Friends remember the secret Bert Newton, state funeral details revealed

Entertainment and media industry heavyweights, including James Packer, have paid tribute to Bert Newton, revealing their fondest memories of Moonface.

TV legend Bert Newton has been remembered as a giant of Australian television, a great supporter of new talent and a generous and kind friend by close colleagues and associates.

Newton, whose career encompassed television, radio and theatre, was described as “one of Australia’s greatest ever entertainers” by business titan James Packer.

Newton shone brightly as one of the biggest stars of Channel 9 when it was owned by the Packer family.

Mr Packer added: “Bert made us laugh, cry and smile for so many wonderful decades.

“My family had a close personal relationship with Bert, through Channel 9; he helped revolutionise TV at the network and was such a lovely human being.

“Like all Australians, I will miss Bert dearly. Condolences to (his widow) Patti and his family for their loss,” he said.

Newton passed away in Melbourne on October 30 after a long illness.

Bert Newton and Don Lane on The Don Lane Show.

His state funeral will be held at St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne on Friday.

Peter Faiman, director of The Don Lane Show, The Graham Kennedy Show and countless live specials over the decades hosted by Newton, including the Logie Awards and the Royal Charity Concert, said Newton excelled at the big live TV events.

“His two major strengths were unquestionably his formidable talents and Patti, who adored him and was always at his side and had his back. She was his confidante and supporter through what is not an easy business to be in,” Faiman said.

“His great love, of course, was big occasion performances, of which we did many in those days, live to air.

“As a host he was incredibly dignified, elegant, charming and incredibly funny at the right times.

“He was a true master of ceremonies. He loved a big occasion and the bigger the occasion the more comfortable he felt.

Peter Faiman and Bert Newton in 1981.

“In my experience he never failed on the big stage. Whatever surprises in live television that were presented to him, he saved the day on so many occasions with such ease.

“On the other hand, on The Don Lane Show he was totally let loose. No one on the show knew, or wanted to know, what he had up his sleeve when he came out to do Don’s Wheel.”

Faiman said fellow Australian TV great Paul Hogan considered Newton to be “Mr Television”.

“Hoges first came into contact with Bert on New Faces. Bert was hosting it and Paul made his first performance on that show.

“He has always credited Bert for helping his career and has always seen him, long before he (Hogan) was in television, as Mr Television,” Faiman said.

“I have spoken to Hoges and he has been genuinely upset at Bert’s illness and his passing.

“He was such a hero of Paul’s and coming from Paul, I am telling you that is a great accolade.”

Bert Newton and Patti Newton on The Don Lane Show Picture: Channel 9

PJ Isaacson, the son of Don Lane with whom Newton formed one of Australian TV’s greatest partnerships, said Newton changed the trajectory of his dad’s career.

“Dad, he loved Bert, he really admired him,” Isaacson said.

“He knew that with Bert’s sharp wit he could throw anything Bert’s way and Bert could hit it back, improvising perfectly.

“I have great memories of when Bert started doing musical theatre, we went backstage at Beauty and the Beast for the opening night, I think I was 12 years old, we went to the dressing room door and Dad did not even have to say ‘It is Don Lane’ – he just walks into Bert’s dressing room and gives him a big hug and says, ‘That was fantastic’.

“Dad always used to light up when talking about Bert.”

He said Newton had been a great support when Lane died in 2009.

“He flew right up (to Sydney) because Dad had the Jewish service, he had to be buried the next day, and Bert came straightaway.

“There was a moment during the service, Bert had his sunglasses on but you could see the tears rolling down his face, and without any words that moment said everything.

“He was just so respectful and thoughtful and we just want to give that back to Patti and the family during this time.”

Rob 'Belvedere' Mascara and Bert Newton.

Rob Mascara, who was known as “Belvedere” on Channel 10’s Good Morning Australia for 14 years, said Newton created the character on the run one day after not wanting to taste food whipped up in a cooking segment.

“It was early in 1992 and they had a chef on the show and Bert was not particularly fond of what they cooked, so I was standing in his eye line (working as part of the floor crew) and he called me over,” Mascara said.

“There is this kid from the suburbs, 19 years old, standing with Bert Newton, live on TV about to taste this dish, I was petrified.

“The next morning he said, ‘We are going to do that again, but this time say this’ and he gave me a bit of paper with something written on it.

“So I said that and from that moment Belvedere was born. To this day, people still think that is my real name.”

The name actually came from a loveable bulldog in 1950s Warner Brothers cartoons.

Mascara said Newton’s generosity shone through.

“I had invited Bert and Patti to my 30th birthday, not thinking they would come – and to my amazement they turned up and did a little floor show and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me,” he said.

“That was incredible.

