Evenings with Leith ForrestThursday of last week, Viickla Grande is here with his books of the week, and he mentions that he's reading a book called on Blonde, a book about famous blondes. We took your phone calls on your favorite Blonde, and then we got a call from Marge of Hamstead Gardens that brought a new name to the show that I was unfamiliar with.
You remember Bretzel.
She was a dancer, Go Go dance it with the Big Booby.
She was very famous.
Here, very famous Big Pretzel. So he thought, okay, we might have to do a little bit of digging on this. As you heard just before the news John from Oakland's Past.
He could have been married when I had her sitting on my knee saying.
They give us a little kiss with.
You the Funny Side Motel at Port Broughton.
And it was back in the early seventies.
So who is this Big Pretzel again? I'm going to put it down to my age. I'll put it down to the fact that I wasn't living in Adelaide until the early to mid nineties. But everyone was very excited at the thought of hearing from Big Pretzel. So it gives me great pleasure to welcome Patricia Wordsworth now Patricia Kennedy aka Big Pretzel. Lovely to have you on, Patricia, how are you?
And good evening to you too, liv and all your listeners there in the land of five double A.
Do you know I don't think I've had a guest come on a recent time, Patricia as excited as you. In terms of the audience members, they were so and apologies because again I'm not yet fifty. I'm unfamiliar with the legend of Big Pretzel, but you certainly made an impression.
Well you're young enough to be my son, aren't you. I wonder you don't remember that.
Yeah.
No, I did retire for a few years and had a couple of babies and all that sort of thing, So I guess I fell out of you for a little while. But then I came back after having kids and decided I still love entertaining. I just love enterstaining, Love being up on the stage, love all the music, love all the dancing I'm singing.
I want to talk to you if I can, about your career and about what you're doing now and your life, because obviously you did, as I say, made such an impact here in Adelaide for such a long time. I put a photo up of you over the weekend, Patricia, when I knew you were coming on the show, and people have been commenting I'd love to read some of these to you because this might be a trip down memory lane for you. James says, a regular on the Ernie Sigley Show back in the day you were on. Was at Adelaide? Tonight you're on with Ernie?
Yeah? Yeah, did all did all the shows of anything that was going. I seemed to be on and doing, which is lovely.
Jeff says, Ben Wi will never be the same.
He must have been there for the shows in January nineteen sixty six with the Bobby limbshow that I went over with.
Yes, Christine says I had to stand Patricia when she played Mother's School netble. I needed to step out my netball.
I loved netball to death, I really do. We as young mums at Darlington Primary School there in Adelaide, and both my children one was in here one the other was in kindergarten. And some very fun ladies that I got to meet there and they're all saying we need to do something to keep it. How do you keep fit, and I said, well, dance still. I do jazz, palet and stuff like that to keep it. And they said, if anybody like playing sport, and I went, oh, I used to love ladies basketball. It was called when I was only sixteen, and they looked at me, went ladies basketball. Do you mean nettle net? But it was called ladies basketball. You had to wear just something in knee and your skirt came wrong down to your neck. Anyway, things changed a lot, uniform and all the rest of it, but the FuMB and enjoyment of the game never went away. I loved it and still do to this day. I don't play anymore. At seventy eight. You're sort of like a little bit. Oh what you used?
I never know. There's always Mark Well, Christine remembers she was you might have been a bit too tall for at least, says back in the day of twenty four our television telethons Big, as her friends would call her, used to appear at about three am to liven up the donations. Do you have great memories of the telethons?
I believe that worked quite well. I got a lot of letters each year. I got a letter from the organizers and all that thinking as for coming in, I'd be there and a couple of other entertainers that had worked the gig that they were doing, because we were doing two shows the night at the Paprika Nightclub. The first one was a dinner show and then the next one was not on until midnight, so that wouldn't finish until about one thirty in the morning, so the time he got changed and all the rest of it, and then raced over the television studio and did a performance. I remember dancing the Go Go with one of the commentators that was on there. Anyway, that was memories.
