FOR 40 years, he's been best known as the hilariously deadpan and monotone Elliot Goblet. But for 30 years longer than that Jack Levi has had another role: the loving son of a remarkable 96-year-old mother.
Next month Jack will reappear as Elliot at the 2020 Victorian Seniors Festival Reimagined, where he will help honour all the other cherished parents and grandparents like Marcelle.
And in addition to some classic Gobletisms, don't be surprised if Marcelle joins him on Zoom for a video chat with seniors.
Jack said they were invited after he posted a Facebook message in which he asked his mum her secrets for longevity. "I got an amazing response and festival producer Andrew Gill thought she would be great," he said.
One of Cairo-born Marcelle's tips for longevity is to "laugh a lot. It's like internal jogging". That being the case, she gets plenty of exercise enjoying Jack's comedy routines, which came into their own on Hey, Hey It's Saturday with Daryl Somers.
As Elliot, he was a regular on the show from 1983 until the last episode in 1999.
With his stone-faced demeanour and deliberately flat delivery, Elliot wasn't your typical comic creation.
"I'm naturally deadpan so it's easy," he said. "My acting teacher in 1980 told me, 'Jack, you're never going to make it, because you can't show emotion; you have no facial expression'.
"So I guess she planted the seed. It's going with what you've got. It's turning a lemon into a lemonade, really."
It worked. He was a huge hit, as was Hey, Hey. And he still makes his living from comedy.
"I think that to get what I'm on about, you have to change gears mentally - you've got to do a little work.
"I give audiences a partially completed canvas and expect them to finish the painting."
As well as television, his CV includes corporate work (he has been MC or entertainer at more than 1600 events), fronting weddings and producing a cabaret show.
MARCELLE'S TIPS FOR A LONG LIFE
- Stay in your own home (if you can)
- Be compassionate towards others. It makes you feel good
- Laugh a lot. It's like internal jogging
- Keep your mind active
- Don't dwell too much on the past but instead look ahead
- Have a positive attitude
- Keep up the constant contact with family and good friends
- Pat an animal, and preferably a cute boxer dog.
The Crimson Goat Cabaret Club in Prahran produced more than 30 shows and was a who's who of talent, with acts including Flacco (to this day, one of Jack's favourite comics), juggler Joel Salom, magic acts, circus acts, mime, magic and singing parodies.
The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band appeared in a reunion show. Its frontman, Mic Conway, has been a mate of Jack's since their school days at Camberwell High. MCs included Tom Gleeson, Charlie Pickering and Mick Molloy.
And even Marcelle got in on the act. "We used to give awards to people who were different from the herd - people like Father Bob Maguire, Sam Newman, Derryn Hinch - and Mum would would do a little funny speech and present the awards," Jack said.
As likes to say: "She brightens up the room."
Other seniors festival guests include Tania Kernaghan, Jane Clifton, Deborah Cheetham, Lonnie Lee and Wilbur Wilde. For more on the festival, including the program, head to www.seniorsonline.vic.gov.au/festivalsandawards.
