Countdown producers and directors told stories of ABC’s wild days at Ripponlea, with a special message from Molly Meldrum.
Former Countdown producers, directors, talent and crew gathered in Elsternwick yesterday to launch a new book about the iconic ABC series.
Count Down: A Complete Episode Guide is part of an ongoing series on Australia’s musical heritage by authors Brett Leslie & Milton Hammon.
Former Countdown announcer Gavin Wood (pictured left) read a note from director Ted Emery and then recalled the story of how Paul Turner, as new DJ from Melbourne, 3XY invited him to ABC Studios.
“He said, ‘Will you take me to Ripponlea?’ I said, ‘That would be great.’ I still had the Volvo with the Queensland plates on it, I was so new to Melbourne. I thought, ‘This is true Countdownit’s done. This would be fantastic.’ So I drove him down. I was ready to sit in the car, but he said, “No, come with me.”
There was a list of the Top 10 in the audio booth and Turner persuaded Wood to take a reading.
“So I sat down and did the Top 10, and that was great. As soon as I was done, the door burst open in the studio and (producer) Robbie Weekes comes in and says, ‘You’re the new voiceover on Countdown. You start next week. I’ll pay you $60.’
“By then my head was spinning. I said, ‘What about Paul?’ He said, ‘No, Paul is going to Sydney with Paul Drane to… Quatrains by Nostradamus.’
He added: “I thank the Lord every day for Paul Turner because he could have picked Lee Simon, Greg Evans, John Peters and all the XY guys. But he got the new guy from Brisbane. It was the best ride of my life.”
Countdown director Paul Drane (pictured center) remembered shooting AC/DC clips Long way to the top And Jailbreak both on location.
“When I came to do JailbreakI was able to get the costumes out of the wardrobe for everyone in the band so they could dress up as prisoners, guards and soldiers. I have guns and rifles from the props department. The set designers made me these huge, big prison doors and I had the pyrotechnic guys blow them away. Fantastic! Finally, the makeup and pyro guys combined to create the exploding blood pack so I could shoot Bon Scott in the back,” he recalled.
“We were paid about $40 a week. Every member of the crew was ABC, and the pyrotechnic guys were really eager to try some stuff out. They had a blood pack on the shelf for months and said, ‘We’ve got to try it out, buddy.’ So we put it on Bon and boom, he went down! That’s what it was all about. These people in all these departments were so enthusiastic and incredibly helpful, and they were all cooperative.
“Everything about that clip was great fun. And on top of that, a little bit earlier, of course, it was a staging department that gave me a flatbed truck to take some bagpipers and drive them down Swanston Street.”
Producer Grant Rule (pictured right) acknowledged many in the audience who contributed to the series.
“Every one of us in this room has contributed in some way to the success of CountdownWhether a staff member, an audience member, publicists or journalists, we have all played a role in the success of this extraordinary program,” he said.
“Those kids who came every week, watched every week and dragged their parents along, they and the crew are the real unsung heroes.
“I will say about the ABC that it was quite extraordinary in 1975 to suggest that they were going to make a teen show for children. They were a very conservative organisation, and to their credit they took that gamble, when you think about it. For Robbie Weekes, Michael Shrimpton and of course Molly, they are heroic in their own way. They have come up with this great formula.”
Grant Rule also provided an update on Molly Meldrum’s health.
“I will say I stopped by a few weeks ago and said hi,” he said. “He doesn’t take visitors, and it’s hard to get in, but I managed to get in. And you know, he’s not necessarily doing well, but he was grateful for the book. He wished everyone well. He wished you, Milton and Brett, good luck with it. We have to congratulate you. A historical account of the show is pretty amazing. He said I wanted to say hello to all of you, and thank you so much for coming.”
The 460-page coffee table book sells for $99.95 plus shipping.
Contact Brett Leslie to order the book [email protected]
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