Canada After Dark
Encyclopedia
Canada After Dark was Canada's
first late-night comedy/variety talk show
. It was hosted by Paul Soles
and aired on CBC Television
from September 18, 1978 to January 26, 1979.
The show was repackaged from the failed, more informational 90 Minutes Live
. Executive producer Alex Frame and producer Bob Ennis decided to try a show that would be comparable to The Tonight Show
instead, changing the name of the show to Canada After Dark and replacing host Peter Gzowski
with veteran comedic actor Soles. The new show would last for less than half a season.
The Royal Canadian Air Farce parodied the show with skits called "Clark In The Dark", featuring then-Prime Minister Joe Clark
(played by Don Ferguson
) acting as "host" from the gallery of an empty House Of Commons. The skits were revived after Clark returned to politics in the late 1990s.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
first late-night comedy/variety talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
. It was hosted by Paul Soles
Paul Soles
Paul Robert Soles is a Canadian actor and television personality.-Acting roles:He is best known as the voice of Hermie the misfit elf in Rankin/Bass' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in 1964....
and aired 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...
from September 18, 1978 to January 26, 1979.
The show was repackaged from the failed, more informational 90 Minutes Live
90 Minutes Live
90 Minutes Live was a Canadian television late-night talk show, which aired on CBC Television from 1976 to 1978. The program aired weekday evenings at 11:30 p.m....
. Executive producer Alex Frame and producer Bob Ennis decided to try a show that would be comparable to The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
instead, changing the name of the show to Canada After Dark and replacing host Peter Gzowski
Peter Gzowski
Peter Gzowski, was a Canadian broadcaster, writer and reporter, most famous for his work on the CBC radio show Morningside. His first biographer argued that Gzowski's contribution to Canadian media must be considered in the context of efforts by a generation of Canadian nationalists to understand...
with veteran comedic actor Soles. The new show would last for less than half a season.
The Royal Canadian Air Farce parodied the show with skits called "Clark In The Dark", featuring then-Prime Minister Joe Clark
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
(played by Don Ferguson
Don Ferguson
Don Ferguson is a Canadian actor and is one of the stars of XPM and Royal Canadian Air Farce. He is also the only Canadian-born original cast member of Air Farce....
) acting as "host" from the gallery of an empty House Of Commons. The skits were revived after Clark returned to politics in the late 1990s.