't think she acted fair enough?
All right, so we've got Danny, Tina, and Cigarette and no one's gone Kylie. Yeah, all right, the answers, please, Kevin.
The answers are locked in by our judges. There's no changing things now. No correspondence will be entered into. Of course, the it wasn't Danny Minogue. Greg, I'm terribly sorry. Not Danny Minogue. Was She's out.
It wasn't Kylie.
It wasn't. It wasn't Tina Arena. It wasn't Tina. Okay, so there's been and Andrew just bite the dust and it wasn't Sigared Thornt. I was ky I can't believe this. Not one person has gone for Kylie Mino. She did might have started out the head of some kids, but in the Subtlemon she had this role which ran for a couple of weeks.
Okay, I never knew Carla the little Dutch girl.
Yeah, because I only think of Kylie's neighbors early.
She was in what was that one? Sky Ways? She had a pot roll in that too, Yes, yes she had.
She did all the little bits, little bits and pieces. Neighbors was the big one. But yeah, yeah, lots of little acting roles before.
She still acts every so often because she did like a Doctor Who episode about fifteen years ago.
I think, yes, that's every so often.
Yeah.
She made a number of.
Films and did a film with Dwayne the Rock Johnson.
I'm pretty sure well she did yeah in Queensland. Yes, so there all right, So I don't go and congratulate anybody because nobody got it.
There is no single brain cell among any of us.
We all missed that one.
All right, let's let's do television. In nineteen seventy seven, before the break, Kevin, we were watching things like.
Cup Shop, The Sweeney, the dick Emery Show, A Little House on the Schmaltz which was very popular, George and Mill, Hildred Bell Bird, and of course the Don Lane Show. And I thought the Don Lane Show was just fantastic. I thought Don was great and we're very lucky to have him as a compaer of that show.
And they got big names on that show.
Dean Martin was on one night on a link on a TV link.
Yeah, Chldon Heston and they Bob Hope and yeah, big, big overseas names.
There is a guy who's putting up episodes of the Don Lane Show on YouTube. I don't know where he's getting them from, but they're going up there. So get onto YouTube. You can see full Don Lane Show.
Episodes now wonderful. Well, of course, at this time, Burt and Patty Newton were doing the album The Famous Album, which is a record collect I've got one at home, yeah where thousands of Now I would imagine I've got one as well.
So we're both Ridge, we're both ye Andrew.
Family common as Buck but from the album. They did this song on the Don Lane Show, and I think it's It's Love and Marriage by Bert Newton and Patty Newton.
Do you remember the night we decided to get married?
Oh?
Yes, We're on Redeck, sailing.
Into the night, two first class tickets on the Manly Verry.
The moon was high.
What a proposal, pat Black, I'm enough carriage to ask me.
I don't burst.
Try try try to separate them. It's an illusion.
Try, try, try, and he will only come.
To this conclusion and reach love, reach goats again. The horse and carriage that was told by Bye, you can't have one, you can't have none, you can't have one without me.
That is good to hear their voice, isn't it isn't wonderful.
I don't think they're both good singers.
Yeah, in Burt in his own very theatrical, but it was good.
I like you.
I liked him.
Who died in nineteen seventy seven?
Who died in ninety seventy seven.
That's that's the question we will be answering. Yeah, exactly, Kevin, Yeah, you've made a mistake. According to Grant Brown, what did I say? This is how closely people pay attention.
Is it the vice president Grand Brown, the vice president of the coffee club? It is? This would be important and he has let us know.
If we went back to the end of last week's episode when Kevin talks about what.
Year are we doing next? Yes, I know what he's going to say. Kevin said he was going to be doing nineteen seventy, So.
Now it's under pressure, and yet here we are doing seventy seven.
Yes, he's quite right because he never misses what we're going to do. Wow. Order to happen, Kevin, you don't get to be vice president of the Philip Brady Coffee Club. You've got to be pretty smart.
So what where was the gum up in the works? Why explain why?
I think I just might have a little bit of a folk came across the brain. I had seconds to say it, and no one asked me what we're doing next week? And I just threw in a year.
That was all the well with Grant there clearly has a very good memory and a very good numbers man and all of those. Good man, when you when you upset the president and you're the vice president.
