vintage cbc radio ad of the day

-

Vintage Ad #39 - Variety Lives on CBC Radio in '72!
Variety. A concept you don't hear touted much as a format anymore. Hearing the term makes me think of variety shows, the kind that died off on TV in the 1970s - renting episodes of The Brady Bunch Hour and Pink Lady and Jeff at local video emporiums easily explained why. If this ad were produced today, the headline would be "Entertainment lives...", "Culture lives...", etc. Variety seems reserved for light rock or preprogrammed radio that tout their "better music variety", even if that means playing the same 63 songs on repeat instead of 60.

The artwork and colour scheme scream early 70s, down to the unidentified musicians in the bottom right corner, in vests, t-shirts, crazy facial hair and peace symbol.

Several of the shows listed were mentioned in our previous trip back to '72 on CBC Radio. A few notes about the others:

Based on the info in the ad, Family Favorites (note Canadian spelling not in use!) sounds as if it may have been the type of show designed for listeners still attached to "the old country". In this case, newsreaders from both sides of the Atlantic were hosts: CBC's Bill Paul and BBC's Michael Aspel. Paul went on to host Marketplace in the 80s, while Aspel hosted various UK chat shows and This Is Your Life.

(Side note: last night I watched The War Game, a 1965 BBC docudrama that was not aired on Auntie Beeb for 20 because its portrayal of the potential aftermath of a nuclear attack on Britain was too violent and did not toe the line with official government views on survival. Still powerful 40 years after it was made. Aspel was one of the commentators).

Continental Holiday was one of several shows of Ukranian-centric music the Ivan Romanoff Orchestra and Chorus headlined from the 50s through 70s. Encyclopedia of Music in Canada entry.

Celebration (1971-74, moved to TV 1975-76) was a gospel show hosted by Tommy Ambrose, who had previously hosted a pop music show on CBC-TV in the early 60s. Encyclopedia of Music in Canada entry

Dr. Bundolo's Pandemonium Medicine Show (the ad has a typo) was a Vancouver-based sketch comedy show from that ran through most of the decade. 1974 promo ad for the show.

Source: Saturday Night, September 1972 - JB

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

past pieces of toronto: knob hill farms

-
Image
From November 2011 through July 2012 I wrote the "Past Pieces of Toronto" column for OpenFile , which explored elements of the city which no longer exist. I've republished all but two of those pieces on this website.  Here's the first of the final pair, both of which provided good lessons for future writing. Prepare yourself for a lengthy preamble.
Read more

past pieces of toronto: the mynah bird

-
Image
From November 2011 through July 2012 I wrote the "Past Pieces of Toronto" column for OpenFile, which explored elements of the city which no longer exist. The following was originally posted on May 20, 2012. Advertisements, (left) the Toronto Star , April 22, 1966 (right) the Globe and Mail , July 26, 1967. In an August 1967 article, the Globe and Mail ’s Blaik Kirby set the scene for anyone curious about entering one of Yorkville’s oddest coffee houses. “The Mynah Bird is a fetid room in a former Victorian home, with a tiny triangular stage behind bars in one corner. There are two other rooms in reserve if needed. You enter through a hallway, passing the piranha and the caged mynah bird after which the place is named. Hanging rushes conceal the high ceiling. The walls are red flecked wallpaper. The lights are low, with candles on each table. One of the two friendly go-go girls ushers you to a seat, and soon reappears on the stage. She is slightly plump, with lo
Read more

the smiling men of pasadena 2: the eternal smile of "uncle bill" haas

-
Image
The December 31, 1920 edition of the Pasadena Post spotlighted (mostly) grinning photos of the paper's staff and local businessmen. Given my penchant for going down research rabbit holes related to anything quirky I stumble upon, this series will look at some of the stories behind the smiling faces.  Pasadena Post, December 31, 1920 . "That ponderous body of his simply shakes." There's descriptive language you just don't see any more.  From the accounts I've found, it seems William A. Haas was a classic old-time entertainment PR man, full of stories and tall tales to go along with his eternal smile. When he died in 1941, his obituary included many claims that might not hold up under scrutiny. He unsuccessfully ran for coroner (possibly in Iowa) against future president William Howard Taft. He suggested that William McKinley be promoted as the “Advance Agent of Prosperity” during the 1896 presidential campaign. He planted the idea of motion pictures in Thomas E
Read more