Goodie Reeve (1897 – 4 December 1978) was a British-born actor, singer, songwriter, radio host, critic and columnist who found fame in Australia, becoming known as the "First Lady of Sydney Radio".National Board of Review of Motion Pictures (1979), p. 165.
Early life Reeve was born Lillian Mary Hazlewood in Warwick Garden, London, the second child of famed comedic actress Ada Reeve and actor Bert Gilbert (Joseph Gilbert Hazlewood); her sister Bessie Hazlewood was also an actress before becoming a chauffeur in Sydney.
Reeve's maternal grandparents Charles Reeve and Harriet Saunders were also actors, and Charles was an active member of the original vigilance committee established to capture Jack the Ripper.
Reeve's paternal grandfather Henry Hazlewood was an actor and theatre manager and her great-grandfather was the playwright Colin Henry Hazlewood.
Following the divorce of Reeve's parents, her mother Ada married Wilfred Cotton, which made Goodie a step-cousin of the actress Lily Elsie.
Reeve's parents regularly toured with their respective acts, sometimes taking Goodie and Bessie with them, including to Australia in 1898 and Southern Africa in 1912.
Schooling Reeve began violin lessons while very young, before switching to the piano."Miss Goodie Reeve", The Lone Hand, 7 April 1919, p. 23. Due to her parents' travels, Reeve did not attend school until age ten, initially sent to a convent by her mother in order to learn French, before shifting to a school in Shropshire and then, with her sister, a school in Bonn, Germany, studying music and languages, but was forced to flee when World War I broke out.
Back in England, Reeve studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and following in her parents' footsteps, established herself in musical comedy. In 1916 she appeared in the hit play The Better 'Ole at the Oxford Music Hall in London,"Local and General", Stratford Evening Post (New Zealand), 3 February 1919, p. 2.Dionysus, "Stageland", Sun (Christchurch), 1 February 1919, p. 12. initially in the supporting role of "Suzette"Ledger, p. 129. before transferring to the lead female role of "Victorine". The Times theatre critic wrote that Reeve helped "brightly and daintily with the song and dance side of the entertainment.""The Better 'Ole", The Times, 6 August 1917, p. 9.
Australia
Reeve came to Australia in 1917 for the local production of The Better 'Ole, continuing her role as Victorine. Much of the early media interest in Reeve was related to her famous mother, with critics regularly comparing Goodie to Ada, including claims that Goodie was as skilled as her mother"Music, Drama and Pictures", The Daily Mail (Brisbane), 11 January 1919, p. 12. but also having "a quiet charm of her own.""Sundry Shows", The Bulletin, 9 January 1919, p. 9. Reeve's management capitalised on the connection, billing Goodie as "Famous Ada Reeve's Fascinating Daughter"."Tivoli Theatre", The Sydney Morning Herald, 6 January 1919, p. 2.
Following the end of The Better 'Ole's run in 1919, Reeve spent years appearing on the Tivoli circuit in a solo show, singing and played the piano, including a tour of New Zealand in the 1927/28 summer,"Like her Mother", Auckland Sun, 5 December 1927, p. 13. and worked in the publicity department of J. C. Williamson's theatre company."Goodie Reeve for J.C. Williamson", Everyones, Vol. 5, No. 304, p. 13.
Writing Reeve also turned her hand to writing in the early 1920s, becoming the theatre critic for, at various times, The Referee and Arrow before a stint editing Theatre Magazine."Playgoer", "Stageland", Southland Times, 4 December 1924, p. 11. She also wrote on a range of other topics, including "women's issues" and the future of education in Australia."Value of Personal Touch", Nelson Evening Mail, 30 May 1936, p. 4.
Combining her writing and musical skills, Reeve released Auntie Goodie's Bedtime Story Songs in 1924, an album of self-written children's songs, including "Come To My Island", "Poor Mummy's Tired, Every Night", "The Puppy Dogs' Parade", "I Jus' P'tend", and "It's Lullaby".Snell, p. 128.
Following the release of Auntie Goodie's Bedtime Story Songs, Reeve was hired to write what were the first radio musical commercials in Sydney, including the famous advertising jingle "Eat Your Uncle Toby's Every Day". She also penned and performed "Here Comes Amy", the song sung at the official welcome of aviator Amy Johnson in Sydney on 4 June 1930.
Radio
Reeve started her 46 year career in radio presenting in Sydney in 1926, working across multiple stations during her career including 2BL,"To-day's Wireless Programme", Horowhenua Chronicle (New Zealand), 7 March 1930, p. 3. 2FC, 2GB,Chick, V. "With Malice Towards None", Commercial Broadcasting, 16 January 1941, p. 20. 2CH, 2SM"Miss Goodie Reeve", The Catholic Press, 11 February 1932, p. 14. and 2UE."Howlers and Handclaps", Wireless Weekly, 14 June 1935, p. 17. Reeve was popular among listeners and noted for her "knack of radiating her happy personality at the mike""Goodie Reeve", Wireless Weekly, 24 September 1937, p. 2. and ability to bring novel features into radio. By 1932, Reeve was known as "one of the best woman announcers on the air" with "a large army of listeners" following her across to 2SM."Miss Goodie Reeve", The Sydney Mail, 2 March 1932, p. 14.
Reeve initially hosted radio programmes for children, including Children's Session, Chickabiddies and Tiny Tots. A typical episode was described as Reeve singing a song she had written while accompanying herself on the piano, before explaining the song or telling a story to the child listener, while continuing to play the piano. Most of her songs and stories were impromptu,"Goodie Reeve in Children's Session", The Wireless Weekly, 9 August 1929, p. 45. although Reeve would eventually hire writers, like Kylie Tennant, who got her big break writing plays for Reeve's children programme,Tennant, K. "My Bad Old Days With Radio", Sydney Morning Herald, 3 January 1974, p. 10. while the iconic Aeroplane Jelly jingle was first sung on one of Reeve's shows.