I think I'm the president of the president.
That's what I'm saying, you're the president and the vice president's having a crack at you. I think his vice presidency might be short lived. I'm going to try and sort of become turbulent waters here. Let's just move on, will we come? Ontett, both of these teacher simon that temper. Don't let it go, mate, Fine who died in seventy seven.
Well, quite a few, Charlie Chaplin, Gamo Marx passed away. Oh yes, Joan Crawford, Richard Carlson, who was in it came from out of space. We took and met him a few weeks ago. Bing Crosby passed away. And Groucho Marx he was eighty six when he died in nineteen seventy seven.
So Gummo and Groucher both eys in.
The same year.
Yeah.
It's strange, isn't it? But anyhow, I love Groucho. There's a lot of things he said that you could never say on radio. But he was a funny man. And one of the things he did say is anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough. But he was in thirteen feature films, and he created that character with the painted on mustache and the cigar and the dress coat and all the things that he did to make that character work.
You know how the painted on mustache happened? No, when originally he used to put on he used to glue on a fake mustache when he was doing the show, the stage shows this was. And one day he was just running so late. He arrived as the curtain was going up. So he's just got some grease painting just smeared across his lip to put on a false mustache, and he thought, oh, that's actually easier, So that's what he did. From that point on.
Fun works. Well, yeah, funny man, it was all cause because he was late. They made thirteen feature films, those brothers, the Marx Brothers, and he had a TV show called You Bet Your Life. We're gonna have a little bit of that now. And he's got as on the contestants, two young Australians who'd left Sydney to break into show business in America, and they got the big, big break by being on the show. And they finished up in an episode of Star Trek. And I'm talking about the guard Twins. And they were country and western country and western singers and they're both gone to God now, but they were terrific. I did an interview with him and it was terrific to talk to the Guard brothers as they spoke to Groucho Marx.
We have a couple of brothers on deck now. They're Ted and Tom Laguard. So boy to come in please and meet raouta marks, Welcome to you about your life. Save a second wad and divide an extra one hundred dollars. It's a comment. Why it's something you see every day? Ted and term Legard quadruplets twins? I thought so because you're both wearing the same kind of neckties. Why are your boys firm? Well? I went from Mackay and North Queensland, Australia. Is that the real McCoy? A lot of people call it and a lot of people call.
The mafie if the scunner?
Why you said the sacred word?
You said the sacred word?
People?
So you and your father each get fifty dollars, it's fifty and fifty f dad.
Are you married Tom?
Now?
We're single?
No? This his term is I'm Tom?
Or your term? Or are you married now? We're not married? You're not married?
About single?
Right?
If we meet a couple of twins, like a lot of twins.
You mean you one four.
Twin girls we meet, the twin girls will get.
Married, he would, or wouldn't it be confusing for twins to marriage. You'd never know whether you were kissing you away or squeezing your sister.
In life, good old Groucho is only good. Yeah.
He was very quick witted, yes, which suited that format, which was why he was offered that show because Groucho had done other stuff before. But the producer who wanted him to do that show, Graucho said no, I'm not interested at all, And he said, but that's where you can add lib and it will really work for you. So he was sort of reluctantly did it and ended up loving doing it.
Yeah, than for years two at America. Peter Finch died in seventy seven.
Sixty only sixty. I know he he like a drop of the turps and he was. Yeah, he had a pretty heavy life and he actually fought in the Second World War. He was a good all around. A film met him and had a photo taken with him, and he worked with Diancelento, the wife of Sean Connery in a film and I spoke to Diane Salento about her memories of Peter Finch. In nineteen fifty five, you did Passage Home with Peter Finch, I think the first film you did with Peter Finch, and of course Peter Finch being in Australian and working in radio and then making them move and there's a great photo of you and Peter Finch together. I noticed in the book the other day, and what was Peter Finch? What do your memories of Peter Finch.
