''Face Value'' is a 1983 anthology of collected journalism by South African journalist Jani Allan. The book is compiled from selections of Allan's successful gossip and popular culture column ''Just Jani'' that appeared in the ''
Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, wh ...
''. She was voted ''"the most admired person in South Africa."'' in a
Gallup poll
Gallup, Inc. is an American analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. Founded by George Gallup in 1935, the company became known for its public opinion polls conducted worldwide. Starting in the 1980s, Gallup transitioned its ...
commissioned by the newspaper. The book was published by Longstreet publishers in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second larges ...
and released in South Africa in 1983.
Synopsis
The book is a selection of interviews and photographs of public figures from various fields such as entertainment, sport, business, art and politics. Allan also contributed a column-style introduction to each chapter. Andrzej Sawa provided the photographs of the interviewees.
Five of the interviewees ( Sol Kerzner, Danie Craven, Pieter-Dirk Uys, Walter Battiss and
Taubie Kushlick
Taubie Kushlick (1910–1991) was a South African actress and producer. She became characterized as the self-styled "First Lady of Theatre".They shaped our century'' survey, a top 100 list published about which people had the greatest influence on South Africa during the twentieth century. ''Sunday Times'' editor,
Tertius Myburgh
Albert Tertius Myburgh (26 December 1936 – 2 December 1990) was a South African journalist and editor, best known as editor of the ''Sunday Times'' between 1975-1990.
Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. (March 2, 1930 – May 14, 2018)Some sources say 1931; ''The New York Times'' and Reuters both initially reported 1931 in their obituaries before changing to 1930. See and was an American author and journalist widely ...
's ' new journalism' about her writing, but it is never contrived. In her choice of subjects she's attracted by what she calls 'the boquet of money' and she's good on those ubiquitous creatures of our time, the 'celebrities', whom she is able to send up without the bitchiness which tends to put me off some lady writers of the adversary school of journalism. When she's touched by something - an individual, a cause, or some little act of valour - her writing reflects immense warmth and humanity." Tertius Myburgh, Editor of the ''
Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, wh ...
''
"Your piece on me acted like a bicycle pump and I mooned around for ages, smiling foolishly and cannoning off the wallls. ic
Frank Muir
Frank Herbert Muir (5 February 1920 – 2 January 1998) was an English comedy writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. His writing and performing partnership with Denis Norden endured for most of their careers. Together they wr ...
"The only girl who ever knocked me out" Mike Weaver
"Guy Fawkes couldn't brighten up Sunday better." Graham Bell
"She is not destructive - but she does have a particular facility for puncturing pomposity" Joe Sutton
Contents
THE PERPETUAL SPECTACLES 9
*''
Taubie Kushlick
Taubie Kushlick (1910–1991) was a South African actress and producer. She became characterized as the self-styled "First Lady of Theatre".Joan Brickhill & Louis Burke'' 13
*'' Moira Lister'' 17
*''
Diane Todd
Diane Todd (4 June 1937 – 18 April 2010) was a British-born and South African naturalized stage, film, television and stage actress and singer. She is best known for her illustrious stage career.
Personal life
Todd was born in Edinburgh and at ...
'' 19
BUSINESS MORE THAN USUAL 21
*'' Sol Kerzner'' 22
*''Benny Goldberg'' 26
*''Mike Illion'' 29
*''Tony Factor'' 33
NATIONAL MONUMENTS 37
*'' Dr Daniel Hartman Craven'' 29
*'' Jamie Uys'' 41
*'' Siegfried Mynhardt'' 44
*'' Patrick Mynhardt'' 47
*''Joe Stewardson'' 51
*'' Sonja Herholdt'' 53
PRETTY BOYS ALL IN A ROW 57
*''Richard Loring'' 58
*''Karl Kikillus'' 60
*'' James Ryan'' 62
FUNNY YOU SHOULD SAY THAT ... 67
*''Tobie Cronje'' 69
*'' Robert Kirby'' 70
*''Katinka Heyns'' 72
*'' Pieter-Dirk Uys'' 75
SPORTING CHANCERS 79
*'' Naas Botha'' 80
*''Raymond Rhodes'' 83
*''
Wynand Classen
Wynand Claassen (born 16 January 1951, in Schweizer-Reneke) is a former South African rugby player and Springbok captain.
Playing career
He was selected as eighth-man for Northern Transvaal whilst studying architecture at the University of Pret ...
'' 85
OLD MASTERS, YOUNG IDEAS 89
*'' Walter Battiss'' 90
*''Gordon Vorster'' 93
*'' Tretchikoff'' 95
MIXED METAPHORS 101
*''John Brett Cohen'' 103
*'' The Hell's Angels'' 105
*''Alvon Collinson'' 109
*''Gunter Brözel'' 111
*'' Robert Van Tonder'' 114
*''Carole Charlewood'' 118
Dictionary
Her ''Just Jani'' column has been referenced extensively by
South African English
South African English (SAfrE, SAfrEng, SAE, en-ZA) is the List of dialects of the English language, set of English language dialects native to South Africans.
History
British Empire, British settlers first arrived in the South African re ...
dictionaries because of Allan's popular use of terms such as ''jorl'', ''smaak'' and ''larney''
.