Local Girl Makes Good - TV Week

A two million dollar pop group headed by Australian singer Olivia Newton-John is about to make its first assault on the pop charts-and on the film business.

The group is called Toomorrow and its first single, You're My My Baby Now, will be released on July 10.

Later in the year, a pop musical film starring the group will be released throughout the world. It's also called Toomorrow.

Olivia, 21, is the only girl in the group. The other three a Americans Ben Thomas and Karl Chambers, and London-born Vic Cooper who was once Tom Jones pianist.

The group hopes to follow in the golden footsteps of the highly successful Monkees. For, like the Monkees, the Toomorrow has been created. They didn't just happen by accident.

The man behind the Monkees, record producer Don Kirschner and James Bond producer Harry Saltz man spent eight months auditioning thousands of youngsters to make up the foursome. They found the boys but the problem of a girl singer remained unsolved until Olivia turned up for an audition.

She looked the part - very pretty with shoulder-length blonde hair. green eyes and a long-legged slender figure. And what's more, she could sing.

In fact Olivia had already had a highly successful career as a solo artist and as a duo with another Australian, Pat Carroll.

As Olivia and Pat they appeared on British and Australian television until they were forced to split up when Pat's entry certificate to Britain ran out and she had to return to Australia.

Luckily Olivia was born in England so the Home Office ruling didn't didn't apply to her.

In London, Olivia, with her fiance 28-year-old Bruce Welch of the Shadows by her side, talked about how she suddenly found herself part of a custom-built pop group. It was a strange sort of feeling at first, she said. I was about to sign a recording contract when I was asked to audition for the group. I didn't even know what the audition was about -I thought it might have been for a James Bond film or something like that.

When she was invited to join the group, Olivia didn't know whether to accept or not. Before I went to see Harry Saltzman, it had been arranged that Bruce would produce my records we were all set, she said. If I signed with the group, I couldn't go ahead with the record plans.

In the end it was Bruce who made the decision for her. Knowing she would regret it if she didn't take a chance with the group, he encouraged her to accept.

The group's first under-taking was the film Toomorrow. It's about four students at a musical college who become involved with outer space.

We played ourselves, Olivia said, And believe me, that's much harder than being someone else. When I was much younger I wanted to be an actress. Now I'm not all that interested though I wouldn't mind doing another film if I could. play a different sort of role.

The group has already seen the completed film at a private screening. Olivia's reaction is a mixture of shock shock at seeing her herself on the screen and excitement.

Until the private screening we had only seen some rushes when we were filming, she said. At first we weren't allowed to see them. Then the director let us have a look one day. I died. We all sat there peeking through our fingers.

Being a member of an Anglo-American group means a lot of travelling between the two countries. Olivia has already flown to the States five or six times. She can't remember how many exactly.

I'm not awfully crazy about New York, she said. The people unfriendly and always seem to be rushing. I have been to Florida twice for holidays though and I loved that.

When in London Olivia stays at her flat near Carnaby Street. Spare time is usually spent with Bruce at his house at Hadley Common in Hertfordshire.

Her red-setter dog Geordie - a present from Bruce lives there and the three of them go walking on the common together.

At the first sign of sunshine, though, I'm out sunbathing in the back garden, Olivia said. That's what I miss about Australia the sun.

Bruce has a place in Portugal and we go down there in the summer sometimes. What we would eventually like to do is have a house in Australia and spend six months of the year there and six months in England.

Although they have been engaged for nearly two years now, Olivia and Bruce have no plans to marry as yet.

I think I'm too young to get married, Olivia said. And anyway, I would like to see how the group goes There are so many things I want to do.

You know, I'm a very lucky person. When I was in Melbourne, I never worked terribly hard. I realise that now. I never had the hard training that others go through. Everything just fell into place for me.

Someone saw me singing and that led to me winning a trip to England, then the group happened - it has always been like that.

I'm not terribly ambitious but now I would just like to become a good singer, not a big star. Before, I was quite happy to settle down and throw career away. Now I want the group to do well, for all our sakes

ABOVE: Australian singer Olivia Newton-John and her fiance, Bruce Welch. Olivia's hoping to tread the stairway to stardom with the new group Toomorrow, which is launching an assault on the pop and film worlds.