I adored Peter, who was actually at that time heavily involved in having an affair with Vivian Lee, so he was sort of brother occupied in the evenings. He used to come back completely tired from being up in Stratford and sort of well, I don't know quite conducting this extraordinary affair that he had. But he was incredibly protective of me, and because I was just starting and he was real, I just loved him. He was just so nice. I mean, he taught me all sorts of interesting mad things, right. He taught me to sand fly dance as aborigin you do. We used to do that in the bar at the Pinewood Studios. On the mind boggles double, all sorts of mad things.
Like that wonderful, wonderful they are Tooyan Peter Finch. And but that did a lot of bed hopping, didn't they? In Hollywood and in the film industry. They're hearing who he was engaged with, shall we say, Kevin, It's a world I didn't quite experience and got into radio.
Then it became endemic. Yeah, of course, it became well out of control.
Actually, at one point we all were just so many beds, so much hopping, it was ridiculous. Yeah, and I know you were involved in some of some of the heaviest bed hopping I've ever seen.
Well, I don't like to talk about it or brag.
They called you the mattress.
Yeah.
Anyway, moving on, Kevin.
Films of nineteen seventy seven, is that what you were going to say, Andrew?
Probably, I've got a far away look at my eye now he's reminiscing.
You're gonna watch over that.
Fog it's floating around the studio. Happened to be last week. There were films like Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Saturday Night Fever in the Getting of Wisdom came out in nineteen seventy seven along with New York, New York.
Now.
This film starred Liza Manelli and Robert de Niro, and either of you have seen that.
Yes, it was a bit heavy going.
Yeah, it wasn't that someone with the Sailors singing New York, New York a wonderful.
Yeah, that's team Kelly.
It's a different it's a different New York, New different New York.
This is Robert and and he was sort of a sax player, that's right.
A moody sax player was There was nothing worse than a moody sax player.
Yeah. Yeah, Well, this this particular film had a song in it written by.
You're right, Hendrick gets upset reminiscing about moody sax players.
John Kanda and Fred m wrote this song.
He had a running with Wilbert Wilde once and he's never forgiven him, which is called New York, New York.
And he became famous for Frank Sinadra. Oh yes, and this is the word started in this ninety seven seventh film, and three years later Sinatra has the big hit. But it was e Liza Minelli singing it in the film.
A Little Town, No No.
Ah, Mega Brand New sort of it in all New York.
To your.
New Yorr new.
For wacome see a dozen sneeze.
Too fine, I'm king on a hill. Hell a listen Quema Hama time the cord, the thought of it in New York as ban.
Anywhere, come on comes through.
New y How good is Liza Manelli?
She was fantastic And it's a great song, isn't it? It is?
Yeah, great song, but she had this wasn't a hit for her. It was just in the movie.
And then a couple of years later son Artrodizer and it becomes this international, multimillion selling disc.
It did, yeah it really? It re reignited. Is that the word reignited Snata's career? It did you?
Now, just before we break and get to the mystery voice, I may have implied the wilber Wilde was a grumpy sax ofphoners. But I've done our codes training, so I should I know, I should issue a retraction there and say wilber wild is not a grumpy sax ofphoners.
A lot of the slide.
Now it's what I've been thinking of another wilbur No No, I was thinking of Joe Kamaliary but still there. That's no I no, that's that was another joke. Just those who don't know the difference. They're both lovely guys. Just get it, will break, all right, Yeah, mystery voice after this It is mystery voice time. We invite you to be a part of this on zero four double seven six nine three six nine three via text.
How does it work?
I hear you all ask? Kevin Trask is going to play a mystery voice for us. We're all going to try and guess who it is. If you think you know, text your answer to that number zero four double seven six nine three six nine three and see if you can guess before we do. And when we finally do get it, we'll reveal your answers and find out who was the first person to correctly guess. Kevin, you usually give us a.
Clue, Well, yes, I do. I just do that to be kind m M. And I'll do it again tonight. Please, no, no, no need to thank me. It's a bail.
When I was that I served a term as office boy.
To when a term needs form a glean winners and a sweat the floor and a polish on the handle of the big foundaor.
I polish the handle so carefully that now I have the ruler of the Queen's a office boy.
I made such a mark that he gave me the post of a junior clerk.
I saved the ritz for the smile. So bland and it coming on. It's a big ground.
Hand, well skill and san obviously. But will it be a British entertainer.
