One of Red Green’s favourite sayings is, “If the ladies don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.” Steve Smith may be the handiest fella ever in the history of Canadian television. Inspired by that ol’ TV fishin’ pal Red Fisher, Smith crafted Red Green out of duct tape and suspenders. The
This past week, while promoting the TV on Film screenings I am hosting in Hamilton (next one is Wednesday), I made my first visit to the impressive new CHCH TV studios. ‘CH has been a true community hub for nearly 70 years. It first began broadcasting in 1954 and grew to become one of Canada’s
For many young Canadians growing up in southern Ontario and western New York in the early days of television he was simply known as “Uncle Bill.” Bill Lawrence, the original host of CHCH’s Tiny Talent Time, suffered a heart attack and passed away Friday, July 14. He was 91. For decades, Lawrence was a very
I think I was about 35 before I figured out that Billy Van played all those crazy characters on The Hilarious House of Frightenstein. The series, consisting of 130 episodes cranked out over nine months, premiered more than 50 years ago in 1971. It is one of the most eccentric and enduring, locally-produced, TV shows
TV, like film or books, does not always age well — especially at a time when the term #cancelculture is trending. Take old episodes of classic sitcoms, such as those presented every weekday on Hamilton, Ont.’s CHCH, Their daytime offerings currently include such shows from the ’60s and ’70s as The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres,
Do you remember Party Game? The saucy little charades-fest aired out of Hamilton, Ont.’s CHCH from 1970 through 1981. “Captain” Jack Duffy, Dinah Christie and Billy Van were the Home Team, an almost unbeatable trio when it came to charades. Al Boliska was the original host, replaced a year later by Bill Walker. The series
Comfort food. We all crave some during a crisis, whether it be Mac and Cheese or an old TV show we enjoyed when we were young. Fortunately, there have never been more access to classic TV shows from decades past. Especially American classics such as The Carol Burnett Show, a variety series that ran on
Hey lady and hey fella: have you seen Jayne Eastwood’s hilarious digital short series Hey Lady! yet on CBC Gem? I love the series, which consists of eight five- or six-minute episodes. You can stream all eight in the time it takes to watch one hour-long TV drama — minus the commercials and plus all