Two veterans of the old pre-Reed Variety have ankled the paper.
Bob Hawkins, who started as a stringer in 1948 reviewing the Venice Film Festival, and later became Rome bureau chief, and later London-based European honcho, recently retired from the paper. Bob sez his 57 year run may be the longest on record among those living, perhaps beaten only by Army Archerd in Hollywood. The Hawk was well treated by the post-Silverman management, and received the classical timepiece at the time of his departure. Bob is still living in his apartment in Rome, near the Tiber River, and keeps in touch which others from the old days such as Deborah Young and Nadia Werba.
A more jolting departure from the sheet is that of Don Groves, who got his walking papers when the present management decided to close the Sydney office and henceforth service Aussie operations out of Hong Kong. Dogo at this point is not sure yet what he’ll turn to next, but promises to keep in touch.
Ankling with Don Groves in the Sydney office of Variety was Jane Ryan, who had been with the company for about a decade.