Carrie Anne says, my dear de Party Popper had big Pretzels autograph. He was a big fan of the pretzel. Stewart says, I remember seeing Pretzel at LaBelle Club in Heinley Street in nineteen eighty when she was eighteen. She was the co host between the acts.
No, I didn't come to Adelaide until I was like I may have been there, but I didn't come to Adelaide until I was twenty. I had my twenty first birthday in Adelaide. I came to Adelaide in August of nineteen sixty six. I'd been to Vietnam earlier that year, so the dates were a little bit wrong there.
Did you do something with the impersonator read skeleton something something know, Maybe there's a confusion there with one.
No, that's not me anyway.
Can we talk about so again? I was looking and when I mentioned this to you, and the text across the weekend. So when your name popped up last week, I looked up online and thought, oh, this would be a fun chat for the show. The first thing that popped up, and there's a number of photos of you is the Virtual War Memorial, and there's so many great photos of you on tour and the soldiers in the background, the military forces just loving everything. And as you and I had that conversation, you know, friends of show like Bev Harrell and Ann Wills and Bob who's said in this chair for so long, that is so great that you all did that and perform for the troops.
Yeah, well it was special to all of that us, and we know what it did for the guys over there, and I've had conversations with them in later days, like probably ten fifteen years ago would have been some and then many at Vietnam. That consence I used to run in Adelaide from all years two thousand or was it nineteen ninety nine or two thousands through till until we came away up here, and that was in twenty twelve. Twenty thirteen. Twenty twelve would have been my last concert that I actually organized and all the rest of it. But yeah, we did one every time. It was around Vietnam that day which is Long Tan, the battles Long Chan. It was commemorating and yeah, so anything close to the end of August. And we did concerts every year when got some studies, zacts come down, like from the very first one, I've actually got that running order here in front of me. The Army Ban of South Australia performed, Beth Harrell of course, my darling friends and Johnny Mack performed and Castherine Lamb that she was always wonderful Alan she was. Quartette featuring bed Sans was on and Dinah Lee came down from Sydney and Evan Jones, who's the local there, but he was do you remember.
The pushbike grave friend Graham Corns, Yes, absolutely right, Yeah.
So yeah, the Brothers performed there and Lucky Star was on and that was just one one concert, the very first one. Because I had asked a few friends that I'd been performing shows with around Australia, like quite a few in Brisbane, Sydney, down in not so about Lord Sinston. We went to and I worked with all these wonderful entertainers and had all been over Vietnam, and like Normany Rowe as well, they'd all been over there and performing and they all said yes. The very first concert, I had some wonderful entertainers on. The second one more entertainers on and it just a little pad was in that next one, and Frankie Davison, John Schuman, my wonderful friend, lifetime friend there, Damald Lee again and oh local acts of course, including Bev Parrel. I don't think we hardly put a concert on with our little Bev joining. Isn't being part of it?
Isn't she Bev? And I need to thank John Shuman too, because he was the one who was able to reconnect the two of us. So I do think John for that. Where's the where's the origin? Where's the legend of Big Pretzel come from? How did that name come about? For you?
Okay? Yeah, my mum and dad did not christen me big Pretzel, that's for sure. When I was working at the Latin Porter in Sydney, Now I got that job not through my ballet skial skills. That they were looking for more dancers that come and do some of the newer dance moves and things like that. The go go was just starting to hit the shores of Australia. And anyway, I got excuse me, started to dance. I need a little sip of water, started dancing, and Sheila Cruz as a choreographer, and she went, okay, you come to the auditions, and we all got there. On the audition day. They were looking for six extra girls and I happen to be one that they chose because she said, you've got great rhythm, yes, and yes you can dance. Then an old teacher, everything else you need to know.
And were you eating a pretzel at the time? Do you resemble a pretzel? Are you what's now?
Yeah? Now that part of it. Yeah, Ricky May was a compare at that particular time. Is a wonderful singer before your time?
