REMEMBERING TV’S LITTLE AUSSIE BLEEDER
Norman Gunston captured our hearts but shocked and confused many stars
He came, he bled, he conquered the ratings with his gentle, selfeffacing, yet hysterical brand of humour.
The world had never encountered anything like Norman Gunston, and probably never will again.
Norman was first brought to life by the brilliant Garry Mcdonald, 73, in 1972 when he was asked to join iconic ABC comedy The Aunty Jack Show.
“I was asked to be in a sketch titled What’s On In Wollongong,” Garry previously revealed of the character’s inception. “Grahame Bond, who’d asked me to join the show, and I used to try and one-up each other, trying to make each other laugh. And on the day, I thought shaving cuts would be appropriate for a television presenter.”
His face daubed with small pieces of tissue paper, Garry then came up with the idea of giving Norman his trademark comb-over hairstyle.
“At the time I was obsessed about going bald,” he says. “So I gave Norman a combover. I put on his suit, noticing a dry-cleaning tag, and I said, ‘Leave it there.’ And there stood Norman!”
LOGIE WINNER
Norman Gunston was instantly embraced by viewers of The Aunty Jack Show, so much so he would be offered his own program – The Norman Gunston Show. “The little Aussie bleeder”, as he became known, went on to be the only fictitious character to win a TV WEEK Gold Logie!
Norman’s madcap and totally bizarre interviews with unwitting celebrities, superstars and even politicians made headlines worldwide. The hapless and anaemic Norman would often crash
press conferences, acting ill-prepared and underresearched. He would get his celebrity prey even further alarmed by acting ignorant of or completely disinterested in their achievements. A generous media often let Norman completely hijack and take full control of a press conference.
Paul Mccartney and his then-wife Linda instantly got the Aussie’s humour and good-naturedly played along. Linda famously laughed when Norman said, “That’s funny, you don’t look Japanese,” deliberately mixing up Paul’s former Beatles bandmate John Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono with her.
STAR TREATMENT
Upon seeing Norman’s shaving cuts, All In The Family star Sally Struthers kindly suggested he try an electric razor. Norman, quite shocked, replied, “Uh, I do,” at which Sally collapsed in fits of laughter.
Mick Jagger, Ray Charles, Warren Beatty, Charlton Heston, Olivia Newton-john and even the razor-sharp Muhammad Ali were just some other big names left ambushed, bamboozled and laughing good-naturedly at Norman’s crazy antics.
However, Boy George appeared disdainful and ballet star Rudolf Nureyev was outraged by their encounters and couldn’t quite get the joke and comic genius. The Who drummer Keith Moon ended his interview with Norman by tipping vodka over his head and yelling, “Piss off you Australian slag.”
‘I was mortified I was putting people out of work’
The comedian’s greatest triumph came when he found himself centrestage for the infamous dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam by then Governor-general Sir John Kerr on the morning of November 11, 1975.
There, by sheer luck, was Norman in among the thick of it, on the steps of Parliament House. “Not now Norman, this is serious,” Bob Hawke famously told him. Norman then addressed the outraged mob.
“Is this a travesty of justice? Is this an affront to democracy?” he asked, to which the mob unanimously roared, “Yes!”
“Oh. OK,” replied Norman, “I was just curious.”
PERSONAL BATTLE
Sadly, such comic genius came at a great personal cost for the man behind Norman.
Garry has been battling with bouts of anxiety since the age of 22 but the decision to revive Norman Gunston in 1993 resulted in a nervous breakdown. He realised he could never play the character again and the show ended.
“I was mortified that I was putting people out of work,” Garry told the ABC’S Australian Story. “But there was nothing I could do. I was a basket case.”
Once Garry was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, he began cognitive behaviour therapy. It changed his life.
“That was the road back,” he said. “It took a year or two to be really strong.”
Garry went on to more acting acclaim in theatre, film and the TV comedy hit Mother And Son, which saw him co-starring with the legendary Ruth Cracknell.
He also became a spokesperson for mental health, staunchly campaigning to reduce the stigma of anxiety and depression, and to spread the word it is treatable.
Norman may have triggered an episode of anxiety in Garry, but thankfully for the rest of the world he triggers only giant belly laughs and very happy memories.