John-Michael Howson
Encyclopedia
John Michael Howson (often written as John-Michael Howson) OAM
, born in Melbourne, Australia in 1936, is an Australian writer, reporter and entertainer and 3AW commentator. His involvement in the Australian entertainment scene as a writer, producer and performer spans more than 40 years.
's Sunraysia Daily
.
In 1964, he was invited to write topical material for the fledgling Melbourne television station ATV-0 and specifically for their new variety programme The Ray Taylor Show.
He became primarily known in television for his involvement in the acclaimed ATV-0 children's fantasy television series The Magic Circle Club
(1965–67) in which he played Fee Fee Bear (his face never seen on camera due to the bear suit), and as Clown in the follow-up ABC
show Adventure Island
, (1967–72). Howson, with Godfrey Philipp
, was co-creator of both shows. Howson wrote the vast bulk of the scripts (five 30-minute shows per week) and the lyrics to the original songs used in them, the music usually composed by Bruce Rowland
. Owing to Howson's intense workload, many of the Adventure Island scripts were written on a typewriter positioned behind the set.
Howson also contributed scripts and sketches to Graham Kennedy's
In Melbourne Tonight
and to The Mavis Bramston Show
. His 1965 Bramston "Flower arranging" sketch - in which a section of Constance Spry's
definitive text book on the subject is quoted verbatim in a lascivious manner by the Chief Censor (Gordon Chater
) to hilarious and scandalous effect - created a national uproar and remains a television classic.
He revealed the serious side of his acting skills in the 1976 ABC television adaptation of Frank Hardy's
Power Without Glory
.
During the 1980s Howson starred in Houseboat Horror
, an Australian feature film
shot to videotape
, and often included on lists of the worst movies ever made.
, Little Lonsdale Street
. With a cast that included veteran stage actress Madeleine Orr
, the show was produced at the Southland Theatre in 1968. That same year, Howson collaborated with Peter Pinne
and Don Battye
on the musical It happened in Tanjablanka, which was a spoof of Hollwood in the 1940s. In 1972, Howson wrote What's in a name, a straight play on the subject of prejudice and intolenance in modern society, which was performed at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne. The following year, he adapted the play Norman, Is That You?
for Australian audiences, which had successful seasons in Melbourne and Sydney. The adaptation included a new title song, co-written by Howson with composer Peter Best
, which was recorded and released as a single by the show's star, Bobby Limb
.
The late 1990s saw Howson return to the creation of stage musicals, albeit this time in the form of jukebox musical
s rather than entirely original shows with original music. Shout! The Legend of The Wild Onel, a stage musical about the life of singer Johnny O'Keefe
, was co-written by Howson with Melvyn Morrow
and David Mitchell, and made its premiere in Melbourne in the early 2000s. With the same team, Howson also co-wrote a musical about Dusty Springfield
called Dusty - The Original Pop Diva
, which opened in Melbourne in 2006.
In 2007, it was reported that Howson was collaborating on a new musical, Hotel Havana, with composer Jason Sprague. He is currently working on another original musical Pyjamas in Paradise, about teenage parties at Surfers Paradise, Queensland
and a jukebox musical about Bobby Darin
which is soon to be workshopped in Melbourne.
when Howson began appearing on The Mike Walsh Show
. His reports continued when the show was replaced by The Midday Show with Ray Martin. Howson became famous for his flamboyant, clever and catty commentary on the celebrity A-list and for the professional respect he attracted from many big-name Hollywood stars.
Determined to further his writing career, Howson moved to West Hollywood but remained a reporter for Network Ten's Good Morning Australia
with Bert Newton
. He also reported for 3AW
with Ernie Sigley
, and remains a 3AW regular.
Howson's book I Found It At The Flickers was published by Horwitz Grahame Books in 1985.
. During his appearances on 3AW, Howson has adopted vehemently anti-Muslim views, indicating that he would prefer not to talk to Muslims and referring to Muslims as "skilled propagandists". The Australian Broadcasting Corporation
's Media Watch program did a segment outlining Howson's behaviour and views in May 2010.
He relocated back to Melbourne, Australia following the success of Shout where he lives with his Guatemala
n partner, Alfie, and their three dogs.