No, well you know my Ricky Mays. It's a knockout, is what I remember Ricky from as a kid.
He is. He was just such a nanic singer and the best rhythm, the best of everything. But anyway, he also had a crazy sense of humour. And at this Latin called a nightclub, there was an upstairs downstairs stage effect going on, but sometimes you come in through the kitchen area to get to the lower part of the state.
I'd be there.
Worthy was fine Ricky in the kitchen sampling everything, and he'd say, hey, Prep. He'd always called me pres and why was that because he considered me quite skinny but with pumps on so like a like a pretzau, a slim Jane Pretzels for things in those days were just sick with little salted bumps all over them. Anyway, that was his sense of humor, and the God blessing the name stuck, and everybody in the show used to call me Pretzel Pretzook. And then they were looking for someone to entertain our troops in Vietnam with the new Go Go Dance, which was something I just loved doing, very athletic and all the rest of it. And Bobby and Limon the dancer from his show, The Bobby Limb Show came in that was Frank Ward, wonderful tap dancer. He came into the show one night and I was not there doing the go go thing with another ten or twelve girls up there, and he just looked at me and went, that represents Australian young womanhood. Let's take her tribe. Anyway, I met them and they talked all about it, and they just I thought this was something great one could do. I wasn't thinking of it being something that would cover me in publicity and stuff like that. It was just something I thought I would like to do that. I knew our guys were over there, and I knew you hear about them suffering. And some of the stuff we read in the papers sky were ridiculous, but some of it was true. And yeah, I had first and experience on a young guy crying on my shoulder. He was down in long Ta and he just said, I just missed my sister, I missed my mum and he was only nineteen. I was only nineteen at the time. And yeah, you're feel for these guys. They just got ripped out of the normal life into something that was totally foreign for them in a fine land, and they weren't prepared for it, and no wonder they came back shell shots. It was incredible. It was scared when we first copped there the first night, lying in your bed and signed on waiting for rehearsals the next day. Before you go out and do the shows and all the rest of it, you had to reiz with the band and everything. They are laying in bend. Oh, I'm exhausted, Let's get some sleep, and the next thing you can hear in the background is boom.
Yeah, boom.
We're in one big room together for the girls that were involved with three of the girls that were involved with the show. Anyway, we start up and what on earth are we in trouble. It wasn't until the next morning we found out it's our guys on the ship, just giving Charlie a bit of a hard time with our boys making us scared. So we weren't scared anymore. After that, all that was good.
Well ye Aane Wills tells very similar stories. Hey, Pat, if we can grab yourself a glass of water, we'll take a very short break if we can. We've got a couple of your fans. I want to say hello on the other side of That's all right, wonderful. All right, so we're going to take a short break. Big Pretzel is my very special guest. We're so delighted to have her on the show. Of course, an icon and entertainer, a dancer, a performer. Patricia Kennedy, you might remember as Patricia Wordsworth, Big Pretzel. More after this thanks to Harvey Norman, Clearan Centers at Marion and Jep's Cross for every furniture setting it outdoor five Double A Notes with Lead Forest and my very special guest is Big Pretzel. Patricia Kennedy, Patricia Wordsworth. That's so lovely to have you on. Patricia, thank you again for this blonde bombshell on the back of the conversation last week, and thank you too. We shared the photos on five Double as Twitter account and on our Facebook page Leaks for us nights And there you are looking beautiful. There you are with Bob Francis on one of the TV shows.
There Yeah anything. I think that.
It was one of those Bob's motto in life, older thought Patricia, particularly on this show. Anthony says, before we get to some calls, leth, I remember Big Pretzel shaking her tassels at the McGill Institute. You probably would have played many venues here.
Many many venues all over Adelaide, all over South Australia for that matter. Yeah, and lots of them going sun Raise your memorial. I remember going and doing that. Was that windmark? Oh it's too many years ago now, but yeah, that's some wonderful places that I worked in. Some that I worked for quite a long time, like the Paprika. I think I got as far as saying I started at the Latin Porter in Sydney, but Helen Joy was running the show down in Adelaide at the Prika, which was in Heimley Street. That's where the ice drink was. Okay, think the ice drink could still be there anymore?
