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The Frantics (comedy)
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The Frantics (comedy)
The Frantics is a Canadian comedy troupe consisting of Paul Chato, Rick Green, Dan Redican and Peter Wildman. The group formed in Toronto in 1979 and became known for its stage work, CBC Radio series Frantic Times, and CBC Television sketch series Four on the Floor.
The group formed in 1979. Chato and Green had written and performed together as a comedy team since high school. They joined the in-house comedy troupe at the Pink Flamingo Cabaret in Toronto, where they met Wildman. Redican, who had been performing as a satirical folk singer and puppeteer in London, Ontario, appeared at the Flamingo as Poopy Dan, performing a "Marxist kiddie show". The three recruited Redican, and the four formed The Frantics.
After leaving the Pink Flamingo, the troupe performed in the local comedy scene, toured Holiday Inns and campuses, and ultimately headlined at big-city clubs. The group’s official history states that the act was originally called Skits-O-Frantics before being shortened to The Frantics during an appearance at Toronto's El Mocambo.
In 1981, The Frantics were given a weekly radio slot on the CBC Radio program Variety Tonight, then hosted by Vicki Gabereau. In the summer of 1982, they served as the summer replacement for the Royal Canadian Air Farce. The troupe received its own permanent time slot in the fall of 1983.
Between 1981 and 1984, their show, Frantic Times, ran for 113 episodes. Each episode regularly featured a female "special guest": in earlier episodes this was Carolyn Scott, while later episodes featured Mag Ruffman. Sound effects formed an important part of the show and were generally provided by Cathy Perry, a longtime CBC sound technician and later a producer at CBC.
The group’s official history states that Frantic Times grew to attract about half a million listeners a week and resulted in 120 half-hour radio shows. A 2016 Newswire release by the group stated that Frantic Times aired 110 episodes into 1984.
The album Frantic Times was released in 1984 and collected sketches and songs from the radio show. In 2003, Deep Shag Records reissued the album with a new cover and three previously unreleased selections.
In 1984, the troupe appeared as a feature act with a number of sketches in a television pilot, The No Name Show, for TVOntario, which was not picked up for a series. In 1986, the troupe moved to television with the CBC series Four on the Floor, which lasted one season of thirteen episodes. The Canadian Communications Foundation's History of Canadian Broadcasting states that the series aired weekly from January to August 1986 and featured the four members of The Frantics writing and performing their own material. The series also aired in England and the United States under the name The Frantics.
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The Frantics (comedy)
The Frantics is a Canadian comedy troupe consisting of Paul Chato, Rick Green, Dan Redican and Peter Wildman. The group formed in Toronto in 1979 and became known for its stage work, CBC Radio series Frantic Times, and CBC Television sketch series Four on the Floor.
The group formed in 1979. Chato and Green had written and performed together as a comedy team since high school. They joined the in-house comedy troupe at the Pink Flamingo Cabaret in Toronto, where they met Wildman. Redican, who had been performing as a satirical folk singer and puppeteer in London, Ontario, appeared at the Flamingo as Poopy Dan, performing a "Marxist kiddie show". The three recruited Redican, and the four formed The Frantics.
After leaving the Pink Flamingo, the troupe performed in the local comedy scene, toured Holiday Inns and campuses, and ultimately headlined at big-city clubs. The group’s official history states that the act was originally called Skits-O-Frantics before being shortened to The Frantics during an appearance at Toronto's El Mocambo.
In 1981, The Frantics were given a weekly radio slot on the CBC Radio program Variety Tonight, then hosted by Vicki Gabereau. In the summer of 1982, they served as the summer replacement for the Royal Canadian Air Farce. The troupe received its own permanent time slot in the fall of 1983.
Between 1981 and 1984, their show, Frantic Times, ran for 113 episodes. Each episode regularly featured a female "special guest": in earlier episodes this was Carolyn Scott, while later episodes featured Mag Ruffman. Sound effects formed an important part of the show and were generally provided by Cathy Perry, a longtime CBC sound technician and later a producer at CBC.
The group’s official history states that Frantic Times grew to attract about half a million listeners a week and resulted in 120 half-hour radio shows. A 2016 Newswire release by the group stated that Frantic Times aired 110 episodes into 1984.
The album Frantic Times was released in 1984 and collected sketches and songs from the radio show. In 2003, Deep Shag Records reissued the album with a new cover and three previously unreleased selections.
In 1984, the troupe appeared as a feature act with a number of sketches in a television pilot, The No Name Show, for TVOntario, which was not picked up for a series. In 1986, the troupe moved to television with the CBC series Four on the Floor, which lasted one season of thirteen episodes. The Canadian Communications Foundation's History of Canadian Broadcasting states that the series aired weekly from January to August 1986 and featured the four members of The Frantics writing and performing their own material. The series also aired in England and the United States under the name The Frantics.