In recent years, John-Michael has been publicly open about his homosexuality, a subject about which he was previously very guarded, mainly due to his conservative Roman Catholic beliefs.
He is a Patron of the Melbourne Gay and Lesbian Chorus.
John-Michael Howson was awarded an Order of Australia
Medal in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours list.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
, born in Melbourne, Australia in 1936, is an Australian writer, reporter and entertainer and 3AW commentator. His involvement in the Australian entertainment scene as a writer, producer and performer spans more than 40 years.
Early television career
Howson began his media career as a cadet reporter on MilduraMildura, Victoria
Mildura is a regional city in northwestern Victoria, Australia and seat of the Rural City of Mildura local government area. It is located in the Sunraysia region, and is on the banks of the Murray River. The current population is estimated at just over 30,000.Mildura is a major agricultural centre...
's Sunraysia Daily
Sunraysia Daily
The Sunraysia Daily is a daily newspaper in the north-western Sunraysia region of Victoria, Australia. From its first publication in 1920 up until 14 September 2007, it was published in broadsheet format, changing to tabloid-size the following day....
.
In 1964, he was invited to write topical material for the fledgling Melbourne television station ATV-0 and specifically for their new variety programme The Ray Taylor Show.
He became primarily known in television for his involvement in the acclaimed ATV-0 children's fantasy television series The Magic Circle Club
Magic Circle Club
The Magic Circle Club was an award winning Australian children's television show, produced at ATV Channel 0 from 23 January 1965 to 1967....
(1965–67) in which he played Fee Fee Bear (his face never seen on camera due to the bear suit), and as Clown in the follow-up ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
show Adventure Island
Adventure Island (TV series)
Adventure Island is an Australian television series for children which screened on the ABC from 11 September 1967 to 22 December 1972 . It was jointly created by Godfrey Philipp, who produced the series, and actor-writer John Michael Howson, who also co-starred in the show...
, (1967–72). Howson, with Godfrey Philipp
Godfrey Philipp
Godfrey Pettersson Philipp was a pioneering producer/director of Australian children's television during the 1960s and 1970s.Born in England in 1937, Philipp had been a child actor before emigrating to Australia...
, was co-creator of both shows. Howson wrote the vast bulk of the scripts (five 30-minute shows per week) and the lyrics to the original songs used in them, the music usually composed by Bruce Rowland
Bruce Rowland
Bruce Rowland is a well-known Australian composer. He composed the soundtrack for the 1982 movie "The Man from Snowy River", as well as the soundtrack for its 1988 sequel "The Man from Snowy River II"...
. Owing to Howson's intense workload, many of the Adventure Island scripts were written on a typewriter positioned behind the set.
Howson also contributed scripts and sketches to Graham Kennedy's
Graham Kennedy
Graham Cyril Kennedy, AO was an Australian radio, television and film performer, often called Gra Gra and The King of Australian television.-Childhood:...
In Melbourne Tonight
In Melbourne Tonight
In Melbourne Tonight, also known as "IMT", was a highly popular nightly variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970....
and to The Mavis Bramston Show
The Mavis Bramston Show
The Mavis Bramston Show was a popular and award-winning Australian TV satirical sketch comedy series of the mid-1960s.-Introduction:The tremendous impact that The Mavis Bramston Show had in Australia in the mid-1960s was heightened because of its unique place in the history of the Australian TV...
. His 1965 Bramston "Flower arranging" sketch - in which a section of Constance Spry's
Constance Spry
Constance Spry was a famous British educator, florist and author in the mid-20th century.- Background :Constance Spry was born Constance Fletcher in Derby in 1886, eldest child and only daughter of George Fletcher and his wife Henrietta Maria Fletcher...
definitive text book on the subject is quoted verbatim in a lascivious manner by the Chief Censor (Gordon Chater
Gordon Chater
Gordon Chater was a comedian and actor.Chater attended Cambridge University to study to become a doctor but did not finish his degree. While at Cambridge he took part in many student revues.He arrived in Australia following World War II...
) to hilarious and scandalous effect - created a national uproar and remains a television classic.