Reeve's ability to build relationships with young listeners led to her becoming known as "Auntie Goodie" and someone that children would listen to, which she put to use in her 1930 Christmas message on 2GB, urging listeners to "specially appreciate your presents this year, because most Mummies and Daddies have not had too many pennies to spend".Griffen-Foley, p. 10.
Proving to be a popular radio host, Reeve branched out to different programme genres, including women's interests,"Goodie Reeve on the air", Broadcasting Business, 7 December 1934, p. 16. Auntie Goodie's Good Deeds, where listeners would write in with stories of acts of kindness,"Radio Programmes", Manuwatu Standard, 28 November 1929, p. 3. and entertainment, with Behind the scenes at Hollywood on 2FC,"Wireless Broadcasting", Otago Daily Times, 27 January 1928, p. 2. featuring actors, including her own father, speaking about their life and career."To-Day's Wireless Programme", Horowhenua Chronicle, 24 OCTOBER 1929, p. 3.
It was in this role that Reeve inadvertently performed the first interview on the ABC, when a visiting actor froze during a talk and Reeve resorted to asking questions to encourage him to speak.
In 1937 Reeve launched the For Men Only programme on 2GB, encouraging men to write to her about their personal issues, including complaints about their wives,Griffen-Foley, p. 57. loneliness or lack of employment. Reeve read out the letters and responded, providing advice and organising support when required.
Such was Reeve's popularity in the 1930s, she was called "perhaps the greatest favourite in the air in Australia to-day", to the point that a letter from the UK addressed "Goodie Reeve, Sydney" found her."Goodie Got It", The Sun (Sydney), 21 January 1933, p. 7.
However, Reeve's popularity had its drawbacks, including death threats and Christmas cakes containing screws, needles and other objects sent to her."Screw, needles in Xmas Cake", The Northern Advocate (New Zealand), 30 December 1937, p. 4. to a listener travelling hundreds of kilometres to personally lecture her on the benefits of using a parrot to rub face creams on ones face.
After World War II, Reeve ran the popular 2GB programme Session for the Blind, that included a backing band of blind musicians"Around the Dial", Sydney Telegraph, 11 February 1953, p. 16. and an emphasis on helping blind ex-serviceman. Critics praised Reeve's work on Session for the Blind, stating in her "quiet, pleasant way, has deservedly achieved some remarkable results from her cheerful little programme."
Personal life Described as "of the pale face and the experienced grey eyes, and the lips which seem to form ideas instead of words","Some say 'Hunty Goody' but we say 'Goodie Reeve'", Wireless Weekly, 4 October 1929, p. 11. Reeve had a distant relationship with her mother, who appeared to prefer working to motherhood or family life. The two did not see each other for the last thirty seven years of Ada's life, although Reeve recorded a tribute to her mother when Ada was the subject of a This is your life episode.Lee, T. (2024) "Ada REEVE (1874–1966)", Big Red Book.
In 1926 Reeve became seriously ill and by 1929 had undergone 20 operations on her head. It was later suggested that Reeve's well known "extraordinarily sympathetic nature", partly derived from this illness and her desire to spread kindness in the world as a result,Fisher, p. 44. including her ongoing charity work, in particular for the Royal Society for the Blind."Wallacia Carry-On Club", Nepean Times, 11 October 1951, p. 7.
Marriages Reeve was married three times:
The first to Dr Reg McGillicuddy, a physician and former Australian rules footballer with Victorian Football League (VFL) club University, at St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, on 5 December 1919."Miss Goodie Reeve Married", Sunday Times (Sydney), 7 December 1919, p. 2. Reeve left the Sydney run of My Lady Frayle, in which she played a leading role, at short notice, to travel to Melbourne to wed McGillicuddy."Miss Goodie Reeve's Marriage", The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 December 1919, p. 5. Reeve was replaced by her understudy Trilby Clark.
The couple moved to Queensland where they had a daughter, Patricia Mary "Yuki","Deaths", Sydney Morning Herald, 11 March 1999, p. 34."Radio Auntie", The Labor Daily (Sydney), 24 October 1932, p. 7. before McGillicuddy died in Cunnamulla"Vaudeville Personalities", Everyone's, Vol. 2 No. 100, 1 February 1922, p. 6. in 1922, aged 30."Social Gossip", The Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga), 17 February 1922. p. 2. Reeve was in Sydney visiting her father when she heard of McGillicuddy's illness but he died before Reeve was able to return to Cunnamulla.
Reeve and her daughter returned to Sydney where Yuki attended Normanhurst Convent.
Reeve's second marriage was to Walter Geoffrey Martin, an executive with Amalgamated Wireless, in St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney on 22 October 1932, followed by a honeymoon in Suva, Fiji."Mobbed by Children", Waikato Times 3 November 1932, p. 5. Up to 400 fans were outside St Mary's, throwing rose petals and mobbing Reeve, leading to near suffocations in the resulting crush and many children screaming in fright."Wild Scenes at Cathedral Wedding", Waikato Times, 5 November 1932, p. 16. Reeve stopped to kiss and calm many of the children present and momentarily lost her gold plaited headwear.
Following the wedding, Reeve spent a year away from the airwaves but due to her ongoing popularity she remained one of the best known personalities in Australian radio throughout her break."Tuned out of Matrimony", Truth (Sydney), 3 December 1933, p. 13.
Reeve later stated that Martin left her within three months of the wedding.