The Tap-Dancing Knife Thrower
My Life (without the boring bits)
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
The icon and legend at last tells his story his way -- without the boring bits
Paul Hogan first appeared on Australia's screens in 1971 as a 'tap-dancing knife thrower' on TV talent show New Faces. The then father of four and Sydney Harbour Bridge rigger from Granville did it as a dare, but when the network's switchboard lit up, he was invited back. So popular was he with viewers, Hogan became a regular on Mike Willesee's A Current Affair.
The rest, as they say, is history. In collaboration with his business partner and best friend, John Cornell (who played his sidekick, Strop), 'Hoges' went on to become Australia's favourite TV comedian. His hugely popular comedy shows and appearances in unforgettable and ground-breaking ads for cigarettes, beer and tourism, came to personify Australia and Australians here and overseas, helping to change the perception of who we are as people and as a nation.
Then, in 1986, Crocodile Dundee, the movie he conceived, co-wrote and starred in, became an international smash hit and earned its star a Golden Globe Award, as well as Oscar and BAFTA nominations. Despite the fact that Hoges claimed to have retired, many more successful movies followed. Yet even as his star rose ever higher, he always expected someone to grab him by the arm and say, 'What are you doing here? You're just a bloody rigger!'
The Tap-Dancing Knife Thrower is a funny and candid account of the astonishing life of this 'lucky bastard', as Hoges describes himself. Full of stories never previously shared, and recounted in the comedian's inimitable, funny and self-deprecating style, The Tap-Dancing Knife Thrower is Paul Hogan's story told his way - 'without the boring bits'.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Paul Hogan’s long-awaited memoir reminds us exactly why he became Australia’s most iconic comedic voice. Named for the fake act he brought onto live TV in 1971, The Tap-Dancing Knife Thrower is a larger-than-life romp through show business. Long before Crocodile Dundee became a surprise global blockbuster, Hogan perfected the persona of a working-class Aussie larrikin on a hit sketch comedy show and game-changing ads like 1984’s “shrimp on the barbie” tourism spot. Bursting with wild anecdotes and colourful slang, this memoir captures the spontaneous, irreverent wit that transformed a humble labourer on the Sydney Harbour Bridge into an international comedy star.