Olivia's Dream Comes True - TV Week

THERE'S only one thing I want in this world-and that's time. sighed the 24-year-old star.

For the star, Australia's former TV pin-up singer Olivia Newton-John, has just about everything else she could wish for.

Today she is riding a successful music career which six years ago was nothing more to her than a vague dream. Olivia's career was highlighted recently by her Grammy Award for the best country singing performance for a female with her song Let Me Be There.

With a Grammy under her belt the Australian singing star plans a number of new songs for the American market.

She has told friends that she considers America the real big time. But time is the one thing she has little of.

Her recent visit to Australia for Opera House appearances was one of her first chances in months to indulge in some of her non-show-business interests. I love to ride horses and to swim, but in England I can never get away from work for long enough, she said.

Olivia has reached the pinnacle of success for a female singer in England. She gets star billing right across the country and will soon represent the country in the prestigious Eurovision Song Contest.

The BBC is talking about a TV series for her and she is even making American TV producers sit up and take notice after a recent guest appearance in the Dean Martin Show.

Few, if any, could doubt that she is in fact a star. But to Olivia the word star has little significance.

She is happiest living in her Hampstead Heath, London, home and being given the chance to sing good songs to appreciative audiences. Show-business and all its razzamatazz trappings are not for her.

I've been through it all before, she said, referring to her time with Toomorrow, the planned $2 million super group which became the biggest pop flop of the decade. I am happy with what I am doing.

Toomorrow was the brain-child of Harry Saltzman, live wire who Canadian made producer fortune out of producing James Bond movies. The Monkees were then big and Saltzman, never one to do things on a small scale, decided he could repeat his Bond success by forming an international group and making them movie stars.

Olivia and three musicians were picked from thousands of young hopefuls and for two years they were locked away in studios and had hundreds of thousands of dollars poured into the project of making them stars. Olivia was on a seven-year contract.

Members of Toomorrow were forbidden to make out side appearances and the music industry watched in fascination for the result. But after two years and $2 million the group split with not one hit record nor one top-grossing movie.

They were two good years out of my life wasted. membered Olivia. We made the movie but most of the time I just sat around doing nothing.

Eventually, Olivia wangled her way out of her contract. In a matter of months she won recognition on her own talents and within two years had chalked up hits with If Not For You and Banks Of The Ohio.

To many Australians Olivia is still known best for her role in the two-girl group of Pat (Carroll) and Olivia. That was in the mid-sixties and they were top-billing regulars of shows like Go!!, then compered by Johnny Young.

Looking back, Olivia admits with a cheeky smile that she was then still green behind the ears.

I think I have learned a lot since then, she said. Pat Carroll helped me a lot and in England I've learnt from working with others.

My career did not get going until I left Australia.