Olivia Wows Em on Home Ground

thanks to Kay

Ed - The sections of the article do not line up, read as if four columns. For ease the text of the article is below. Click to enlarge.

Let's hear it, folks, for Australia's own, the very beautiful... star of Xanadu, Olivia Newton-John!

Australia's own? Well, she was born in England, lived in Australia for about 10 years before going back to England to find, as they say in the trade, fame and fortune, and then on to the United States.

Very beautiful? Almost certainly, yes. Light brown with blonde on top. Big, round, blue eyes that never seem to blink. A mouth whose natural shape is a wide, natural V. Lovely legs. It's all infectious enough to suggest a beauty of spirit.

Star of Xanadu? Well, she plays a leading role in what is often a boring, witless movie redeemed by some catchy music and some engaging danc-ing, mostly on roller skates. Not so much a star as a mobile electric light bulb.

The Olivia Newton-John Show came to Australia last weekend for two reasons. The less attractive reason is that there is a $20 million investment in the movie. It and the record need promotion if profits are to be made.

The other reason is that the woman, now 32, really loves Australia and Australians. Australians still love to be loved. When Olivia's around, love is in the air.

Perhaps extraordinary thing about her is that she seems unspoiled by the Hollywood money machine. Behind the image is the girl next door, even if it is a girl with an eye to the dollar.

She has made more than $12 million from the movie Grease and another $12 million or so from records.

Ferry trip

Yet, on Sunday she took the Manly ferry with some family, friends, entourage and dark glasses, walked on the promenade, eat fish and chips and watched the sharks.

On Monday she told Mike Willesee it was odd that she had to defend herself for being a happy person, thought by others to be pleasant without a ditg or divorce problem and who hasn't fallen down drunk in the street.

Most of Tuesday and Wednesday was taken up with radio interviews. Olivia was like the Jimmy Curter of a few years back wholesome and innocent of intrigue.

She still has those qualities, but the PR machine has adopted a touch of the Malcolm Frasers. There is no time for interviews with newspaper people. The interviews are with radio and television easier to control, usually less probing. Wednesday brought the night glittering gala premier at Sydney's Lyceum Theatre.

Olivia kissed Chantal Contouri, the actress and friend. old (Actually, Olivia doesn't kiss, at least not in public. It's more a miss, and brushing of cheeks.) It's not known what Contouri and Newton-John discussed, but it could have been the fact that Contouri said two years ago that her mate would return to Australia this year, buy a farm and have babies. There's not much time left, lads.

George Moore, not the jockey but the Radio 2SM announcer, announced the star's presence.

The star said: Hullo, hullo. I must say how exciting it is to be back in Australia. I'm a little nervous. It was impossible to disbelieve her.

One unsung star of the show was Mr Sydney V. Hayden, managing editor of Australasian Cinema, who said after about 20 minutes: I saw Clark Gable in The Hustler on the ABC last night. That I understood. What's this about? Hayden excused himself. At the post show party, he confided that he had gone to City Tatts.

The consensus was that the movie was less than good, but it didn't matter. Most kids liked the music, Jack Thompson, not the jockey but the actor, said it was enjoyable as long as it wasn't taken seriously. He hadn't fallen asleep. He thanked Olivia, who didn't recognise him. She apologised later to Thompson.

Most Hollywood stars wouldn't have turned up at the party, with 600 guests drinking, eating, taking photographs, asking for autographs, tugging at the hem of the golden one's garment.

But this girl's not an ordinary star. Truly. She was there near the death. And, about 1.30am, the papers missed one of the human stories, as they say, of the week. As a security guard told it later, a man had stood outside the reception for several hours with his daughter, who looked six or seven.

Remember

The father either deserves to be reported to child welfare authorities or holds a powerful love in his heart. When Olivia finally emerged she spotted the child, held her, gave her something to remember, The girl will not forget.

Thursday was Melbourne's day.

She arrived at the press conference with her girl-next-door mannerisms - waving both hands alongside her face, biting a lip, wrinkling her nose: Hullo, Hullo

The Melbourne media wanted to know two basic things: Whether she would sing at the Aussie Rules Grand Final and whether she would buy a home in Victoria.

She was sorry she couldn't sing, but she did support Carlton. And she was looking for a place in Sydney or Melbourne. In fact, Sydney is much more likely, but Melbourne seemed the better bet as the conference wore on.

And there was the question: Interesting How do you feel about scabbing? (Hollywood is on strike and Newton-John is allegedly here to promote not the film but the record, already on top of the charts in eight or 10 countries.)

Tell me what you mean, said Newton-John.

How do you feel about breaking the strike?

I'm not breaking the strike, with a smile. It seemed ungallant to pursue the matter.

Her former lover and now mere manager, Lee Kramer, is travelling with her. He runs the Newton-John Show. The only other long romance was with Bruce Welch, of the English group The Shadows. It ended sadly, with Welch attempting suicide.

Saintly

Her mother and father, uncles and aunts and elder sister are divorced, which probably explains her guardedness about marriage.

Mother had a Nobel prize father Max Borne. Father, Brin Newton-John, was Professor of German at Newcastle University and still lives in Newcastle.

He has more than 3,500 classical music records and sends cassettes of Haydn, Schubert and Mozart to his daugher in California, with a personal message. The classics make her sad, but he loves them and her, despite calling her voice sweet, small.

Kramer calls her a quiet, saintly person who never speaks ill of people.

Down in Melbourne's City Square on Thursday night the people were ready to sanctify her. New Lord Mayor Jack Woodruff, who makes Sydney's Nelson Meers sound like the most articulate public speaker, presented her with the keys to the city and a miniature bronze sculpture and called her our sweetheart of song and screen, a truly international star with the silky voice.

Later Don Lane, who told a magician on his TV show last week to p-off, melted under the beauty.

She told him as terrific in Australia because she sounded like everyone else. But she would have to return, at least for a while, to Malibu, her five horses, eight dogs and a cat.

Australian's Own told another questioner: I'd like a dingo, too,

By Tony Stephens