By Antigone Hall
For almost 20 years there was a section in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper where readers would request copies of movies that were not mainstream, then other readers in turn would supply the person who requested a copy of the film, for free.
You could call it late 20th Century piracy but it wasn’t about making money. It was about making people happy. Doug Anderson was the man behind this very spirited sense of community.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with him at his local cafe in North Sydney on a rainy Autumn’s morning. We were left alone outside in the best way possible. No interruptions and that endless feeling of time that is so elusive these days.
Doug is a lean giant who does not give off Tall Man Syndrome (is that a thing?), but makes his presence known with his shock of white messy mullety hair, bushy eyebrows, moustache and blue eyes. The warmth this man exudes is like a seat next to an open fire two metres away.
Maybe that is what drew so many people to his columns, his humanity and unique view on life.
He started his media career in advertising. Picturing a Hugh Heffner lifestyle he tells me: “I started to realise it was all bulls..t but I didn’t know it was all bulls..t. I just got the feeling. And so my career went downhill from there.” Quite the reality check Doug.
And so he went on a journey of self-discovery, as I have decided to call it, doing anything from “donkey work”, which is his term for labouring, making ceramic toilets, silk screen printing, railway worker, attempted actor, theatre director and set designer. That’s a lot of exploring avenues for a bright man. Throw in some proofreading and finally the perfect role came up.
See Hear was the olden-day TV guide where there were details about what was on television. He would slip in his own commentary just to fill out the lines so it looked good.
This got him noticed. People liked what he had to say.
“People started to latch on to the subversive things I would write,” he said.
Along came his Cyclops column which meant he could write “whatever gibberish fun”. Soon after Ask Doug was born. Because of his background as a reviewer for TV, film and theatre people started writing in and asking where to find information about films and where to find them. Remember this is in the late 1900s, people were still using snail mail.
Letters would come in with requests which Doug put out there and offers of help would come in response. As he recalls he “never intended for this to happen. It all happened by chance.” He went on to add: “Right place at the wrong time.”
Ask Doug created a dialogue between film buffs and tech-savvy folk who could combine their powers for good and make peoples’ day brighter. Not only the people receiving the copies of their desired film (for free I might add thanks to Doug), but also the public who got to read about these feel-good stories which also boosted the camaraderie in the office.
“The human side is what made it work for me,” said Doug. “Strangers sharing intimate moments like their first kiss in a cinema. Or wanting an old film for their mother.
“Soon the letters became irrelevant and it was about the stories behind the requests.”
This request has stayed with him all these years and his recall of names and events is impressive.
“Bob writes saying I really wanna see Fitzcarraldo again,” said Doug. “There’s this woman in town who also wants to see it. Her name is Anke and she’s a pretty good sort.”
Doug located the film and posted it off. Months later he received a letter in a dirty envelope which went along the lines of “thanks for sending the film, we had a great time watching it and the night went well”. Turns out Anke had had a chance encounter in a public toilet with the lead actor of the film, Klaus Kinski, in a German airport. You can’t make this stuff up.
A couple of the heroes in this column community were Billy the Kid (alias of course) in Chatswood who knew and had everything so was one of the main film suppliers. And Marlene, the retired schoolteacher who shared her cinephile trivia. Just a couple of the names of the legends who contributed to the wonderful whims of the readers.
People doing things for others and wanting nothing in return was thanks to the one and only Doug Anderson.
Featured image: Doug Anderson still exudes a fierce warmth. Photo: Antigone Hall
