Switchback (CBC)
Encyclopedia
Switchback was a Canadian television
show for children and teens broadcast on CBC Television
in the 1980s. It was produced regionally from Vancouver
, Winnipeg
, Regina
, Halifax, Calgary
and Toronto
.
. Viewers could either call in or write in with offers, which were written on a board on the studio set or later featured in a free classified-ad-style publication put together by the show and mailed out to viewers who requested it. This feature was dropped after the first season. The show regularly featured phone-in contests and write-in raffles for prizes such as T-shirt
s, LPs
and toy
s. An old cowboy cliff-hanger adventure serial was also featured weekly during the first season. The second season began with host Gordon White, soon replaced by Richard Newman
(now a voice actor), who remained with the show for two and a half years.
A memorable show during Newman's tenure was the "dippy-dome" episode, which ran mock news flashes and backward footage of the inflation of the B.C. Place Stadium roof. Numerous hosting changes followed Newman's exit while the show struggled to recapture the rapport created by Scott and Newman. Producer and writer Phil Savath took over the program and hired a teenager, Andrew Cochrane, at that time attending Churchill Secondary School
and performing regularly with the Vancouver Theatresports
League. Cochrane went on to host Switchback in Halifax while he was attending law school at Dalhousie University
. Cochrane also hosted the children's game show 5,4,3,2, Run and an interesting sidebar: Cochrane is at present a Crown Prosecutor in Vancouver
Regular sketch performers included improvisors Colin Mochrie
, Richard Side
, Ian Boothby
, Jay Ono, Randy Schooley and Riel Hahn.
Switchback was notable also for being the first regular broadcaster of rock videos
in British Columbia. In the days before MuchMusic
and CBC's Good Rockin' Tonite
, Switchback served as a Canadian MTV
. (Early on, Bill Henderson, lead singer of Chilliwack
, was guest host for one week. Later on, Terry David Mulligan
's Good Rockin' Tonite successor, Stu Jeffries, became the host of the less engaging late-period Switchback.) In the early years of the show, guests included Bob Geldof
of the Boomtown Rats
in his pre-Band Aid
/Live Aid
incarnation. Through interviews and by broadcasting videos, Switchback also did much to promote local Vancouver rock musicians, notably the Payola$, Loverboy
, Doug and the Slugs
and Henderson's Chilliwack
.
(Batman
), Carrie Hamilton
(the late daughter of Carol Burnett
), and 80s hair band Quiet Riot
. Carrie Hamilton
really liked the set - she loved all of the props and toys. A few guests (not any of those named here) seemed to miss the point that it was a kids show, and rolled in Sunday morning quite hungover, or still rolling.
Another Winnipeg personality, Jim Ingebrigtsen, was a frequent guest star, but not as himself. He played 'Ole Yuleberg' at Christmas
time and 'Peter Cottonsvensen' at Easter
, and was always trying to get a Switchback bag from Mustard.
The show once even aired live on location from Disneyland in California
, while a blizzard raged back in Winnipeg. One of the head producers for this trip (and for the show overall) was terminally ill by this point in the series, but he went along with a smile. Everyone who worked at that show will always remember Sean Sullivan.
Favourite segments from this show were the music videos, Batman
and Heckle & Jeckle shorts, "Joke of the Week", and many contests where kids could call in and win Switchback T-shirt
s, buttons, and even the coveted Switchback bag.
The call-in number for the show was 949-0666 (quoted as "that number is 949-0666, in town, out of town dial 1-949-0666"). Laurie's trademark was to wear reflective sunglasses (which he lost at an airport in the last season), and wield a giant fly swatter. Little did the audience know that he wore the sunglasses so he wouldn't distract viewers while reading phone numbers and other cues from the cue cards off to the side of the cameras.
