A new biopic on Australia’s Foxtel TV1 is causing quite a stir in the Land Down Under. The King is the story of Australia’s beloved King of Television, Graham Kennedy, best known for hosting In Melbourne Tonight (a variety show heavily based upon America’s The Tonight Show in format, except without the celebrity interviews). An easy comparison would be that Kennedy was the Aussie Johnny Carson, however it seems he was more a combination Carson/Richard Dawson/Allan Funt, with a decades-long career that spanned variety shows, game shows, movie roles, newscasts and even a Funniest Home Videos show.

The only difference is that Kennedy was gay. Though it was considered an open secret within the Australian television community, the subject was not discussed openly until after his death two years ago, and many in his circle of friends are not happy that The King focuses in part on Kennedy’s sexuality. Tony Sattler, a comedy writer, (who with his wife, Noeline Brown, were Kennedy’s closest and oldest friends) recently commented in a Herald Sun article that “the film was obsessed with his homosexuality. I don't think people cared about that.” He goes on to opine that “If people had said, ‘I’m not going to watch a poof on TV’, then he'd never have rated.” Last October, Rob Astbury, a former top Australian Sportscaster, published King and I: My Life with Graham Kennedy, recounting his 20 year relationship with Kennedy. His book was met with much of the same criticism the movie is now receiving.

Not being Australian, I can’t speak from personal experience, but if public sentiment in Australia during the middle part of the last century was in any way comparable to America’s attitude, I find it highly unlikely that the average Australian television viewer was actively aware of Kennedy’s sexuality and had decided that it was a non-issue. As an outsider, it seems his friend’s discomfort stems from the outdated belief that any honest discussion of Kennedy’s homosexuality is in itself disparaging to his memory. Other reviews of the film describe it as an in-depth exploration of a complicated and talented man who left his indelible mark on an entire nation. His sexuality was an integral part of who he was and deserves the same consideration as any other part of his identity.

Below is a review of the movie from Australia’s Channel 9, which is also a good primer on all things Graham Kennedy. Oddly enough, in its entire 8 minute duration it touches on the subject once in a reference to his “sexuality”. Is this another example of the media continuing to shy away from the subject, or is it an indication how little the film actually focuses on the subject? Any insight from our Australian friends would be greatly welcomed.