“Mike would rather us think of something funny to laugh at than shed tears”

The sad passing of comedy writer Mike McColl Jones has drawn some lovely tributes from industry this week, including Steve Vizard, Daryl Somers, 3AW’s Ross Stevenson

In a letter he penned in the lead up to his death, he thanked the millions of viewers who enjoyed his work, also revealing he would donate his body to science.

“This is simply a ‘thank you’ to all those Australians who have laughed (mostly in the right places), at my comedy material over the years,” he said.

Daryl Somers:

Vale Mike McColl-Jones OAM
Somehow I think Mike would rather us think of something funny to laugh at than shed tears over his passing.
Most notably a comedy writer for Graham Kennedy and Bert Newton, Mike was an important part of the support team to those variety giants that helped put television on the map in Australia.
Some people start their day with a physical workout, but in Mike’s case he would religiously absorb the daily papers and write gags or ‘topicals’, based on the news of the day. So much a part of his daily routine, this ritual continued in retirement and indeed up to his passing at age 86.
He worked on Hey Hey briefly in the late 80s but was always supportive of my career from when I started at GTV9 in 1971. He was a dear friend to me (and many others) and I will miss him greatly. Deepest sympathy to Catherine, Tim, and their respective families.
Love you Mike,
Daryl

Steve Vizard wrote in The New Daily:

Once in a blue moon Mike agreed to write for an overseas star.

Joan Rivers once asked Mike for some jokes about her age.

At the time Halley’s Comet was about to make one of its infrequent appearances and Mike sent Joan a gag “I’m so old I’ve seen Halley’s Comet come around three times!” Mike was surprised the next day when he turned on his television to see President Ronald Reagan at a Washington press conference repeating his Halley’s Comet gag. Turns out that the night before, Joan Rivers had been having dinner in Washington with her good friend, Nancy Reagan, who went home and passed the gag onto her husband.

Mike was proud that a gag he wrote for Newton to open the Logies, ‘Welcome to the Logies, affectionately known by some of us here as Star Wars’ was used weeks later by Bob Hope to open the Academy Awards.

Mike was often asked by visiting stars whether he would consider working overseas. Mike always replied that things were fine just as they were.

The truth was Mike had everything he needed in Australia. He had two loves, his television and his family.

Ross Stevenson recalled:

“What made Mike so brilliant was that he had a natural, unfeigned, acute interest in the affairs of the day,” Stevenson said. “He would email me an observation about something making the news that day or … a recollection of something from the entertainment past because he was an eyewitness to much of what happened in Australia’s golden era of variety entertainment.”

McColl Jones would always sign off his emails with the following:

“Next week’s POWERBALL results: 3, 7, 23, 9, 12, 27. P/Ball: 12.”

Source: New Daily, Herald Sun, The Australian, Facebook