Goodie Reeve
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1897
Goodie Reeve | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Lillian Mary Hazlewood 1897 London, England |
| Died | 4 December 1978 (aged 80–81) Brisbane, Australia |
| Occupations | Actress, songwriter, radio announcer |
| Years active | 1916–1972 |
| Spouses | Walter Martin
(m. 1932; div. 1948)Paul Dawson
(m. 1948; died 1948) |
| Children | 1 |
Goodie Reeve (1897 – 4 December 1978[a]) was a British-born actor, singer, songwriter, radio host, critic and columnist who found fame in Australia, becoming known as the "First Lady of Sydney Radio".[1]
Schooling
Reeve was born Lillian Mary Hazlewood in Warwick Garden, London,[2] the second child of famed comedic actress Ada Reeve and actor Bert Gilbert (Joseph Gilbert Hazlewood); her sister Bessie Hazlewood was also an actress[3] before becoming a chauffeur in Sydney.[4]
Reeve's maternal grandparents Charles Reeve and Harriet Saunders were also actors,[5] and Charles was an active member of the original vigilance committee established to capture Jack the Ripper.[6]
Reeve's paternal grandfather Henry Hazlewood was an actor and theatre manager and her great-grandfather was the playwright Colin Henry Hazlewood.[7]
Following the divorce of Reeve's parents, her mother Ada married Wilfred Cotton, which made Goodie a step-cousin of the actress Lily Elsie.[8]
Reeve's parents regularly toured with their respective acts, sometimes taking Goodie and Bessie with them, including to Australia in 1898[9] and Southern Africa in 1912.[10]
Reeve began violin lessons while very young, before switching to the piano.[2] Due to her parents' travels, Reeve did not attend school until age ten, initially sent to a convent by her mother in order to learn French,[2] before shifting to a school in Shropshire and then, with her sister, a school in Bonn, Germany, studying music and languages,[10] but was forced to flee when World War I broke out.[2]
Back in England, Reeve studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama[10] and following in her parents' footsteps, established herself in musical comedy.[9] In 1916 she appeared in the hit play The Better 'Ole at the Oxford Music Hall in London,[11][12] initially in the supporting role of "Suzette"[13] before transferring to the lead female role of "Victorine". The Times theatre critic wrote that Reeve helped "brightly and daintily with the song and dance side of the entertainment."[14]
Australia
Reeve came to Australia in 1917 for the local production of The Better 'Ole, continuing her role as Victorine.[9] Much of the early media interest in Reeve was related to her famous mother, with critics regularly comparing Goodie to Ada, including claims that Goodie was as skilled as her mother[15] but also having "a quiet charm of her own."[16] Reeve's management capitalised on the connection, billing Goodie as "Famous Ada Reeve's Fascinating Daughter".[17]
Following the end of The Better 'Ole's run in 1919, Reeve spent years appearing on the Tivoli circuit in a solo show,[17] singing and played the piano,[16] including a tour of New Zealand in the 1927/28 summer,[18] and worked in the publicity department of J. C. Williamson's theatre company.[19]
Writing
Reeve also turned her hand to writing in the early 1920s, becoming the theatre critic for, at various times, The Referee and Arrow[9] before a stint editing Theatre Magazine.[20] She also wrote on a range of other topics, including "women's issues" and the future of education in Australia.[21]
Combining her writing and musical skills, Reeve released Auntie Goodie's Bedtime Story Songs in 1924, an album of self-written children's songs, including "Come To My Island", "Poor Mummy's Tired, Every Night", "The Puppy Dogs' Parade", "I Jus' P'tend", and "It's Lullaby".[22]
Following the release of Auntie Goodie's Bedtime Story Songs, Reeve was hired to write what were the first radio musical commercials in Sydney,[23] including the famous advertising jingle "Eat Your Uncle Toby's Every Day".[22] She also penned and performed "Here Comes Amy", the song sung at the official welcome of aviator Amy Johnson in Sydney on 4 June 1930.[9]
Radio
Reeve started a 46-year career in radio in Sydney in 1926,[9] with, at various times, 2BL,[24] 2FC,[25] 2GB,[26] 2CH, 2SM[27] and 2UE.[28] Thanks to her "knack of radiating her happy personality at the mike"[29] and ability to bring novel features into radio, Reeve soon become renowned as "one of the best woman announcers on the air"[30] quickly amassing "a large army of listeners".[30]
Reeve initially hosted radio programmes for children, including Children's Session, Chickabiddies[23] and Tiny Tots.[31] A typical episode was described as Reeve singing a song she had written while accompanying herself on the piano, before explaining the song or telling a story to the child listener, while continuing to play the piano. Most of her songs and stories were impromptu,[32] although Reeve would eventually hire writers, like Kylie Tennant, who got her big break writing plays for Reeve's children programme,[33] while the iconic Aeroplane Jelly jingle was first sung on one of Reeve's shows.[9]
Reeve's ability to build relationships with young listeners led to her becoming known as "Auntie Goodie" and someone that children would listen to, which she put to use in her 1930 Christmas message on 2GB, urging listeners to "specially appreciate your presents this year, because most Mummies and Daddies have not had too many pennies to spend".[31]
Proving to be a popular radio host, Reeve branched out to different programme genres, including women's interests,[34] Auntie Goodie's Good Deeds, where listeners would write in with stories of acts of kindness,[35] and entertainment, with Behind the scenes at Hollywood on 2FC,[25] featuring actors, including her own father, speaking about their life and career.[36]
It was in this role that Reeve inadvertently performed the first interview on the ABC, when a visiting actor froze during a talk and Reeve resorted to asking questions to encourage him to speak.[37]
In 1937 Reeve launched the For Men Only programme on 2GB, encouraging men to write to her about their personal issues, including complaints about their wives,[38] loneliness or lack of employment. Reeve read out the letters and responded, providing advice and organising support when required.[39]
Such was Reeve's popularity in the 1930s, she was called "perhaps the greatest favourite in the air in Australia to-day",[27] to the point that a letter from the UK addressed "Goodie Reeve, Sydney" found her.[40]
However, Reeve's popularity had its drawbacks, including death threats and Christmas cakes containing screws, needles and other objects sent to her.[41] to a listener travelling hundreds of kilometres to personally lecture her on the benefits of using a parrot to rub face creams on ones face.[35]
After World War II, Reeve ran the popular 2GB programme Session for the Blind, that included a backing band of blind musicians[42] and an emphasis on helping blind ex-serviceman.[23] Critics praised Reeve's work on Session for the Blind, stating in her "quiet, pleasant way, has deservedly achieved some remarkable results from her cheerful little programme."[42]