Lucky Grills Dies At 79

THE well-rounded Lucky Grills was not made for running, which is why he had a beef with the makers of Bluey, the TV cop show in which he played Sgt Bluey Hills.
The script always called for him to chase the thin bandit and for his slim partner, played by John Diedrich, to pursue the fat one.
He inevitably ended up out of puff, but never unhappy.
Lucky Grills was one of those rare beings who looked on the bright side of almost every circumstance, laughing as he made others laugh along with him, and he felt as fortunate as his name suggested to have been involved in mainstream entertainment.
Bluey bit the dust in 1976 after two years on commercial TV, after which he moved back to the club circuit.
But the character lived on to entertain a new generation in the Bargearse segment on the ABC's Late Show many years later.
Grills was a man of many parts.
Vietnam veterans remember him entertaining them with his stand-up comedy act on makeshift stages behind the lines.
He also starred in Stan Zemanek's travelling cabaret show.
Born Leo Grills in Hobart on May 26, 1928, Grills once told an interviewer he was both a lovable and modest child.
He recalled The Depression as a hard time when there was little money in the house, but also credited his mother with teaching him that you only get out of life what you put in.
Children were expected to entertain themselves, so he learned to play the clown.
His sister was a singer; she was presented to Dame Nellie Melba after winning a competition.
"It's been the best life I could possibly ever want," he said in an interview after being awarded the Order of Australia.
Grills, 79, had been performing and mailing off gags to fellow comedians just before he died.
He did two shows on the Gold Coast on Friday, had dinner with his wife, Maria, and talked of his schedule before going to bed.
He was also planning a show at the Twin Town Services Club, which friends will now turn into a tribute to his life.
Fans will miss him -- the Bargearse videos are steady sellers in ABC shops and his Bluey character still has a fan club in Britain.
Fellow comedians will also miss him, such was his reputation as a generous friend to old hands and supporter of new talent.
Melbourne's entertainment fraternity last night paid tribute.
Showbiz guru John Michael Howson said Grills was one of the funniest men he ever met.
"Lucky was a lovely man," he said. "You couldn't keep him off the boards. He was fun to be with, he was just the all-Aussie bloke."
Television and radio veteran John Blackman said: "It's sad to see the passing of yet another great icon."
Singer Mike Brady said Grills was well respected in all entertainment circles: 'He was larger than life."
Stage performer Danny McMaster, who worked alongside Grills, said he had performed two shows the day he died: "Not bad for a 79-year-old."