A cow once, uh, relieved itself during a live segment while it was off-camera in studio...the sealed room was suddenly filled with an intense odour, and all within had to subdue coughs and laughter until it could be cleaned up...all live to air. The poor woman being interviewed had been splattered, and was a very good sport as she suffered a soiled, pantyhosed leg during her live interview.
Halifax Switchback was produced at CBHT-TV in Halifax and shown by CBHT
and by CBIT (CBC Sydney, Nova Scotia), CBCT (CBC Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island), and CBNT
(CBC St. John's, Newfoundland), all of them CBC owned-and-operated stations, on Sunday mornings from 8:30 to 10 Atlantic Time. CHSJ
, the CBC affiliate in New Brunswick, picked up Switchback for the 1982-1983 season, and from then on, Switchback was shown throughout Atlantic Canada. Viewership expanded further to include the Eastern Arctic.
Stan "the Man" Johnson, with his trusty dog Rufus, was the first host (he applied for the job in crayon), and Andrew Cochrane took over in the later years after CBC abruptly ended negotiations to renew Johnson's contract. Johnson went on to host Something Else on Maritimes Independent Television (MITV)
in 1988.
The show pioneered music videos to its Atlantic Canada and Eastern Arctic audience and featured cliff-hanger adventure serials from Republic Pictures as well as episodes from Batman
and Get Smart
and a parade of live guests including Air Supply, Mark Messier, and a stable of animals from the Ken-Jenn Petting Zoo. One notable moment featured a boxing kangaroo that delivered several jabs to Stan's head during the interview with the animal handler. He then retreated to the other side of his desk where he continued his interview. Halifax Switchback had a huge following of loyal Sunday morning fans. It was followed in Nova Scotia and P.E.I. on Sundays by reruns of
Gunsmoke
and Space: 1999
. CBHT eventually dumped the series in favour of the British import, Coronation Street
.
in '83 & '84. Then in 1985 the hosting duties were taken on by two local performers; Ian MacGillvray and Keith Sandulak. They attained an 82% in BBM ratings for Alberta and remained hosts for the next two years.
The variety of guests ranged from Motley Crew to Robert Bateman. Interviews were light hearted and comedic with both hosts performing as characters ranging from "Mike Rafone" to a pair of country brothers "Y.B. Normal and his brother Ab Normal" Regular skits would include "Stump the Artist" and impromptu interaction with audience members and Keith and Ian. Musical guests and sports heroes would participate in many skits and would add greatly to the mornings entertainment.
in 1986 and 1987 and also featured Howard Busgang and Images in Vogue lead singer Dale Martindale.
Television in Canada
Television in Canada officially began with the opening of the nation's first television stations in Montreal and Toronto in 1952. As with most media in Canada, the television industry, and the television programming available in that country, are strongly influenced by the American media, perhaps...
show for children and teens broadcast on CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
in the 1980s. It was produced regionally from Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, Halifax, Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
The first Switchback: Vancouver
Produced by Nijole Kuzmickas and originally hosted by Canadian folk musician Rick Scott, CBC Vancouver's Switchback was a weekly Sunday morning live broadcast that began in January 1981. The name "Switchback" referred to the program's original format, which invited young viewers to trade used toys, comic books, and other bric-a-bracBric-a-brac
Bric-à-brac , first used in the Victorian era, refers to collections of curios such as elaborately decorated teacups and small vases, feathers, wax flowers under glass domes, eggshells, statuettes, painted miniatures or photographs, and so on...
. Viewers could either call in or write in with offers, which were written on a board on the studio set or later featured in a free classified-ad-style publication put together by the show and mailed out to viewers who requested it. This feature was dropped after the first season. The show regularly featured phone-in contests and write-in raffles for prizes such as T-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
s, LPs
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
and toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s. An old cowboy cliff-hanger adventure serial was also featured weekly during the first season. The second season began with host Gordon White, soon replaced by Richard Newman
Richard Newman
Richard Newman is a voice actor with numerous voice roles in Transformers cartoons.-Career:Newman started his career in voice acting in Beast Wars voicing Rhinox and the Vok...
