The Dead Dog Cafe Comedy Hour
Encyclopedia
The Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour was a radio comedy show on CBC Radio One
for four seasons, running from 1997 to 2000.
The show was set in a fictional café of the same name, in the equally fictional town of Blossom, Alberta
. Both Blossom and the café were originally described in Tom King's award-winning novel Green Grass, Running Water
, though it was run by different characters. The show borrowed numerous elements from King's novel.
The show featured King (playing himself), Floyd Favel Starr (playing Jasper Friendly Bear) and Edna Rain (playing Gracie Heavy Hand). All the main characters were Canadian aboriginals
, and the show was a skillful mix of scathing political critique and cheerfully irreverent comedy.
Despite the name, the show was in fact only 15 minutes long, and typically ran as a segment on CBC Radio One
's This Morning
. The show had a number of regular segments, including:
It also regularly featured short guest spots on the "What Else Do you Do (When You're Not Being Famous)?" which featured interviews with the likes of Tomson Highway
, Laura Vinson, Graham Greene
and an actor playing Louis Riel
.
The Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour returned for a one-off hour-long show in 2002, recorded live at Regina
's Globe Theatre, Regina
,
Its famous closing line was "Stay Calm, Be Brave, Wait for the Signs".
with repeats on Nighttime Review between on April 6, 2006 until December 20 that year. Twenty-six new episodes were planned and aired again over the summer of 2006.
This new iteration also stars Tara Beagan as Portia Jumpingbull. The closing line had "Leave Good News Alone" as an addition to the slogan.
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
for four seasons, running from 1997 to 2000.
The show was set in a fictional café of the same name, in the equally fictional town of Blossom, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. Both Blossom and the café were originally described in Tom King's award-winning novel Green Grass, Running Water
Green Grass, Running Water
Green Grass, Running Water is a 1993 novel by Native-Canadian and Greek writer Thomas King. Set in a contemporary First Nations Blackfoot community in Alberta, Canada, the novel gained attention due to its unique use of structure, narrative, and the fusion of oral and written literary traditions...
, though it was run by different characters. The show borrowed numerous elements from King's novel.
The show featured King (playing himself), Floyd Favel Starr (playing Jasper Friendly Bear) and Edna Rain (playing Gracie Heavy Hand). All the main characters were Canadian aboriginals
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
, and the show was a skillful mix of scathing political critique and cheerfully irreverent comedy.
Despite the name, the show was in fact only 15 minutes long, and typically ran as a segment on CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
's This Morning
This Morning (radio program)
This Morning was a Canadian radio program which aired from 1997 to 2002 on CBC Radio One. It was not always successful with CBC audiences, and underwent several format and hosting changes during its lifetime....
. The show had a number of regular segments, including:
- Gracie's Authentic Traditional Aboriginal Recipes (including puppy stew, fried bologna, and Kraft Dinners)
- the Authentic Indian Name generator (featuring three wheels that could automatically create names like "Stewart Coffee Armadillo", or "Rosemarie Clever Tuna")
- Friendly Bear's Blackout Bingo (play bingo at home using a card you made up; the numbers called during the tenure were "B8," "I22, "I24, "I26," "N34," "G60," and "O546" {B8 was called during all of season 1 and during one episode, Jasper had announced "G57" to fool Tom when the bingo ball had actually been B8})
- Gracie's Conversational Cree (designed for simple but useful phrases, such as "Please ask the chauffeur to bring the car around" and "How long will we be in port?")
It also regularly featured short guest spots on the "What Else Do you Do (When You're Not Being Famous)?" which featured interviews with the likes of Tomson Highway
Tomson Highway
Tomson Highway, CM is a celebrated Canadian and Cree playwright, novelist, and children's author. He is the author of the plays The Rez Sisters and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, both of which won him the Dora Mavor Moore Award and the Floyd S...
, Laura Vinson, Graham Greene
Graham Greene (actor)
Graham Greene is a Canadian actor who has worked on stage, and in film and TV productions in Canada, England and the United States.-Early life:...
and an actor playing Louis Riel
Louis Riel
Louis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
.
The Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour returned for a one-off hour-long show in 2002, recorded live at 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...
's Globe Theatre, Regina
Globe Theatre, Regina
The Globe Theatre in Regina, Saskatchewan, was founded in 1966 by Ken and Sue Kramer. It was the first professional educational theatre company and the only professional theatre company in Saskatchewan.-Background:...
,
Its famous closing line was "Stay Calm, Be Brave, Wait for the Signs".
2006 revival
The original Dead Dog cast briefly returned on Dead Dog in the City which aired weekly on Sounds Like CanadaSounds Like Canada
Sounds Like Canada was a Canadian radio program, which aired weekday mornings on CBC Radio One from 2002 to 2008. Until the end of May 2008, the program was hosted by the award-winning broadcaster Shelagh Rogers, and in the summers by a rotating series of guest hosts...
with repeats on Nighttime Review between on April 6, 2006 until December 20 that year. Twenty-six new episodes were planned and aired again over the summer of 2006.
This new iteration also stars Tara Beagan as Portia Jumpingbull. The closing line had "Leave Good News Alone" as an addition to the slogan.
Discography
- Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour, Vol. 1 (1998)
- Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour, Vol. 2 (1999)
- Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour, Vol. 3 (2000)
- Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour, Vol. 4 (2001)
External links
- 1997 Wayback Machine archive of the show's Web Site from CBC.ca, accessed November 12, 2005
- Arthur, Bruce. "Wait for the Signs", Ubyssey Magazine Interview with Tom King
- globetheatrelive.com – CBC Press Release announcing live show recording in 2001