“I put a tab on the bar and the tab ran out, of course, and Bert topped up the tab.

“He did not say anything until a few days later when I asked him. It was a silent generosity that he had.”

Bert Newton with Rhonda Burchmore Picture: Supplied

Family friend Rhonda Burchmore said Newton was her mentor.

“I got my first prime time television gig on The Don Lane Show in 1981. For my entire career Bert has been there and supported me through good times and bad,” Burchmore said.

“I was so starstruck by Don and Bert. I was in my early 20s and they gave me so much support and so many opportunities. I was a regular on The Don Lane Show and I was very much a part of Good Morning Australia.

“He was like my hero and mentor all my life.”

Burchmore said Newton’s counsel was important after she was criticised for her Red Hot and Rhonda show, which was the first show staged at Crown Casino as part of its opening in 1997.

“That was the lowest part of my career,” she said. “I wanted to give up there and then. I was at rock bottom and had no belief in myself.

“Bert was the one that would sit me down and console me and say ‘Don’t get mad, keep going and get even’.

“His words and his caring, that was a pivotal point in my career and he is very much why I am still doing what I am doing.”

Bert Newton's 66th birthday on the set of Good morning Australia, with Patti Newton, Dr Julie Summerfield, Rhonda Burchmore, Jemma Gawned and Lara Mulcahy.

Melbourne publicist Di Rolle, who was a producer and researcher on The Don Lane Show, said Newton was meticulous and appreciated the work of the team around him.

“He loved film and he had great knowledge about old Hollywood and he read a lot about the great actors and actresses.

“We used to talk a lot about Marilyn Monroe. He loved Marilyn,” Rolle said.

“We would talk about various things that Marilyn Monroe did and one day we were talking and he said, ‘No Di, that was not her, it was Debra Paget’.

“And when The Don Lane Show ended its run and we all left he wrote on a card for me, ‘We will always have Debra Paget, love Bert’.”

Footy Show great Sam Newman said he had been inspired by Newton and Graham Kennedy when crafting his TV persona.

“I learnt a hell of a lot about how to do live TV and off-the-cuff stuff from watching Bert and Graham.

“So when I got the opportunity in 1993 when we started The Footy Show, I understood how he used to do it.

“He was a great influence on how I went about what I did on the show,” Newman said.

“He got in touch with me every now and again when I was on The Footy Show to say I was going well and I appreciated that.

“And I told him I appreciated those comments coming from someone like him.”

DETAILS OF BERT NEWTON’S STATE FUNERAL

The state funeral for TV legend Bert Newton will be held next Friday at St Patrick’s Cathedral.

The 10am service on November 12 will have a cap of 500 fully vaccinated guests, including family, friends and colleagues, with the mass to be shown on screens at Federation Square and live streamed via the Victorian Government website.

The service will also be televised live on Channel 9 and Channel 10.

Entertainment reporter Peter Ford tweeted the news on Friday.

Newton passed away aged 83 on October 30 after a long health battle, with wife Patti saying the family was heartbroken.

Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday reached out to his widow Patti to offer a state funeral.

In a statement released on Friday, the Department of Premier and Cabinet described Mr Newton as a “fixture of Australian television”.

Bert Newton with five of his six grandchildren. Pic: Instagram

Bert Newton and Muhammad Ali at the TV Week Logie Awards.

“Bert brought his wit and energy into our homes over many decades,” it read.

“He was an entertainer in every sense of the word and this send-off will honour his legacy.”

Family, friends and colleagues will be able to attend the service to celebrate Bert’s life and reflect on his contribution to the entertainment industry, numerous charities and the state of Victoria.

Due to COVIDSafe requirements, attendance at the State Funeral Service is for family, friends and colleagues.

Attendees must be fully vaccinated and check-in.

The proceedings will be livestreamed for the general public to view.

In lieu of flowers wellwishers have been encouraged to donate to VCMH’s O’Neill House in Prahran.

It’s believed the requiem mass won’t be an occasion with a showbiz element, even though many celebrities will be in attendance, but Newton’s legacy will be honoured.

Newton was the King of Moomba in 1978 …

… and again in 2014.

Earlier this week, Ford reported that a personal message for Newton from son Matthew will be read out at the funeral on behalf of the troubled actor after it was confirmed he will not be attending the service.

Now based in New York, it’s believed the director and writer had been on good terms with his parents but the relationship was still described as complex.

Patti this week denied there was a rift.

There has been a huge outpouring of grief and tributes since the passing of the much loved entertainment icon.

“It’s very, very devastating,’’ Patti said, adding that Newton would have loved a state funeral.

“All our hearts are breaking because he was just the most wonderful man.”

Bert and Patti have six grandchildren, the children of daughter Lauren and her husband Matt Welsh.