(now a voice actor), who remained with the show for two and a half years.
A memorable show during Newman's tenure was the "dippy-dome" episode, which ran mock news flashes and backward footage of the inflation of the B.C. Place Stadium roof. Numerous hosting changes followed Newman's exit while the show struggled to recapture the rapport created by Scott and Newman. Producer and writer Phil Savath took over the program and hired a teenager, Andrew Cochrane, at that time attending Churchill Secondary School
Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School (Vancouver)
Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School is named after the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill.Churchill Secondary is one of two International Baccalaureate schools and one of three French Immersion secondary schools in Vancouver.Churchill is fed by the surrounding...
and performing regularly with the Vancouver Theatresports
Theatresports
Theatresports is a form of improvisational theatre, which uses the format of a competition for dramatic effect. Opposing teams can perform scenes based on audience suggestions, with ratings by the audience or by a panel of judges...
League. Cochrane went on to host Switchback in Halifax while he was attending law school at Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
. Cochrane also hosted the children's game show 5,4,3,2, Run and an interesting sidebar: Cochrane is at present a Crown Prosecutor in Vancouver
Regular sketch performers included improvisors Colin Mochrie
Colin Mochrie
Colin Andrew Mochrie is a Scottish Canadian actor and improvisational comedian, most famous for his appearances on the British and US versions of television improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.-Early life:...
, Richard Side
Richard Side
Richard Side is the creator and producer of The Debaters, a radio and TV comedy series on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.He is also an actor and writer whose screen acting credits include the TV series Supernatural, Psych and Eureka and the feature film Elf. Side is a comedian specializing...
, Ian Boothby
Ian Boothby
Ian Boothby is a multiple Shuster Award, Harvey Award and Eisner Award nominee and an Eisner Award–winning comic book creator best known for his work as one of the main writers on Simpsons Comics and Futurama Comics for Matt Groening's Bongo Comics. Boothby has written more Simpsons Comics than any...
, Jay Ono, Randy Schooley and Riel Hahn.
Switchback was notable also for being the first regular broadcaster of rock videos
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
in British Columbia. In the days before MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
and CBC's Good Rockin' Tonite
Good Rockin' Tonite
Good Rockin' Tonite was a Canadian television series, which aired on CBC Television from the early 1980s to 1993. The program, similar to the American Friday Night Videos, played popular music videos...
, Switchback served as a Canadian MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. (Early on, Bill Henderson, lead singer of Chilliwack
Chilliwack (band)
Chilliwack are a Canadian rock band that had their heyday during the 1970s and 1980s. Although they are a Canadian band, the members were all born in, as well as reside in, the United States of America. They are perhaps best remembered for their five biggest songs "My Girl ", "I Believe", "Whatcha...
, was guest host for one week. Later on, Terry David Mulligan
Terry David Mulligan
Terry David Mulligan is a Canadian actor and radio and television personality based in Vancouver, British Columbia.Born in New Westminster, British Columbia, Mulligan's first career was as a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer in Olds, Alberta and Red Deer, Alberta from 1960 through 1964...
's Good Rockin' Tonite successor, Stu Jeffries, became the host of the less engaging late-period Switchback.) In the early years of the show, guests included Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
of the Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats were an Irish punk rock band that had a series of Irish and UK hits between 1977 and 1985. They were led by vocalist Bob Geldof.-Biography:All six members were originally from Dún Laoghaire, Ireland...
in his pre-Band Aid
Band Aid (band)
Band Aid was a charity supergroup featuring British and Irish musicians and recording artists. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year. The single...
/Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
incarnation. Through interviews and by broadcasting videos, Switchback also did much to promote local Vancouver rock musicians, notably the Payola$, Loverboy
Loverboy
Loverboy is a Canadian rock group formed in 1980 in Calgary, Alberta. Throughout the 1980s, the band accumulated numerous hit songs in Canada and the United States, earning four multi-platinum albums and selling millions of records...
