The Red Green Show is a Canadian television comedy that aired on various channels in Canada, with its ultimate home at CBC Television, and on Public Broadcasting Service stations in the United States, from 1991 until the series finale April 7, 2006, on CBC. The Red Green Show is essentially a cross between a sitcom and a sketch comedy series, and is a parody of home improvement, do-it-yourself, fishing, and other outdoors shows.
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein, was a quirky Canadian sketch comedy TV series from the 1970s that included some genuine educational content among the humour. It featured the talented Billy Van, Billy Van, Billy Van, and many more. Fishka Rais played the role of Igor, Joe Torbay portrayed Gronk, Guy Big brought Count Munchkinstein to life, and the legendary Vincent Price made special guest appearances. “Another lovely day begins, for ghosts and ghouls with greenish skin. So close your eyes and you will find that you’ve arrived in Frightenstein. Perhaps the Count will find a way to make his monster work today. For if he solves this monster-mania, he can return to Transylvania! So welcome where the sun won’t shine, to the castle of Count Frightenstein!”
Total Recall 2070 is a science fiction television series first broadcast in 1999 on the Canadian television channel CHCH-TV and later the same year on the American Showtime channel. It was later syndicated in the United States with some editing to remove scenes of nudity, violence and strong language. The series was inspired by the 1990 film Total Recall, based on Philip K. Dick's short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale", and by Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, with a visual style heavily influenced by the film Blade Runner, itself very loosely based on the same novel. However, other than the Rekall company and the concept of virtual vacations, the series shares no major plot points or characters with any of these works. Philip K. Dick is not credited in any way on the series main or end titles. The series was filmed in Toronto. It was a Canadian/German co-production. Only one season, consisting of 22 episodes, was produced.
The Pierre Berton Show was a television show hosted by Pierre Berton. It ran from 1962 to 1973, and Berton regularly interviewed important artists, actors, and other public figures. His iconic interviews included Malcolm X in 1965, Lenny Bruce in 1966, and the only known interview with Bruce Lee in 1971. When CTV launched, a Pierre Berton show quickly followed, aiming to compete with CBC's late-night news. Initially on CTV, it later shifted to CHCH Hamilton due to scheduling conflicts, continuing its acclaimed interviews syndicated by Screen Gems. Despite its brief CTV run, it relocated to Hamilton after CTV adjusted its lineup to rival CBC's 11:00 PM news.
The talent and variety program showcased the artistic abilities of local children in an entertaining family genre. The show was marked by a characteristically home-spun style and had great appeal to many different age groups. Indeed, many participants in the original show have enjoyed illustrious careers as performers around the world. During the program, host Bill. Lawrence engaged in casual, light-hearted banter with the performers before and after each act. The questions usually revolved around a child's school, home life, family and likes and dislikes.
Smith & Smith is a Canadian sketch comedy series, which aired from 1979 to 1985 on Hamilton, Ontario's CHCH-TV, and through syndication on other Canadian television stations. The show starred the husband and wife comedy duo of Steve Smith and Morag Smith. The show took a one-year hiatus in 1985, during which the Smiths and their children Max and David starred in the family sitcom Me & Max. After that show ended its run, Steve and Morag revived Smith & Smith under the new title The Comedy Mill. In 1991, Morag retired from performing and Steve launched his most famous series, The Red Green Show. Red Green was originally created as a recurring character on Smith & Smith. Other recurring characters included a judge, played by Morag, while Steve's characters included Shakespeare and a preacher. Sketches also included "The Kids' Show", a Polka Dot Door parody in which the hosts constantly bickered and insulted each other, and a sketch set in a bakery, in which Morag played the male front counter attendant and Steve played the female baker. Each show also included a humorous musical number, performed in costume, focusing on a famous couple in history, as well as a mailbag segment. The latter was retained in The Red Green Show, albeit in less earnest form.
Me & Max was a situation comedy produced for Canadian television station CHCH-TV in 1985. Evolving out of the sketch comedy series Smith & Smith, Me & Max starred husband-and-wife comedy team Steve Smith and Morag Smith, and their kids Max and David. All four members of the Smith family played fictionalized versions of themselves, and Steve and Morag also played other characters, such as the neighbours and the boys' uncle Red Green, through split-screen photography. The series lasted for 26 episodes, at which time Steve and Morag Smith went on to produce another sketch comedy series, The Comedy Mill. Following the end of that show's run, Steve Smith developed another series, The Red Green Show. The character of Red Green had appeared in all of the Smiths' previous shows, including Me & Max.
Party Game was a Canadian television game show in the 1970s, produced by Hamilton independent station CHCH-TV from 1970 to 1981. It aired throughout Canada in syndication, broadcast on 32 stations at its peak. Hosted by Bill Walker, the show featured two teams of three players in a charades competition. The Challenger Team was composed of a contestant joined with two guest star players who appeared either for a single day or for the whole week, while the Home Team consisted of series regulars Jack Duffy, Dinah Christie and Billy Van. Using game play similar to the American game show Pantomime Quiz, answers were usually jokes or complex phrases based around a pun or some other form of word play. Viewers at home were also invited to send their own joke or phrase, which if used, could win them a small prize. Party Game was produced by Riff Markowitz, the executive producer and star of The Randy Dandy Show and executive producer of The Hilarious House of Frightenstein. It was taped in a double suite at the Windsor Arms Hotel in Toronto. The set was a simple living room type with couches and a few wall pictures and pieces. The voice-over announcer who announced each charade was credited as "Gardiner Westbound", an obvious nod to a stretch of the Gardiner Expressway in Downtown Toronto, but was actually producer Markowitz.
The Comedy Mill was a Canadian sketch comedy series, which aired from 1986 to 1991 on Hamilton, Ontario's CHCH-TV, and through syndication on other Canadian television stations. The show starred the husband and wife comedy duo of Steve Smith and Morag Smith. The supporting cast included Peter Keleghan, Linda Kash and Mag Ruffman. The show was a revival of their earlier Smith & Smith series, which ended in 1985. For the 85-86 television season, the Smiths and their children Max and David starred in the family sitcom Me & Max. After The Comedy Mill ended its run, Morag retired from performing and Steve launched his most famous series, The Red Green Show. Red Green had appeared as a recurring character on The Comedy Mill.
This Movie Sucks! is a Canadian comedy television series hosted by Ed the Sock, premièring on May 28, 2010, two years after Ed's Night Party went off the air. The show is similar to another former Ed the Sock series, Ed's Nite In. This Movie Sucks! features his Night Party co-host, Liana Kerzner and another MuchMusic personality, comedian Ron Sparks. Currently being produced and broadcast by CHCH-TV Hamilton, it is also being shown on CJNT-TV Montreal and CHEK-TV Victoria, as well as Movieola and Silver Screen Classics. A third season of This Movie Sucks! is under development. It will feature six new one hour episodes, as the cast stated that the original two hour format was "killing" them. Reruns will cease on CHCH-TV until that time, although they still will be played on other channels. New films will include Raiders of Lost Atlantis and The Wild Weng, a film that like the previously featured The Impossible Kid stars Filipino actor Weng Weng.
