Rod Hull facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rod Hull
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Rod Hull with his puppet sidekick, Emu
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| Born |
Rodney Stephen Hull
13 August 1935 Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England
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| Died | 17 March 1999 (aged 63) Winchelsea, East Sussex, England
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| Occupation | Entertainer, comedian |
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Notable work
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Emu |
| Children | 6, including Toby |
Rodney Stephen Hull (born August 13, 1935 – died March 17, 1999) was a famous British comedian. He was a popular entertainer on television during the 1970s and 1980s. Rod Hull was almost always seen with his puppet, Emu. Emu was a quiet but very energetic puppet shaped like an Australian bird.
Contents
Early Life and Career Start
Rod Hull was born in 1935 on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. He went to school in Sheerness. After serving in the RAF (Royal Air Force), he became an electrician.
Television Adventures
Starting in Australia
In 1956, Rod Hull moved to Australia. His first job in television was working with lights at TCN Channel 9 in Sydney. Soon, he started appearing on TV himself. He played Constable Clot in a children's show called Kaper Kops. This character was very popular.
Constable Clot even got his own segment, Clot in the Clouds. In this part of the show, Constable Clot would daydream about being different professionals. Later, Rod Hull co-hosted a children's breakfast show called The Super Flying Fun Show. He played a funny character named Caretaker Clot.
It was on this show that Rod Hull first used Emu. There are different stories about how Emu came to be. Some say Emu was created by Channel Nine. Others say a producer asked Rod Hull to use Emu. Rod Hull himself said he created Emu. He said he found the puppet in a cupboard, but he had put it there in the first place. Emu then became a regular part of his shows in both the UK and Australia.
Becoming Famous in Britain
Rod Hull came back to the UK in 1971. He quickly became successful there, just like he had been in Australia. He appeared on many children's and adult TV shows.
His first UK TV appearance was on Saturday Variety. But it was his performance at the 1972 Royal Variety Performance that made him famous across the country.
Meet Emu: The Mischievous Puppet
Rod Hull used Emu to create funny chaos. Emu would cause trouble, and Rod Hull would pretend not to be responsible. He used a fake arm attached to his jacket. This made it look like Emu's head and neck moved on their own.
This trick made Emu seem like a real character with its own personality. Emu was known for sudden, unexpected, and often wild attacks on anyone or anything nearby. During these moments, Rod Hull would try to pull Emu away. But he would often get caught up in the mess himself, rolling around on the floor.
When Rod Hull left The Super Flying Fun Show in Australia, another Emu puppet was made. This allowed the character to continue on the show, which annoyed Rod Hull. Comedian Marty Morton took over his co-hosting role.
Rod Hull and Emu were also regular guests on The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show. This was a Saturday morning children's show on CBS in America in 1974-75.
Emu's wild behavior seemed to have no limits. In 1972, Emu even messed up The Queen Mother's flowers at the Royal Variety Performance. In 1976, Emu famously attacked Michael Parkinson during his TV chat show. Emu kept attacking him until Michael Parkinson fell off his chair!
This led to Rod Hull and Emu getting their own TV series. These included Emu's Broadcasting Company (1975–1980), Emu's World, EMU TV, and Emu's All Live Pink Windmill Show.
In 1983, Rod Hull appeared on The Tonight Show in the US. He even attacked host Johnny Carson, even though he was told not to!
Later Years and Thoughts on Emu
By the 1990s, Rod Hull was on TV less often. However, he still performed in pantomime shows and appeared in TV commercials. He won the "Pipe Smoker of the Year" award in 1993.
A TV show in 2003, Rod Hull: A Bird in the Hand, suggested that Rod Hull felt a growing dislike for his puppet. He thought Emu's success stopped him from doing other things in show business. He believed he was a talented performer who could have had a more varied career. But he was always asked to play the 'and Emu' role. Rod Hull once said, "I want to write but Emu doesn't leave me the time. I want to be a comedian in my own right, but again Emu won't let me do it."
Personal Life
Rod Hull married his first wife, Sandra, in 1958. They had two daughters, Deborah and Danielle.
He was a big fan of the football club Bristol Rovers. In 1974, he even recorded a song called "Bristol Rovers All the Way" with the team.
In the late 1980s, Rod Hull bought a large house called Restoration House. But the cost of fixing it up and an unpaid tax bill led to him becoming bankrupt in 1994. His second wife, Cher Hylton-Hull, had a daughter named Catrina. Rod and Cher had three children together: Toby, Amelia, and Oliver. Catrina appeared in his Pink Windmill show. Cher moved back to Australia with the children, while Rod stayed in England.
How Rod Hull Died
On the night of March 17, 1999, Rod Hull was trying to fix his TV aerial on the roof of his house. It was during half-time of a football match. He slipped and fell. He suffered serious head and chest injuries. He was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital. An investigation found that his death was an accident.
Rod Hull's Legacy
After Rod Hull's death, Michael Parkinson, who Emu famously attacked, said that Rod Hull was "a very charming, intelligent, and sensitive man – quite unlike the Emu." He also said that Emu "was the dark side of Rod's personality, and very funny, provided it was not on top of you."
Rod Hull's son, Toby, brought Emu out of retirement in 2003. They appeared in a pantomime show called Cinderella. Toby Hull and Emu later had their own TV series on CITV.
In 2018, Phil Fletcher, who created the famous puppet Hacker T. Dog, bought one of the last remaining Emu puppets for a lot of money at an auction.
Rod Hull also appears in the video game Hearts of Iron IV. In the game, if he becomes the leader of a certain party in Australia, the country's name changes to the Emu Empire!
See Also
- Bernie Clifton, another comedian who used an ostrich puppet.