Film and television acting
In 1975, Howson appeared as an over-attentive bellboy in the Australian movie Alvin Rides Again.He revealed the serious side of his acting skills in the 1976 ABC television adaptation of Frank Hardy's
Frank Hardy
Francis Joseph Hardy, or Frank, was an Australian left-wing novelist and writer best known for his controversial novel Power Without Glory. He also was a political activist bringing the plight of Aboriginal Australians to international attention with the publication of his book, The Unlucky...
Power Without Glory
Power Without Glory
Power Without Glory is a 1950 novel written by Australian writer Frank Hardy. It was later adapted into a mini-series by the Australian Broadcasting Commission .- Publication :...
.
During the 1980s Howson starred in Houseboat Horror
Houseboat Horror
Houseboat Horror is an Australian slasher film released to video in 1989.-Plot:A film crew composed of media types and party animals from the city embark on a road trip to record music videos of a hard-living rock band at rural Lake Infinity....
, an Australian feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
shot to videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
, and often included on lists of the worst movies ever made.
Theatrical productions
In the late 1960s, Howson also turned his talents as a scriptwriter and lyricist to the creation of original Australian stage musicals, working in collaboration with local composers. Early examples included Razza-ma-tazz (and all that Jazz), which was set in Melbourne's pre-war Red-light districtRed-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
, Little Lonsdale Street
Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Little Lonsdale Street is located in the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. A part of the Hoddle Grid, it runs roughly east-west. North of Lonsdale Street and south of La Trobe Street, Little Lonsdale Street's eastern end intersects with Spring Street while its western end intersects with...
. With a cast that included veteran stage actress Madeleine Orr
Madeleine Orr
Madeleine Grace Orr was an Australian-born film, stage and TV actress who worked for many years in London. She is best known as the first person to portray Madge Allsop, bridesmaid and companion to Barry Humphries' most popular and enduring comic character, Dame Edna Everage.-Early life:Born in...
, the show was produced at the Southland Theatre in 1968. That same year, Howson collaborated with Peter Pinne
Peter Pinne
Peter Pinne is an Australian-born writer and composer.Pinne started working as a television executive for the Reg Grundy organisation. Firstly, as Head of Production from 1980, later rising to become a Senior Vice President of the company. During this period, he worked on numerous shows including...
and Don Battye
Don Battye
Donald "Don" Battye is an Australian born writer composer and television producer.-Life:He was a writer, script editor, and producer on several Australian television series for Crawford Productions including soap opera The Box in 1976 & 1977, The Sullivans and police procedural drama series...
on the musical It happened in Tanjablanka, which was a spoof of Hollwood in the 1940s. In 1972, Howson wrote What's in a name, a straight play on the subject of prejudice and intolenance in modern society, which was performed at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne. The following year, he adapted the play Norman, Is That You?
Norman, Is That You?
Norman, Is That You? is a 1970 play in two acts by American playwrights Ron Clark and Sam Bobrick about a Jewish couple coming to terms with their son's homosexuality. The work is notably the first play written by both writers. After 19 preview performances, the play officially opened on Broadway...
for Australian audiences, which had successful seasons in Melbourne and Sydney. The adaptation included a new title song, co-written by Howson with composer Peter Best
Peter Best (composer)
Peter Best is an award-winning Australian film composer who has contributed to such films as Doing Time for Patsy Cline , Muriel's Wedding , Crocodile Dundee , Crocodile Dundee II , Bliss and The Adventures of Barry McKenzie...
, which was recorded and released as a single by the show's star, Bobby Limb
Bobby Limb
Bobby Limb AO OBE was an Australian pioneering radio and television entertainer of the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...
.
The late 1990s saw Howson return to the creation of stage musicals, albeit this time in the form of jukebox musical
Jukebox musical
A jukebox musical is a stage or film musical that uses previously released popular songs as its musical score. Usually the songs have in common a connection with a particular popular musician or group — either because they were written by, or for, the artists in question, or were at least...
s rather than entirely original shows with original music. Shout! The Legend of The Wild Onel, a stage musical about the life of singer Johnny O'Keefe
Johnny O'Keefe
John Michael O'Keefe, known as Johnny O'Keefe was an Australian rock and roll singer whose career began in the 1950s. Some of his hits include "Wild One" , "Shout!" and "She's My Baby"...