Not anymore?
No?
Is that down the West Terrace end? Or is that more in the Chemist?
Is that still there?
You know what, I don't go down. I probably haven't been down Hiley Street, Pats, and you were there, to be honest. Now you have a number of callers, a number of people want to say hello and share some love. Jean and Clarence Gardens. You're speaking to big Pretzel.
Hello, Pat, how are you?
I am? Jeane? Good?
Do you still see the girls that you played netball with.
Oh I'm still keeping touch on Facebook with some of the girls. Yeah.
Right.
Do you remember the Christmas concert that you all put on the Village People.
Darlington Primary School. I've got the kindergarten at the kindergarten well with two little boys that were dressed in white as well.
I remember it was a spherical I remember one of the mums coming in and saying, you want to see Pat's costume, So I was a little bit prepared. The night of the concert, there's all the dads and uncles and that slumped in their chairs and your group came out as the Village People. All you could hear was the chairs being sort of put in the upright position. Next the next night was the morning group. You could not move it.
Jam Pack, that is great.
You must hear that a lot. Pat, that is a great memory. Thank you, Jim.
I've got very special memories of Darlington Primary School. Yeah, and of course the kindergarten, which is what that was all about. And it was the hysterical. There were three of my netball buddies that played the Village People with Indians.
Very nice Meredith from Campbelltown. You've got a question or a comment for Big Pretzel Meredith.
Yeah, she appeared. I didn't go, of course, it's money for men at the sixty nine Grand Final the leader on Anzac. Howay you appeared there.
Yeah.
And years later, my mum and I used to play the pokes down at the Broadway Hotel on the Broadway and you used to be the hostess going around giving recle tickets out as they want something to do that for a while.
Yeah, do you remember the Samful Grand Final ped all those years ago.
To actually, yeah, so there you go. Don't remember who.
One me and your career is so varied, you know. I guess that that's the life of a performer, isn't it. Entertainment?
Yeah, one of the special things for me with all the concerts and things that I put on as you know at times, paradegraum and all that, which, by the way, I should mention I received an O A M four from the government for all the years of supporting Vietnam vets and that meant an awful lot to me. And yeah, very proud moment for myself and my hubby was there and a couple of friends, and yeah, a very special day. And yeah, the Vietnam Vests have always been a very strong point and a proud association. I'm even a sister soldier, which nice to tell you down there. Warren Better and all the boys. Yeah, thanks for me their sister shol the soldier, and I was inducted into their association with the Green the Green scarf, and of course John Schuman's all film member. Yes, very very very special moments in our lives.
It's wonderful. Before we get to Layton, Joe, says Leith. I saw Big Pretzel in Holden's canteen. Bob Francis was the person who introduced Big Pretzel, who was about nineteen sixty seven. Do you remember entertaining the masses at Holden Yes? I do.
Yeah, that was a big show. Yeah, fabulous, good.
Memory this one, said Leith. I was in primary school around the same time as Pat's kids were. She used to come in and help with arts and crafts. My dad was very jealous. So there you go. Better love for you there too. Layton's in Tokyo. You got a question or a comment for Pat Layton.
Comment to your good evening, Pat, how I h one thing always lissified me? How on earth could you get your tessels to work in opposite directions.
A lot of bloody practice on here to tell you it'sn't easy. There wasn't any trick to it, and you couldn't do it without a bra. Yes, I've had people say to me in the past, Oh, yes, I remember you had them on your nipples and all that.
I go.
