Derham Groves

While a little ‘beaten up’, this autograph album contains the signatures of some pioneers of Melbourne television: Abdul (World Championship Wrestling); “Happy” Hammond; Jeffery Lenner; Buster Fiddes; Danny Webb; Michael Williamson; Old Dad (Roy Lyons); John Darcy; Jocelyn Terry; Vikki Hammond; Vic Gordon; Sydney Heylen; Honest John (Gilbert); Jennie Ham; Joy Fountain; Philip Brady; Bob Moors; Kevin Colson; Patti McGrath; Susan Gaye Anderson; Randy Ross; Joff Ellen; Ron (Blaskett) & Gerry Gee; Prof. Ratbaggy (Ernie Carroll); and Sloppo the Clown.

Thumbnail sketches of (L-R) Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, and Shemp Howard—four absolute comic geniuses. Moe, Curly and Shemp were brothers. When Curly died, Shemp took his place. But not many people know there was another Howard brother, Johnny, who was extremely unfunny:

Portrait of me (above) looking like Larry Fine (left), the middle, and my favourite, Stooge. Recently I read a review of the popular TV series House, which claimed that this show could never have been made had it not been for The Sopranos. This got me thinking. The Sopranos could never have been made had it not been for The Three Stooges, in my view. The same could also be said for several other classic TV shows, such as Seinfeld and The Simpsons. What brilliant, and sadly underrated, performers Moe, Larry, Curly and Shemp were. They were true surrealists.

Recently I attended the opening of an exhibition and symposium on the work of the Australian architect Arthur Purnell at the Museum of Generalissimo Sun Yat-sen’s Mansion, which Purnell designed in 1907, in Guangzhou, China. It was a very formal affair involving a ribbon cutting ceremony (I’m at the end on the left). I think Purnell would have been pleased.

Yesterday I arrived home from China at 7.00 in the morning and I went to the AFL Grand Final at 1.30 in the afternoon to see the mighty Cats give the Port Power-less an absolute shellacing, 163 to a miserable 44. I was completely buggered by the China trip, but I wouldn’t have missed Geelong’s premiership for the world! By half-time my voice was completely gone from cheering so much. Sol Traheo, Telstra’s CEO, was on the same flight home as I was, no doubt to attend the Grand Final as well. However, unlike me, he didn’t fly econony and I’m sure he didn’t have a standing room Grand Final ticket either. But I can almost guarantee that I enjoyed the Cats’ record breaking win more than he did. After all, I’ve been supporting them for as long as I can remember. I just wish Dad could have been around to have seen it. At least Mum saw it on TV. The Cats were absolutely magnificent! Let’s make it back-to-back premierships guys! GO CATERS!