Dawn Lake

Dawn Alice Lake (20 January 1927 – 1 January 2006) was an Australian television comedian, singer, entertainer, and actor whose career spanned more than 50 years. She was particularly associated in show business with her husband Bobby Limb.

Entertainer Bert Newton described her as "our greatest comedienne – Australia's Lucille Ball".

Early life

Dawn Alice Lake was born to a Balmain working-class family, the youngest of four children. She married entertainer Bobby Limb in 1953 and they had one daughter, Debbie, born in 1955.

She was married to Limb for 46 years, although the marriage had its ups and downs, including a separation for a year in 1973. She lost her brother, David, to suicide in 1965. Bobby Limb died in 1999, after which she withdrew from performing life.

Career

She started her career as a singer in a local dance hall when she was 21, and soon after was contracted to Joe Taylor's Celebrity Club circuit. She met Bobby Limb at this time. After their marriage in 1953, they went to the UK where she had won a contract to sing with the BBC Show Band. Their careers went well in England over the next four years, with Lake appearing frequently as a guest on the Cyril Stapleton radio show, and with the couple appearing at the London Palladium and on the Moss Empire circuit. On their return to Australia in 1957 she appeared on the Tivoli circuit, and sang on 2UE and ABC radio stations, frequently with Bobby Limb's band.

While she came to prominence on radio programs compered by Jack Davey and comedian George Wallace, she found her greatest fame through her collaborations with Bobby Limb on the early Australian television programs The Mobil Limb Show produced by TCN9, Bobby Limb's Sound of Music, and, for two years in the mid-1960s, Here's Dawn. Limb's production company also created the situation comedy series The Private World of Miss Prim (1966) as a vehicle for Lake, but the series was short-lived. Lake was subsequently a regular for the 1967 season of the top-rated sketch comedy program The Mavis Bramston Show.

Through the 1970s she guest starred in Australian drama series such as Division 4 and Glenview High, and appeared as a panellist on Graham Kennedy's game show Blankety Blanks. She also made a few appearances in dramatic feature films of this period, with roles in Squeeze a Flower, Sunstruck, Alvin Purple, and the controversial Wake in Fright. She also returned to the stage at this time, appearing such shows as Some of My Best Friends Aren't, Just for Arthur, Move Over Mrs Markham and The Mating Season (opposite Sid James). In her later life she participated in a series of national concerts for seniors, organised by Limb.

Bobby Limb and Dawn Lake entertained Australian troops in Vietnam, and were active in the campaign to elect the Whitlam Labour government in 1972, including taking part in the campaign song, It's Time.

Her most enduring character was Ethel, who first appeared in the early 1960s in The Mobil Limb Show. "You tell 'em, luv!" was Ethel's catchcry, a line which was quickly adopted by Federal politicians during parliamentary Question Time.

Filmography

Film YearTitleRoleType 1970 Squeeze a Flower Dawn Lambert Feature film 1971 Wake in Fright Joyce Feature film 1972 Sunstruck Sal Cassidy Feature film

Television YearTitleRoleType 1954 Show Case Guest TV series UK, 1 episode 1955 It's a Great Life Guest TV series UK, 1 episode 1956 The Private World of Miss Prim TV pilot 1958 Bandwagon Singer TV special 1959–1961 The Bobby Limb Show Guest TV series 1961–1964 The Mobil-Limb Show Guest TV series 1963 The Dawn Lake Show Guest TV pilot 1963 The 4th Annual TV Week Logie Awards Winner – 'Special Award for Comedy TV special 1963–1968 Bobby Limb's Sound of Music Regular guest TV series 1964–1965 Here's Dawn Various characters TV series 1965 The 6th Annual TV Week Logie Awards Winner – 'Best Female Personality' TV special 1966 The Private World of Miss Prim Miss Prim TV series, 11 episodes 1967 The Mavis Bramston Show Various characters TV series 1969 The Rose and Crown Regular role TV series 1969 Riptide TV series, 2 episodes 1969 The Rovers Dawn Tobin / Mrs. Drury TV series, 2 episodes 1970 Bobby Limb's Sounds of the 70's Guest TV series 1971 Dynasty Colleen TV series, 1 episode 1972 No No Nanette: Opening Night at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne Herself (with daughter Debbie) TV special 1972 Division 4 Annie Morris TV series, 1 episode 1972 Don't Mourn Buzzy: Buster Fiddess Memorial Concert Herself TV special 1972 Funny You Should Ask Guest TV series, episode 104 1972 ALP: It's Time Labor Campaign Herself Video 1972 Bobby Limb's Sound of Christmas Guest (with Bobby Limb) TV special 1973 The True Blue Show Various characters TV series, 1 episode 1974 Mac and Merle Merle TV pilot 1975 Celebrity Squares Celebrity contestant TV series, 2 episodes 1976 Alvin Purple Mum TV series, episode 3: "Like Father, Like Son" 1976 Showbiz: Bobby and Dawn Guest (with Bobby Limb) TV special 1977–1978 Graham Kennedy's Blankety Blanks Regular Panelist TV series 1977 Telethon '77 Guest (with Bobby Limb) TV special 1978; 1979 The Mike Walsh Show Guest (with Ron Frazer) TV series, 1 episode 1978 Glenview High Mrs. Marsh TV series, 1 episode 1978 This Is Your Life Special Guest TV series, 1 episode: "Dawn Lake" 1979; 1980 The Mike Walsh Show Guest (with Bobby Limb) TV series, 1 episode 1979 Tickled Pink Dot TV series, 1 episode: "The Family Business" 1980 Celebrity Tattletales Guest (with Bobby Limb) TV series, 3 episodes 1980; 1984 The Mike Walsh Show Guest (with (Bobby Limb) TV series, 1 episode 1980 Telethon '80 Herself & Bobby Limb TV Special 1981 Channel Nine Celebrates: 25 Years of Television Guest TV special 1981 Australian Theatre Festival: A Hard God Aggie Cassidy Teleplay 1984; 1985 The Mike Walsh Show Guest (with Bobby Limb) TV series, 1 episode 1984 The Tonight Show with Bert Newton Guest (with Bobby Limb) TV series, 1 episode 1985 The Mike Walsh Show Guest (with Bobby Limb) TV series, 1 episode 1986 21st Kids Birthday Channel Ten Telethon Guest TV special 1986 The Midday Show Guest (with Bobby Limb) TV series, 1 episode 1986 Seven Nightly News Herself TV series, 1 episode 1989 The Bert Newton Show Guest (with Bobby Limb) TV series, 1 episode 1990 The Private War of Lucinda Smith TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1994 Gordon Chater: A Life Guest TV special 1999 The Bobby Limb Special Guest TV special

Awards Year Association Award Result 1963 Logie Awards Special Award for Comedy 1965 Logie Awards Best Female Personality