, was co-written by Howson with Melvyn Morrow
Melvyn Morrow
Melvyn Morrow is an Australian playwright.He co-wrote "Shout! The Legend of the Wild One" and "Dusty - The Original Pop Diva" with John-Michael Howson and David Mitchell....
and David Mitchell, and made its premiere in Melbourne in the early 2000s. With the same team, Howson also co-wrote a musical about Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
called Dusty - The Original Pop Diva
Dusty - The Original Pop Diva
Dusty - The Original Pop Diva is an Australian jukebox musical based on the life of Dusty Springfield. The book of the musical was written by John-Michael Howson, David Mitchell and Melvyn Morrow...
, which opened in Melbourne in 2006.
In 2007, it was reported that Howson was collaborating on a new musical, Hotel Havana, with composer Jason Sprague. He is currently working on another original musical Pyjamas in Paradise, about teenage parties at Surfers Paradise, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and a jukebox musical about Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
which is soon to be workshopped in Melbourne.
Entertainment Reporter
He is sometimes referred to as "John-Michael 'Hollywood' Howson" when filing showbiz news reports, a nickname first coined by Mike WalshMike Walsh
Mike Walsh may refer to:* Mick Walsh , Chairman of DEC - a UK charity umbrella group.* Mike Walsh , host of the Australian television program The Mike Walsh Show...
when Howson began appearing on The Mike Walsh Show
The Mike Walsh Show
The Mike Walsh Show is an Australian daytime television series. Hosted by Mike Walsh, the show ran from 1973 to 1984 for 90 minutes each weekday afternoon. The program was launched on the 0-10 Network and moved to the Nine Network in 1977...
. His reports continued when the show was replaced by The Midday Show with Ray Martin. Howson became famous for his flamboyant, clever and catty commentary on the celebrity A-list and for the professional respect he attracted from many big-name Hollywood stars.
Determined to further his writing career, Howson moved to West Hollywood but remained a reporter for Network Ten's Good Morning Australia
Good Morning Australia
Good Morning Australia from Network Ten was the name of two different programs. This article is for Bert Newton's morning program, not to be confused with the breakfast news program of the same name....
with Bert Newton
Bert Newton
Albert Watson "Bert" Newton, AM, MBE is an Australian television personality, known for hosting television series such as In Melbourne Tonight, Good Morning Australia and 20 to 1. Newton has also hosted the Logie Awards on numerous occasions through his career.-Early life:Newton was born in...
. He also reported for 3AW
3AW
3AW is a talkback radio station in Melbourne, Australia on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station.-History:...
with Ernie Sigley
Ernie Sigley
Ernest William "Ernie" Sigley is an enduring Australian entertainment personality known for his square-rimmed spectacles, the gap between his front teeth and his slapstick approach to comedy.-Radio career:...
, and remains a 3AW regular.
Howson's book I Found It At The Flickers was published by Horwitz Grahame Books in 1985.
Radio Panellist
Howson is an occasional panellist for radio station 3AW3AW
3AW is a talkback radio station in Melbourne, Australia on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station.-History:...
. During his appearances on 3AW, Howson has adopted vehemently anti-Muslim views, indicating that he would prefer not to talk to Muslims and referring to Muslims as "skilled propagandists". The Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's Media Watch program did a segment outlining Howson's behaviour and views in May 2010.
Short story writer
Howson has published two collections of horror stories - Once Upon a Nightmare: Ten Tales with a Twist (Pan Macmillan, 1998) and Deadly Dreams: Ten More Tales with Twist (Pan Macmillan, 2000).Personal life
John-Michael (he prefers his two first names to be hyphenated and always signs correspondence and autographs this way) lived in the Melbourne suburb of Balaclava during his most productive years in television. He moved to Los Angeles for 17 years and now holds dual US-Australian citizenship.He relocated back to Melbourne, Australia following the success of Shout where he lives with his Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n partner, Alfie, and their three dogs.
In recent years, John-Michael has been publicly open about his homosexuality, a subject about which he was previously very guarded, mainly due to his conservative Roman Catholic beliefs.
He is a Patron of the Melbourne Gay and Lesbian Chorus.
John-Michael Howson was awarded an Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
Medal in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours list.