, Doug and the Slugs
Doug and the Slugs
Doug and the Slugs are a Canadian new-wave/power-pop band based in Vancouver. The group was formed in 1977 and was most active throughout the 1980s. They are best remembered for the Canadian top 40 hits "Too Bad" , "Making It Work" and "Tomcat Prowl"...
and Henderson's Chilliwack
Chilliwack (band)
Chilliwack are a Canadian rock band that had their heyday during the 1970s and 1980s. Although they are a Canadian band, the members were all born in, as well as reside in, the United States of America. They are perhaps best remembered for their five biggest songs "My Girl ", "I Believe", "Whatcha...
.
Winnipeg Switchback
The CBC Winnipeg version ran from 1983 until 1988. It was hosted by Winnipeg personality Laurie Mustard. It aired Sunday mornings at 9. There were numerous celebrity guests on the Winnipeg show over its five year run, hosted by Mustard, including Adam WestAdam West
William West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
(Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
), Carrie Hamilton
Carrie Hamilton
Carrie Louise Hamilton was an American actress, singer, and playwright. She was the daughter of comedienne/actress Carol Burnett and producer Joe Hamilton.-Life:...
(the late daughter of Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
), and 80s hair band Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot is an American Heavy Metal band. They are best known for their hit singles "Metal Health" and "Cum On Feel the Noize". They were founded in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni, under the original name Mach 1, before changing the name to Little Women and finally Quiet...
. Carrie Hamilton
Carrie Hamilton
Carrie Louise Hamilton was an American actress, singer, and playwright. She was the daughter of comedienne/actress Carol Burnett and producer Joe Hamilton.-Life:...
really liked the set - she loved all of the props and toys. A few guests (not any of those named here) seemed to miss the point that it was a kids show, and rolled in Sunday morning quite hungover, or still rolling.
Another Winnipeg personality, Jim Ingebrigtsen, was a frequent guest star, but not as himself. He played 'Ole Yuleberg' at Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
time and 'Peter Cottonsvensen' at Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, and was always trying to get a Switchback bag from Mustard.
The show once even aired live on location from Disneyland in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, while a blizzard raged back in Winnipeg. One of the head producers for this trip (and for the show overall) was terminally ill by this point in the series, but he went along with a smile. Everyone who worked at that show will always remember Sean Sullivan.
Favourite segments from this show were the music videos, Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
and Heckle & Jeckle shorts, "Joke of the Week", and many contests where kids could call in and win Switchback T-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
s, buttons, and even the coveted Switchback bag.
The call-in number for the show was 949-0666 (quoted as "that number is 949-0666, in town, out of town dial 1-949-0666"). Laurie's trademark was to wear reflective sunglasses (which he lost at an airport in the last season), and wield a giant fly swatter. Little did the audience know that he wore the sunglasses so he wouldn't distract viewers while reading phone numbers and other cues from the cue cards off to the side of the cameras.
A cow once, uh, relieved itself during a live segment while it was off-camera in studio...the sealed room was suddenly filled with an intense odour, and all within had to subdue coughs and laughter until it could be cleaned up...all live to air. The poor woman being interviewed had been splattered, and was a very good sport as she suffered a soiled, pantyhosed leg during her live interview.
Winnipeg Switchback relocation: Regina
The Winnipeg edition was moved to Regina after the '87-'88 season to a new studio with new host Bill Wright, where it could be produced for less money. In Winnipeg over its five season run, it had originally run from 9 am to 10:30 am with no commercials, then after a few years commercials were added, and finally the show was shortened to a one hour format, all to save money. The CBC cutbacks of the '80s were in full swing at this point. The window to Studio 41 where it was taped had even been emblazoned with a 'stop cutbacks' sticker by a sly employee.Halifax Switchback
The Halifax version, produced by John Nowlan and Alice Porter, started in 1981 (second only to Vancouver) and was an immediate hit. There was so much response to the first show that phone lines throughout central Halifax were blown. TheHalifax Switchback was produced at CBHT-TV in Halifax and shown by CBHT
CBHT
CBHT is the flagship station of CBC Television in the Atlantic Time Zone of Canada. CBHT broadcasts on terrestrial channel 39 at 157.54 kW and cable channel 11 in the Halifax metro area...
