Quotes of the Day

For some it was the anti-war song that struck at the heart of the Vietnam War, for others it was an annoying novelty record that stayed at the top of the charts for six weeks. Two Little Boys, Rolf Harris' famous 1969 retelling of the story of two playmates who grew up to fight on opposing sides in the American Civil War, is still a firm favorite. In the lists of cellphone ringtones, it ranks alongside Stairway to Heaven and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Those are two other songs the audience at London's Royal Albert Hall may expect to hear when Rolf takes the stage for his Golden Jubilee TV concert next Monday. His mock-serious covers of the rock standards — together with Smoke on the Water, Take a Walk on the Wild Side and the risque Divinyls' hit, I Touch Myself — helped the Australian superstar to a new generation of fans.

The concert will include an eclectic orchestra accompanied by didgeridoos and wobble boards, the elemental musical instrument Rolf pioneered on songs like Tie Me Kangeroo Down, Sport. Members of the audience on Monday are being encouraged to perform with their own Stylophone — another of his championed causes — or join in a giant sing-a-long. Among the celebrity guests expected are Oscar-winner Russell Crowe — who sent a personal letter to Harris saying he was his "childhood hero" — together with his band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts. Crowe also told Harris that Two Little Boys was his favorite song as a child growing up in Australia. Fellow Aussie Kylie Minogue is expected make an appearance. It should swell the coffers of the Prince's Trust, one of Rolf's favorite charities. The concert is also being broadcast by the BBC.

Rolf has never let himself become pigeonholed for long in his 50 years in the biz they call show, although there are several main themes. There is an old theatrical saying: Never work with children and animals. Rolf has done both to great effect. He debuted on British TV in 1954, aged 22, as a storyteller using cartoons to emphasize his yarns. Other TV shows have ranged from his appearances with his loveable koala Coojeebear, to the 1970s Rolf Harris Show — which introduced a whole new concept of television dancing with the Young Generation group — Rolf on Saturday, O.K.?, the Rolf's Walkabout series, and even Cartoon Time.

He even produced a series of 15-minute shows called Swim With Rolf, aimed at teaching junior high-school and first graders the joys of the pool, drawing on his experiences as a youngster in Perth, which led to him becoming the Australian junior backstroke swimming champion. Like many of Rolf's entertainment gems, it will never be seen again; the series was screened once and then the tapes were erased and reused.

Nowadays Rolf is best known for his part in the series Animal Hospital, a reality TV hit portraying the highs and lows of life in a charity pet clinic. It begins its latest run next month. His exploits have been lovingly mocked by satirists, summed up in the phrase, used of now-deceased animals: "He was just tooooo weak to survive". Nevertheless, the humor is affectionate, the show is a popular hit, it won the National Television Awards Most Popular Factual Entertainment Show five times in six years from 1995 to 2000. And he has returned to his artistic roots, presenting a popular TV show — now into its third series — called Rolf on Art, where he introduces a wider audience to Rodin, Van Gogh, Matisse and others. Rolf is no artistic slouch himself, earlier this month an art collector splashed out £95,000 on one of his paintings, the impressionistic Flower Seller at the Elephant and Castle. After the sale — which also featured works by Picasso, Monet and Warhol — it was revealed that the buyer had no idea who Harris was.

• MAX BROCKBANK
• A comedy superstar celebrates 50 years in the business