Everyone has an interpretation of what the ‘all round entertainer’ should be. The term once invoked the image of a singer who could dance a little, tell jokes and hold an audience’s attention with anecdotes of his life and career. In my world, in order to wear this label successfully, the description of the ‘all round entertainer’ expands, with the ability to perform not only as an actor in films, television, and on stage, but also to direct, write books and plays, and even pen his own autobiography. The definition of the ‘all round entertainer’ is a generational conundrum. When I became a ‘showbiz professional’ in 1956, I found myself part of the end of the age of vaudeville, being lucky enough to learn from those who had been there and done that, and now I am wearing the same shoes as those who paved the way for me. Sadly, most of those contemporaries who shared the same journey have either shuffled off the mortal coil, or are in retirement. Now, with the departure of Ernie Sigley, Jimmy Hannan, Graham Kennedy, Stuart Wagstaff, Don Lane, and Bert Newton I find myself left alone now to carry the torch, hence the title of this book. Through this book, with its words and many photographs, I pass on the story of a wonderful and rewarding sixty years of parading my wares around the globe with plenty of humour along the way.