and by CBIT (CBC Sydney, Nova Scotia), CBCT (CBC Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island), and CBNT
CBNT
CBNT-DT, channel 8, is a television station in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It serves as the CBC Television station for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The station went on the air on October 1, 1964, as previous CBC...
(CBC St. John's, Newfoundland), all of them CBC owned-and-operated stations, on Sunday mornings from 8:30 to 10 Atlantic Time. CHSJ
CBAT-TV
CBAT-TV is the CBC's television station in New Brunswick. The station's main studios are located in Fredericton. It broadcasts terrestrially on VHF channel 4 from its main transmitter on Mount Champlain near Saint John, its city of licence until 2011, and serves the province via a network of relay...
, the CBC affiliate in New Brunswick, picked up Switchback for the 1982-1983 season, and from then on, Switchback was shown throughout Atlantic Canada. Viewership expanded further to include the Eastern Arctic.
Stan "the Man" Johnson, with his trusty dog Rufus, was the first host (he applied for the job in crayon), and Andrew Cochrane took over in the later years after CBC abruptly ended negotiations to renew Johnson's contract. Johnson went on to host Something Else on Maritimes Independent Television (MITV)
CIHF-TV
CIHF-DT, channel 8, is a television station in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Owned by Shaw Media, it serves the Maritime provinces as an owned-and-operated station of the Global Television Network...
in 1988.
The show pioneered music videos to its Atlantic Canada and Eastern Arctic audience and featured cliff-hanger adventure serials from Republic Pictures as well as episodes from Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
and Get Smart
Get Smart
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
and a parade of live guests including Air Supply, Mark Messier, and a stable of animals from the Ken-Jenn Petting Zoo. One notable moment featured a boxing kangaroo that delivered several jabs to Stan's head during the interview with the animal handler. He then retreated to the other side of his desk where he continued his interview. Halifax Switchback had a huge following of loyal Sunday morning fans. It was followed in Nova Scotia and P.E.I. on Sundays by reruns of
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
and Space: 1999
Space: 1999
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
. CBHT eventually dumped the series in favour of the British import, Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
.
Calgary Switchback
The Calgary version was hosted by "Humble" Howard GlassmanHoward Glassman
Howard Glassman , commonly known as Humble Howard, is a Canadian radio personality, best known as co-host with Fred Patterson of the Humble & Fred morning show, which had been heard on Edge 102, Mojo 640 and Mix 99.9 in Toronto.- Career :Howard Glassman has been a national radio host for CHAB ,...
in '83 & '84. Then in 1985 the hosting duties were taken on by two local performers; Ian MacGillvray and Keith Sandulak. They attained an 82% in BBM ratings for Alberta and remained hosts for the next two years.
The variety of guests ranged from Motley Crew to Robert Bateman. Interviews were light hearted and comedic with both hosts performing as characters ranging from "Mike Rafone" to a pair of country brothers "Y.B. Normal and his brother Ab Normal" Regular skits would include "Stump the Artist" and impromptu interaction with audience members and Keith and Ian. Musical guests and sports heroes would participate in many skits and would add greatly to the mornings entertainment.
Toronto Switchback
The Toronto version was hosted by Shawn ThompsonShawn Alex Thompson
Shawn Alex Thompson is a Canadian actor, writer and television director, and one of the producers of Puppets Who Kill, which aired on Canada's The Comedy Network....
in 1986 and 1987 and also featured Howard Busgang and Images in Vogue lead singer Dale Martindale.