No Australian, Yes, yeah, I'm thinking yeah, I thought I thought would it be Chater?
Are you saying Gordon Chater?
I am saying Gordon Chaeter?
No, Max Gillies very very good. Well, no that's not Max.
I'm going to do something around it. It's not a Philip Brady.
Is it not a Philip Brady? No?
Okay, television star yes, stage work.
Yes, still with us.
No, okay, that rules out.
I was going to say Gary McDonald was going to be my.
Next guess is based in Sydney.
I don't think so. No, it wasn't. Okay.
That rules out the next guess, which was Lucky Girls.
No, not burd Newton, Stuart wag Staff good, yes, no not Stuart.
Were they on a popular television show or movie.
At the time. Yes, And we're talking in nineteen seventy seven. Don't forget Graham Kennedy, not Graham Kennedy.
Was it a were they acting in this show or where they present?
Put on your ben You're right asking good questions. The first part is correct. They were acting acting Ross Higgins, not Ross Higgins.
I thought I had Oh yeah, that was yeah.
Paul, he used to be here comparing the show Paul.
Paul Paul Cronin. Is that's your answer?
Yes, Nos, Craky, you might so, why didn't you focus on the TV show?
Yeah, so a drama TV show? Yes?
Was it a riscue drama like ninety six or something?
No, it wasn't Sullivan's. Sullivan's is correct?
Oh, or we just played Dale Kerrigan in the Castle. We were just talking about Michael Michael Caton.
Michael Caton was in the Sutons for a long long time. No, he was, Oh yeah, he's.
To him, the guy who played the barman in the Sullivan Reg Gorman, my best friend him.
That wasn't the light range.
That's is ridiculous.
No, it's not. You're on the right track, Norman. Ye, Norman Yam is correct.
Thank you, well done? Yes, there, Well we're running out of cast members of the solemn word.
That's okay, you got a correct and Norman, well done.
Good god, he was handling it very well. I thought, well he was.
He was in men of La Mancha and lots of shirts. Can can we actually hear that again? Greg? Can we have another listen to? Norman? Yim'd be good to.
When I was that I served the term as office boy.
To win a term needs from a glean winners and a sweat the floor and a polished on the handle of the big fund.
I publish the handles carefully that now I have the ruler of the Queen's name.
As office boy, I made such a mark that he gave me the post of a junior Clark. I saw the ritz with a smile, so bland and it comes a big ground.
And.
That is marvelous.
All right, we'll reveal who the winner was after the break. We've got to get to a break so we can get to the songs of nineteen seventy seven.
Back in a sec.
Right, let's have a look, Kevin at the popular songs of nineteen seventy seven.
Please, okay, boys, who's sang Tonight's the night? Rod Stewart correct? Your lover has lifted me higher and higher.
That would be Rita Coolidge, correct, who had incredible I met her most incredible shiny hair.
She did, I believe. Yes, I'm not denying it, but.
We're running read.
I'm sorry.
You want to move on?
Yes, torn between two lovers, between two Marry McGregor. She was the very the musical wishbone dancing queen Abba.
You make me feel like dancing.
Leo Sayer telephone line Ello Wow hundred.
Hotel California.
Yes, daring, such Southern nights, sounn Campbell think campb Tony McManus is horrified that you and I don't like the Eagles.
They say that such a lovely place where more time or a.
Screen we'll be.
We'll be in for hiding in about an hour's time when I need you.
Leo Sayer again, Correct, don't give up on us.
Don't give up on us, baby dude, because we love you so Dobie Brothers No, No, David soul.
Ah, everyone right. So I'm going to hit you with one more. Blinded by the.
Light Blind's version in seventy seven, people was trying to work out the rolling down the highway like a juice poop or something, and I'm very impressed. I'm very wrapped up like a juice. Another rolling, just keep rolling through the knights.
That was it, and one of the bigger hits of nineteen seventy seven was Living next Door to Alice and it was an Australian song actually recorded by the British group Smoking great song.
Let's take it to news where we're going next week, Kevin, it's a bit about.
In nineteen eighty. We'll see if that comes true.
You, Kevin, be listening for that.
Jenny of Mary Warren guessed Norman the En. Well done, Jenny, you're the winner.
