Hopefully, the first NBA victory celebration in Toronto won’t culminate in the mayhem that once followed the Argonauts winning the Grey Cup. The festivities of November 29, 1983 involved multiple arrests, wanton property destruction and a mini-riot at the Eaton Centre. It was also when mayor Art Eggleton started to wield the promise of a domed stadium, in order to get the raucous crowd on his side.
The origins of binge-watching
June 19, 1989 was when Tim Burton’s Batman premiered, and changed the metrics for summer blockbusters. On that weekend, Citytv aired a 24-hour marathon of the campy mid-’60s incarnation, starring Adam West. But the station already had a history with Batman:
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65 years with the ones
CHCH has gone all-out on retro programming lately, which is suited to the revival of its original mascot, “Mr. Eleven.” Hamilton’s TV station just celebrated senior citizen status.
You’ve already had it this good
Swiss Chalet also turns 65 this year, with a $6.50 dinner special on Sunday, June 23. Sadly, they haven’t brushed off their 1980s advertising slogan, created by Jerry Goodis:
Last leg of an elephant-sized sign-off. Sharon & Bram’s farewell tour has just two remaining performances: Orillia on July 6 or 7, at the Mariposa Folk Festival, and in Brampton on July 21—although more dates may be added. The wind-down of the children’s folk act will be a sad one for the generations that grew up with Sharon, Lois & Bram, and the uniquely Canadian acoustics of The Elephant Show.
Dave’s generic yellow legacy
No Name products are on Twitter. What would presidential pitchman Dave Nichol say about it?
R.I.P. actor Sean McCann, 83
While a familiar face from movies like Tommy Boy and Atlantic City, McCann was a jobbing Toronto actor with 161 TV credits. He played Lieutenant Jim Hogan on Night Heat, and turned up on T&T, Friday the 13th: The Series, and The Littlest Hobo (see clip above).
McCann also played the dad on The Baxters, a sitcom with a talk show segment, which originated in the U.S. (with the help of Norman Lear) before being adapted at CHCH in 1980:
Check out another weekly newsletter. SHuSH is about the trends in non-fiction books, by publisher Kenneth Whyte of Sutherland House, on topics like a life (and wife) of George Orwell.