Bert Newton hosted 19 Logies, won four golds and an unforgettable moment with Ali

He hosted the Logie Awards an extraordinary 19 times but Bert Newton remained a steady hand through tantrums and tears and one infamous moment.

Boozy bloopers, off-the-cuff slip-ups, swearing, tantrums and tears of delight — Bert Newton was the steady guiding hand through all that and more as the most enduring and most-loved host of the Logie Awards.

Newton made the Logie Awards his own, hosting TV’s night of nights an extraordinary 19 times — and then once more as part of a hosting ensemble.

Newton, a four-time Gold Logie winner (1979, 1981, 1982 and 1984), first hosted the awards in 1967 at a stage when the Logies, which began in 1959, were evolving into a gala occasion.

Bert Newton was a four-time winner of the Gold Logie.

Graham Kennedy won the Gold Logie and international guests included William Shatner, Barry Morse and local star Skippy.

Patti McGrath, later Mrs Patti Newton, won the Logie Award for Most Popular Female in Victoria, which was presented by the host.

And Newton immediately started creating memorable moments.

Upon accepting the award for Best Comedy Series for the show My Name’s McGooley — What’s Yours?, actor John Meillon was lost for words.

As he floundered, Newton calmly chipped in: “John, perhaps you should just hold the Logie and I’ll do the voiceover”.

A famous picture of Newton with boxer Muhammad Ali.

Newton gets a kiss from wife Patti after winning the Gold Logie.

In 1973, tired and emotional Mod Squad star Michael Cole made Logie history, saying “s---” on camera while presenting the award for Best Overseas Show. Newton, standing beside him, knew things had gone too far.

The Channel 9 switchboard lit up with complaints, but there were far more complaints when the show was replayed two days later with the offending word edited out.

In 1975 John Wayne was one of the international guests.

He arrived in Melbourne and the night before the show attended a cocktail party looking for Newton.

“I saw John Wayne coming down the hallway tall as a gum tree with that walk that nobody else could do and all of a sudden this voice said ‘I want to see Newton’,” Newton recalled in 2010.

“The captain of his boat was an Australian and he said to John Wayne, ‘when you get there look for a bloke named Newton and he’ll look after you’.

Newton with Robin Williams in 1979.

“After the cocktail party, John and Patti and I and an actor named William Conrad (Cannon) ended up having a few drinks and John told us stories of Hollywood, the likes of which I’d never heard before. It was one of the best nights of my life. He was a delightful bloke.”

Sammy Davis Jnr was so at home on stage next to Newton in 1978 that he lit up a cigarette and puffed away as the pair presented the Gold Logie to Graham Kennedy.

Of course, his most famous — or infamous — moment came in 1979 when he quipped “I like the boy” while chatting with Muhammad Ali on stage as they prepared to announce an award.

Newton did not realise he had insulted the boxing champ, but American guests in the audience quickly alerted him and encouraged him to apologise — fast.

Newton hosted 19 Logies ceremonies.

Bob Hawke presented Newton with his 1984 gold.

In 2006 Newton was part of a hosting ensemble. He thankfully was not on stage when US comedian Joan Rivers was introduced.

“I know you’re all famous, I know I’m sitting with important people but I don’t know who you are,” Rivers shrieked at the audience.

“They don’t know who the s--- I am. I don’t know why I’m here! I don’t know why the f--- I’m here.”

Handed a keepsake pink Logie by Richard Wilkins, she responded: “It’s the ugliest award I’ve ever seen! You can get it on eBay tomorrow!”

In 2018 Newton made his last Logie’s appearance as a guest presenter of the Graham Kennedy best new talent award.

Newton with a tired and emotional Michael Cole in 1973.

He was criticised for making jokes that were considered out of step with the times.

Newton, who just days before the ceremony on the Gold Coast had been in hospital with pneumonia and was still not fully recovered, said of his comments: “I in no way wanted to defame, diminish or insult the memory of my very dear friend Graham Kennedy, and I certainly didn’t want to upset anyone”.

In 1969 Newton was presented with a gold table cigarette lighter inscribed with “Special TV Week award to Bert Newton as Outstanding Logie Award Compere 1969”.

The presentation was made by Sir Eric Pearce before the Thursday night episode of In Melbourne Tonight, which was hosted by Bert.

The Logie Awards helped Newton’s star rise as a national figure in the early days.

The awards were significant and, while they grew as a televised event, an ever-expanding audience got introduced to and became interested in Newton as the clever, calm and debonair host who kept the show on the road, no matter what unexpected moments occurred.

Such has been Newton’s impact on the Logies, he even inspired fashion at the event.

Graham Kennedy with Newton at the 1969 Logies.

Ali with Newton and Patti in 1979.

Newton kicks back with his Logie and a beer in 1979.

In 2004 celebrated drag queen Courtney Act wore a dress to the awards made of photos of Newton.

Newton described his experience of hosting the awards in the late ’60s and ’70s as like sitting on top of a mountain.

“In the early days I thought I was doing the show on Mt Everest because back then the stars could smoke in the room and after about half an hour it was hard to pick out anyone past the second row of tables,” he said of the cigarette smoke clouds in the room.

Newton hosted the Logies for 14 consecutive years between 1967 and 1980, as well as in 1982, 1984, 1989, 1993 and 2010.

He was part of a hosting ensemble in 2006 with Lisa McCune, Daryl Somers, Ray Martin and Georgie Parker.