Variety Tonight

This article is about the radio show. For REO Speedwagon song, see Variety Tonight (song).

Variety Tonight was a CBC Radio show which aired from 1980 until 1985 in the 8–10 p.m. timeslot.[1] It was a nightly series featuring jazz and pop music as well as trivia games, book and movie reviews, comedy segments and interviews.[2]

The program was created by producer Danny Finkleman,[2] but he was let go from the program in December 1980.[3] It was hosted by David Cole in its first season,[4] followed by Vicki Gabereau for the remainder of its run.[5] Cole continued to contribute to the program in 1982 and 1983 as producer of Here Come the Seventies, a sketch comedy series that aired as a weekly half-hour segment of Variety Tonight.[6] Variety Tonight also aired the initial series of the sketch comedy show Frantic Times in 1981, which went on to become a standalone CBC Radio series.[7][8]

In the show's first season, it hired Don Novello, in character as Father Guido Sarducci, to serve as a correspondent covering the 1980 United States presidential election.[9]

Gabereau won an ACTRA Award for Best Radio Host or Interviewer at the 13th ACTRA Awards in 1984.[10] She was also nominated, but did not win, at the 12th ACTRA Awards in 1983,[11] and at the 14th ACTRA Awards in 1985.[12]

After the program's cancellation, Gabereau continued in the same time slot as host of the new interview series Gabereau in the 1985-86 season.[13] In January 1986 she announced that she would be leaving the show at the end of the season to pursue other interests;[14] she was ultimately convinced to change her mind and remain with the network, although her show moved to a weekly airing on Saturdays and its nightly time slot was taken over by Stan Carew's new Prime Time.[15]

  1. ^ M. T. Kelly, "CBC gives its mandate 40 whacks". The Globe and Mail, March 1, 1980.
  2. ^ a b "CBC Radio's Danny Finkleman defends his grab bag show; Putting the spice back into Variety". The Globe and Mail, April 5, 1980.
  3. ^ "Variety Tonight fires Finkleman". The Globe and Mail, December 2, 1980.
  4. ^ Bill Musselwhite, "This is the big one, Variety Tonight, and he's David Cole...". Calgary Herald, September 27, 1980.
  5. ^ "Gabareau new host for Variety Tonight". The Globe and Mail, September 4, 1981.
  6. ^ "Comedy writer turns interviews into fun", Bruce Blackader, Toronto Star, 28 Feb 1982: C6.
  7. ^ "A Frantics approach to comedy": [Final Edition] Clay, Chris.  Mississauga News; Mississauga, Ont.. 26 Feb 2008: 1.
  8. ^ "Cadet Air Farce gets wings: Loaded down with gags, The Frantics taxi for takeoff", by Rob Salem, Toronto Star, 08 Oct 1981: B1
  9. ^ "CBC Radio hires Guido Sarducci". The Globe and Mail, August 26, 1980.
  10. ^ "Three ACTRA winners have local connections". Kingston Whig-Standard, April 4, 1984.
  11. ^ "Awards show will be telecast on April 16 on CBC Finalists for ACTRA awards announced". The Globe and Mail, March 31, 1983.
  12. ^ Charles Hanley, "Chautauqua Girl has three chances for a Nellie: ACTRA names award nominees". The Globe and Mail, March 19, 1985.
  13. ^ Henry Mietkiewicz, "CBC executives defend new radio schedule". Toronto Star, August 21, 1985.
  14. ^ "Vicki Gabereau quitting CBC radio 'to take risks'". Montreal Gazette, January 15, 1986.
  15. ^ Henry Mietkiewicz, "CBC brings arts back in Prime Time". Toronto Star, August 3, 1986.