The curious case of Paul Hogan and his forgotten director

Graham Kennedy and Don Lane were fulsome on their praise for Peter Faiman, who directed their variety shows. With Paul Hogan, it was a different story ... and it only gets juicier.

Paul Hogan, Peter Faiman and John Cornell pictured in Melbourne in 1976.

It’s January 1, 1988, and I’m standing in front of Uluru in the blazing heat with the honour and responsibility of opening Australia Live, a show to celebrate our Bicentennial. Simulcast on all networks and lasting over four hours, it would be (and remains) the biggest live television event in Australian history, ricocheting from our Antarctic base to the Space Station, via Number 10 and the White House so that Maggie and Ron could wish us happy birthday. Given the primitive state of satellite communication and other technologies at the time, it was a miracle to bring it off. But it worked perfectly. And much of the credit goes to (drum roll) my close friend, the formidable Peter Faiman AM. He’s been at the centre of many big events over the years.

Cut to Cheviot Beach at Portsea; the TV coverage on the day Harold Holt disappeared was directed by Faiman. Cut to the epic Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympics; calling the shots was Faiman. Cut to Moscow’s Red Square in 1992, for an epic international telecast to celebrate post-Soviet Russia; again, directed by Comrade Faiman.

Peter Faiman – the film director of Crocodile Dundee – with the famous 'knife' from the film, in Sydney.

Back in Australia, Faiman directed decades of variety shows including Graham Kennedy’s, Don Lane’s and Paul Hogan’s. In each case the star had much to thank him for, in nurturing and developing their talent. Kennedy and Lane were fulsome on their praise for Faiman. But not so much Hogan, it seems to this close observer of events. Paul would only share the credit with his partner John “Strop” Cornell. Other collaborators, including co-authors, became faces on the cutting room floor. Cut to the pinnacle of Hogan’s brilliant career. The most profitable movie in our history, Crocodile Dundee. The director? Drum roll ... Peter Faiman.

As the producer of another successful fillum about an innocent Aussie abroad in a funny hat (the comparably iconic Bazza), I’ve watched the evolution of Mick Dundee with interest. And still do. So imagine my surprise when, at a recent Sydney screening of the new digitally enhanced version of Crocodile Dundee, a major credit was missing. The director’s! Faiman’s!

Peter was sanguine – he graciously put it down to human error. I’m not convinced.

Paul Hogan stars in Crocodile Dundee, directed by Peter Faiman.

Particularly when his role is diminished in a new doco on Croc history produced by Cornell’s devoted widow, Delvene Delaney. No space for the details, but Delvene attributes to others major creative choices in “the cut” that I know were Peter’s. He’s not one to complain – so I’m doing the complaining.

Another measure of the Hogan-Cornell attitude to Peter? He wasn’t invited back to direct the Croc sequel. That task was given by Cornell to (drum roll) Cornell. Check the box office and the reviews. John and Paul made a bad call. The latter Crocs were crocks.

I remember warning Kerry Packer that Rupert Murdoch was about to out-bid him for Peter, to help establish Murdoch as a force in UK and US television, which Peter did. We met up again in Sydney where, as besties, we met every Tuesday morning for breakfast and a few laughs – until my recent retirement from active service. And today I honour this brilliant and decent person.