No, I didn't admitally, as I got older, I did wear some more slightly more revealing, but there was always the support of a bra that I wore. And you've got to have that support to be able to make the left one go, bring the right one in, and you've got them going opposite ways. Then you stop and then you do the toils so they both go in the left direction. Stop again, you're getting this picture, and then you tare them to the nike and then to the opposite ways again. And it used to bring the house down. There was nothing sexual about it. It was just fun and I'd get a gentle one out of the audience. Sometimes I pick up three, get three out and get the audience to choose which one they would like to see learn how to do the tassels, and yeah, they used to come running up and sometimes I'd yeah, put a little well you'd have to put a bra on them. Sometimes i'd take their shirt off them if I thought it was appropriate, and yeah, then I'd put a pair of glass on them and sick a couple of soft balls in there to take place of what's not there. And they I'd tell them to jump. I'd quietly say jump, and as soon as they jump, the tattles would move, you know, so they look like they were doing it and it was pretty funny stuff.
Well, that was one of our callers before Pat John from Oakland's Park who at one of the pubs, I think Port Broaden. He might have said where you know, his mate stitched him up and then all of a sudden he was the one who had to come out on stage and I think you sat on his lap and you were singing some That's a memory that stayed with him for fifty years. So you've got to take that off. So with all this, with all this great rich history of entertainment, what are you doing now? Family kids, grandkids that they do they know the legend of Grandma.
My grandkids don't. I've only got the two grandkids from our youngest son Luke. But we've got two boys. I met my hubby Laurie. Laurie Kennedy was a drummer in Adelaide. He would have taught a lot of the fabulous, wonderful drummers that are probably still working around the Adelaide scene there. And he was at the Conservatory of Music and all that. But I met him at the Paprika nightclub and I'd met him over a period of about five years on and off, and this time I'd come down to do a show somewhere around the Christmas time or something, and he was no longer married. He got a divorce and I thought, I've always thought he was a bit hot. We all went out on the Sunday, we didn't have to work on the Sunday. We went to Los Amigos restaurant and we had garlic proms and there was people singing and we got together from that day onwards. And we married about a year later, and we worked around the Sydney club circuit for about three years and we decided we're going to go back to Adelaide and maybe start a family. And that's what we did.
Wow done. It's a couple of kids.
Come out until thirteen years ago and that's when I wanted to be back up here, and so did Laurie. Both of our sons had moved to Sydney. Luke is a drama like old man. But Luke's in the Royal Australian Navy Band. He's just got back from the cinto over seas. Yeah. So they're here in Sydney, which is wonderful. So the grandkids are close by and Marcus is living back in Adelaide. Marcus and they've been together forever twelve thirteen years or both, and they've got two caps and they're building down near Pawland.
Beautiful.
So loved to Marcus of his lessening. I did tell him, Mommy might be on the radio tonight.
Well, I hope you're going to come back and see us sometime. Pat come back.
I'm hoping to come down at the end of the year or early January. We're hoping to fly back down and yeah, we will get around and see catch up with a lot of friends. Maria and Martin, who has missed South sram Beach girl back in nineteen sixty I think she was. Yeah, she's been a dear friend of ours forever ever since. For preakad days beautiful.
Well, we're blessed to have you. As I mentioned Will's who was on the show last week and we were celebrated her.
We Will and her sister Sue and Dan. Yeah, both of them are just wonderful people.
Thank you for the trip now memory Lane, greatly appreciate it. Thank you for taking our call again. I said to the audience, I wonder if you're just sitting there, you're enjoying your life, thinking everything's normal, and not realizing that. For a couple of radio shows last week, everyone's reminiscing and talking about their favorite memories. A big pretzel. So we appreciate you taking the time.
So I thought everybody would have forgotten me by now.
Not clearly, not at all. That's the decades on, not at all. So well done.
Well go out and do it all over again. I had a ball.
It's been a great line, well, fantastic. Thanks for making so many great memories and appreciate you sharing them with us tonight.
All the best, Thank you for asking me. Bye, Love to everybody out there.
Lovely the media. There she is, big pretzel. You may remember her as Patricia Wordsworth. She's now Patricia Kennedy, but for years and decades are well loved, clearly by the number of people who've been sending messages in an iconic entertainer, dancer, performer here in Adelaide with a great nickname. I mean, how do you ever forget your moment with Big Pretzel
