HOGES - THE PAUL HOGAN STORY
From Seven and FremantleMedia Australia (FMA) comes HOGES: The Paul Hogan story. An almost accidental supernova of raw comedic talent exploding onto the entertainment scene; first Australia, then the world. The story of how a married-at-18 Sydney Harbour Bridge rigger with five kids entered a TV talent contest on a dare from his work-mates to become a household name and an Oscar-nominated superstar.
Embraced by all Australians and soon known simply as “Hoges,” he is joined on his meteoric journey by lifelong friend, producer and sidekick John “Strop” Cornell.
Together, they first make Australians laugh, then proud with one of the most successful tourism campaigns in history selling Aussie hospitality to the world.
This, with the runaway success of Crocodile Dundee, the highest US-grossing foreign film ever in its day, cements Hogan’s legacy.
HOGES explores the factors which shaped this success – and at what cost success might have come.
It entwines the story of his amazing journey with that of his close family life, of his two great loves, the pain of divorce, his struggle with the intense scrutiny of life in the public eye, but also of his enduring friendship with Cornell and the rollercoaster ride of their careers.
FMA’s Jo Porter and Seven’s Julie McGauran are Executive Producers, Kevin Carlin (Molly, Wentworth) is Co-Producer and Director, Brett Popplewell is Producer and the script is by Keith Thompson (The Sapphires) and Marieke Hardy (Packed To The Rafters, The Family Law).
PART ONE
Poolside at Granville baths, a young Paul Hogan cracks jokes and pashes Noelene, his childhood sweetheart. Ten years, fi children and multiple jobs later, he’s working as a rigger on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Dared by his work-mates to stick it to the judges on a popular talent show, the irrepressible Hogan is launched on a stellar trajectory of record ratings, multiple Logies and the creation of the icon we all know as “Hoges”. But such success can’t come without some changes at home, and when Hoges starts planning his next creation - Crocodile Dundee – there’s a sense that the road ahead might not be so smooth…
PART TWO
While the success of Crocodile Dundee catapults Hoges onto the world stage, things are not so easy at home. After 30 years of marriage to the fi great love of his life, he is falling for his glamorous co-star, Linda Kozlowski. Painful divorce, new life and new love in Hollywood follow, new fi and new characters, but, in spite of intense press scrutiny in Australia, his homeland will always be calling. With the Olympics approaching and his old mate Strop arriving in LA with tickets to Sydney, will Hoges return to take his rightful place as a much-loved Aussie icon?