Hazel Phillips is an Australian Television pioneer. Her first essay into professional show business came when she became a finalist in The Search for Miss TV run by radio station 2UW in August 1956. She became the first girl ever, ..d circuit TV when it was being tested in Elizabeth Street in Sydney.
After being booked on a Hotel circuit in Melbourne by iconic agent Jack Neary after the Miss TV contest, she progressed to doing her comedy act around the clubs and pubs, then toured the country in Tibor Rudas' show 'Oriental Cavalcade' with her star on the rise, until a car accident left her with a badly scarred face and she joined the 'Revue 20' in the landmark variety show on Channel 7, 'Revue 61' starring Digby Wolfe.
She stayed with the choir for four years until Channel 7 management put her into their new show, 'Beauty and the Beast' hosted by Eric Baume and starring such names as Maggie Tabberer, Dita Cobb, Pat Firman, Patricia Lovell, Anne Deveson and many others. She was then signed to The Mavis Bramston Show and forced to leave Beauty and the Beast by the 2IC. She then starred at the Silver Spade and was picked up by the broadway producer of The Boys from Syracuse to be the first local performer to be cast in a JCWilliamson musical.
On her return from the tour Channel Ten was just starting and ran a public consensus to find out who they wanted to see. Hazel came first on the list. She was hired to host a daily chat show, 'Girl Talk'. A free-wheeling interview show, it was the first of its kind in the country - previous shows being much more formal.
In 1967 she became the first woman to be awarded the Gold Logie for Best female personality, (National) and Bronze Logie (NSW) and is one of Australias most versatile and loved performers. Throughout her long and fruitful career, she has tackled all areas of the media and still performs on a regular basis. Hazel also wrote an hour long special called ‘Hazels Here’ which was shown nationally.
‘Girl Talk’ ran for three years and ‘Strictly for the Birds’ for one year, which she also produced. In another first, 'Girl Talk' was the first show to go to the States to interview major stars including Bing Crosby, Paul Newman, Omah Sharif, Charlton Heston, Jean Simmons, Cornel Wilde, Bob Crane and the Hogan’s Hero’s cast, Fess Parker (Daniel Boon) Kay Ballard (Laugh In), among many others - fifty two interviews in nineteen days. Hazel was the last person to interview Sharon Tate alive, and was invited to appear on CBS in Los Angeles to talk about the interview.
Hazel has appeared on almost every major television series, from 'Revue 61' and subsequent shows, the original ‘Beauty and the Beastâ€, ‘The Bramston Show’ , ‘Number 96’, ‘A Country Practice’, ‘G.P’ and ‘The Wayne Manifesto’ ‘Misery Guts’ and 'Mortified', children's shows. Hazel has appeared on ‘Good Morning Australia’ with Bert Newton and ‘Denise’ ‘What’s cooking’ with Kerry Anne Kennerly, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ with Stan Zermanic , and guested on ‘Good Morning Australia’.
Hazel’s dramatic theatre roles have ranged from comedies to Shakespeare and the Classics. Appearances with The Queensland Theatre Company have included ‘The Circle’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘Henry V’ and the ‘Merry Wives of Windsor’ directed by Geoffrey Rush. She sang the opening song in the Tribute show to the founder of QTC, Alan Edwards, which also starred Geoffrey Rush and many others at the Optus Playhouse in December 2003.MOVIESHazel has had major roles in ‘The Set’, ‘Belinda’ and ‘Little White Lies’ with Mimi Rodgers.MUSICAL THEATRE/COMEDYHazel’s Musical Theatre experience is extensive, she co-wrote the musical ‘Hot Pants’ with David Mitchell, when he was just starting out. (now executive producer of ‘This is Your Life’ on the Nine Network). Hazel has had lead roles in ‘The Boys from Syracuse’, ‘I Do I Do’, ‘Mack and Mabel’, ‘Cloud lands’, ‘Dinkum Assorted’, ‘Gypsy’ and ‘Grease’ and the original production of Simon Gallaher’s ‘Merry Widow’ which then toured Australia starring Marina Pryor. Hazel appeared in the Andrew McKinnon concert version of ‘Kiss me Kate’ with Yvonne Kenny, as part of the Energex Brisbane Festival.Hazel wrote a show for the Bankstown Town Hall Theatre, ‘Fanny Get Your Gun’ (named in a contest). This toured with great success to Melbourne and the Gold Coast. She followed this with another musical show she wrote and directed called ‘All At Sea’ which played to capacity houses at the Resort on the Gold Coast. Hazel toured Queensland with the Q.P.A.T.Brisbane Festival in a production of ‘Snapshots from Home’, a musical memory of Brisbane at war, and has performed an extended season of ‘Nearly in the Box or Never say Die’ for the Brisbane Fringe festival with Alan Edwards.CABARET
Hazel appeared at the Bull n Bush in William Street Sydney, and The Philip Theatre performing “Lie back and enjoy it†with Carol Ray, and in the past years she has written and performed a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, called ‘Marilyn and Me’ (photo top of page, 2003) which has been performed on the Gold Coast and various cabaret venues in NSW, with an appearance at the School of Arts caf.. in Canberra, The Darwin Entertainment Centre, plus seasons in Melbourne and at the Wood Fire Cabaret in Sydney’s Double Bay, which earned her a rave revue in The Sydney Morning Herald.
Within the last 12 months Hazel returned from a tour of Queensland theatres from Cairns down to Caloundra, for which she received standing ovations, and she performed her one woman show on a cruise on the Marco Polo, which toured the great cities of Europe. More recently Hazel appeared in a convention show for IGA called ‘Divine Divas’ with colleagues Julie Anthony, Rhonda Birchmore and Wendy Mathews.Hazel continues to work, appearing at venues like Twin Towns and Club Banora on the Gold Coast with her very successful act, as well as performing ‘Marilyn and me’ at RSL clubs as far as Maroochydore, and lending her hand to charities and making public appearances. She is also writing her autobiography. Hazel was recently honored by the Australian Government and awarded an Order of Australia for her relentless contribution to television and the entertainment Industry.
She has recorded a CD/DVD with Revelation Records (Gold Coast) and has now set her sights on Television again, as 50 years will be up in August of 2006.
Hazel Phillips is a name that epitomizes the history of Entertainment in this country and has made a successful living from performance and appearances throughout these 50 years and with the passing of so any many of her colleagues and others approaching their ‘Twilight’ years, sometimes you realize that the Gold once discovered, never fades.
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