''The King: The Story of Graham Kennedy'' is an Australian

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

examining the life of Australian entertainer

Graham Kennedy Graham Cyril Kennedy AO (15 February 1934 – 25 May 2005) was an Australian entertainer, comedian and variety performer, as well as a personality and star of radio, theatre, television and film. He often performed in the style of vaudevilli ...

. Produced in Australia by the Sydney based independent

production company A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and v ...

Crackerjack Productions for TV1 and the Nine Network, ''The King'' was first shown on 20 May 2007 on TV1 for Foxtel and

Austar Austar was an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity was subscription television but it has also been involved with internet access and mobile phones. It was founded in 1995 under the name Community Entertainment Tele ...

and became the highest rating drama ever screened on subscription television in Australia, drawing 511,000 viewers. It later aired on the Nine Network on 27 August 2007. The film faced criticism from some of those close to Kennedy who felt it did not portray him accurately, feeling that he was portrayed too broadly in a dark manner in the film, as well as what one commentator noted was a "mad rush to out him, sexually".

Production

The screenplay was written by Jaime Browne and Kris Mrksa; the director was

Matthew Saville Matthew Saville (born 1966) is an Australian television and film director, known for ''Noise'' (2007) and '' A Month of Sundays'' (2015). Early life and education Saville was born around 1966, the youngest of six children, and grew up in Ade ...

and the producer was Jason Stephens. Filming began on 6 December 2006 with a budget and a 20-day shooting schedule. The ABC's Ripponlea studios were utilised to film the scenes for sequences involving Kennedy's roles on ''

In Melbourne Tonight ''In Melbourne Tonight'', also known as ''IMT'', was a highly popular nightly Logie award-winning Australian variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970. Overview Graham Kennedy was the show's main host and ...

'' and '' Blankety Blanks''. Stephen Curry (who plays the role of

) lost 14 kilograms to portray the young Kennedy, and then regained the weight in two weeks over Christmas 2006 to play the older Kennedy.

Cast

* Stephen Curry (

) * Stephen Hall (

Bert Newton Albert Watson Newton (23 July 1938 – 30 October 2021) was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie award-winning entertainer and radio, theatre and television personality and presenter. Newt ...

) * Shaun Micallef (Colin Bednall) * Monica Maughan (Nan) * Jane Allsop (

Noeline Brown Noeline Mabel Brown (born 3 October 1938), credited also as Noelene Brown, is an Australian actress and comedian. She has appeared in numerous films, television shows, theatrical productions and radio programs dating back to 1959. Life and c ...

) *

Angus Sampson Angus Sampson (born 1979) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his performances in the ''Insidious'' film series, ''The Mule'', '' Mad Max: Fury Road'', and the Peabody-winning second season of '' Fargo''. Early life Samp ...

(

Ugly Dave Gray Graham David Taylor (born 26 December 1933), known better as Ugly Dave Gray, is an English Australian actor, television personality, comedian, game show host, and radio host. Early life Born Graham David Taylor, he transposed his first and mid ...

) *

Steve Bisley Steve Bisley (born 26 December 1951) is an Australian writer, film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the films '' Mad Max'' and ''The Great Gatsby''. On TV, some of his better-known roles include Detective Sergeant Jack C ...

( Harry M. Miller) * Leo Taylor (

Sir Frank Packer Sir Douglas Frank Hewson Packer (3 December 19061 May 1974), was an Australian media proprietor who controlled Australian Consolidated Press and the Nine Network. He was a patriarch of the Packer family. Early life Frank Packer was born in K ...

) * Beau Brady (Tim) * Bernard Curry (John Wesley) *

Kodi Smit-McPhee Kodi Smit-McPhee (born 13 June 1996) is an Australian actor. He gained recognition as a child actor for his leading roles in ''The Road'' (2009) and '' Let Me In'' (2010). In 2021, Smit-McPhee garnered critical acclaim for his performance as Pe ...

(Young John Wesley) *

Beth Buchanan Beth Christine Buchanan (born 10 March 1972) is an Australian actress and Social Worker. She is best known for the television roles in sitcom ''Hey Dad!'', Gemma Ramsay in ''Neighbours'', and Susan Croydon in ''Blue Heelers''. She was also a ...

(Val Wesley) *

Garry McDonald Garry George McDonald AO (born 30 October 1948) is an Australian actor, satirist and comedian. In a career spanning five decades he has had many theatre, television and film roles, and has been listed as a National Living Treasure. He is bes ...

(Nicky Whitta) *

Roz Hammond Rosalind Hammond, often credited as Ros or Roz, is an Australian actress and writer with an extensive career in theatre, film and television. Career Hammond's television appearances include the role of Claudia in the award-winning drama '' The ...

(Kathleen Whitta) * Kate Doherty (Panda) * Cathy Godbold ( Rosemary Margan)

Reception

Pre-release

A '' Herald Sun'' article published on 28 November 2006 headed "Pals protect mate" reported that Kennedy's friends

and her husband TV writer Tony Sattler were "refusing to help producers of a

telemovie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

about his life." The article stated that "Bert Newton knocked back an approach to work on ''The King'', telling industry sources Kennedy would not have approved of his story being told" and quoted Sattler as saying "He was never himself, always playing the character called Graham Kennedy, so I don't know how they'd find someone who could manage to play the part." It also stated "The movie is not linked with hecontroversial book "The King & I", launched in the prior month by Kennedy's former lover,

Rob Astbury Rob Astbury (1948 – 9 November 2017) was an Australian radio and television sports journalist and real estate agent. Biography Astbury was born in Avoca, Victoria. During a media career spanning 21 years, he won ten VFL/AFL awards, two nati ...

Post-release

Kennedy's biographer Graeme Blundell wrote in ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'':

''Stephen Curry gets most of this right in his compelling portrayal of the sphinx-like and teasingly evasive television comedian ..' ''He is so very, very good his career may never recover. The "Weren't you Graham Kennedy?" syndrome will likely pursue him every time he tries to buy groceries. As it did the King ..' ''Curry is terrific and, although instantly recognisable as the oyster-eyed performer, doesn't impersonate him (though he says he tested prosthetic eyes) so much as inhabit him ..'

Awards

At the 2007 Australian Film Institute Awards ''The King'' won the award for Best Telefeature or Miniseries. Curry also picked up the award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama and Saville for Best Direction in Television.

References

Other references

King Cast For TV1

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:King, The TV1 (Australian TV channel) original programming 2007 television films 2007 films 2007 biographical drama films Australian drama television films Australian biographical drama films Television series by Fremantle (company) 2007 drama films Biographical films about entertainers