Look who's turning 70 -- Gumby!

brioux.tv: the podcast

#Cinema #Comedy #Television #Movies #Pop Culture #Theater #Arts #Brioux #Canadian Television #Actor #Classic Television #Television Writer #Executive Producers #Comedian #Network Executives #Sctv

31:08

AI isn't about replacement – it's about enhancement. Austin and Jannese travel to Tampa, Florida to meet Alexa Kritis Mancuso , founder of Alexa Kritis Events , who reveals how she masterfully blends artificial intelligence with the personal connection essential to event planning. Discover how Alexa shares how she leverages AI platforms to handle routine tasks as well as showing clients how she can bring their creative visions to life. Like QuickBooks, there’s a perfect combination of AI-driven processes and human expertise that can help free up your time to make more money and focus on the things that matter. Whether you're AI-curious or AI-cautious, Alexa explains how to harness this technology to boost your bottom line while creating deeper connections with your customers. Learn more about how QuickBooks can help you grow your business: QuickBooks.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

8 days ago 43:12

MP3•Episode home

For this episode we go back into the vault for an interview conducted ten years ago with Joe Clokey. He was the son of the man who created and animated Gumby, the most bendable children's TV character ever. Joe grew up in California as "Gumby's little brother," watching his dad and mom stamp out dozens of brightly coloured characters out of plastercine in creating a unique world of stop-animation wonder.
TV audiences first saw Gumby on a short film tested during a broadcast of NBC's The Howdy Doody Show in 1955. That led to a full season order the next year, extended about once a decade on various networks into the '60s, '70s and '80s.
Clokey tells story after story about how the character evolved, who did the voices and even details about the theme song. It was his big sister and a friend singing, "He was once a little green slab of clay..." to a tune composed by a prominant jazz musician. The music played millions of times for a paltry one-time fee. Even Clokey lost out when a spinoff merchandising deal made a fortune -- not for him, but for the toy company.
We also talk about Clokey's other famous series, Davey and Goliath, a collection of suburban kiddie parables bankrolled by the Lutheren church. I saw both shows daily as a lad while watching Rocketship 7 and Commander Tom as they beamed across Lake Ontario from Buffalo, N.Y., on WKBW.

194 episodes

Look who's turning 70 -- Gumby!

brioux.tv: the podcast

published 8 days ago

MP3•Episode home

194 episodes

#Cinema #Comedy #Television #Movies #Pop Culture #Theater #Arts #Brioux #Canadian Television #Actor #Classic Television #Television Writer #Executive Producers #Comedian #Network Executives #Sctv

All episodes

1
New Hope Calls stars Cindy Busby & Christopher Russell 26:09

24 hours ago26:09

26:09

These days it is not unusual for fans to wait over a year for a second season of their favourite series. But five years?? That is the situation for When Hope Calls , the spinoff to the popular period piece drama When Calls the Heart . The shot in Ontario series returns April 6 on Super Channel Heart & Home in Canada and on Great American Family in the United States. A lot has changed in five years including the casting of the two leads. The two Canadians at the heart of the series now are Cindy Busby (best known for several seasons of Heartland ) and Christopher Russell, my guests this week on brioux.tv: the podcast. Busby plays Nora, a lawyer who travels by stage coach to the western Canadian town of Brookfield. Russell plays the new mountie in town, Michael "Fearless" Fletcher. Before you can say "1916," a pioneer romance ensues. Returning to the series is Wendy Crewson as no-nonsense lady rancher Tess Stewart. The first new episode will also feature Morgan Kohan -- who has moved on to Sullivan's Crossing -- as Lillian Walsh. Busby and Russell, who first met a decade ago on the set of one of their many Christmas TV-movies, explain how they both got called to When Hope Calls .…

1
Look who's turning 70 -- Gumby! 43:12

8 days ago43:12

43:12

For this episode we go back into the vault for an interview conducted ten years ago with Joe Clokey. He was the son of the man who created and animated Gumby, the most bendable children's TV character ever. Joe grew up in California as "Gumby's little brother," watching his dad and mom stamp out dozens of brightly coloured characters out of plastercine in creating a unique world of stop-animation wonder. TV audiences first saw Gumby on a short film tested during a broadcast of NBC's The Howdy Doody Show in 1955. That led to a full season order the next year, extended about once a decade on various networks into the '60s, '70s and '80s. Clokey tells story after story about how the character evolved, who did the voices and even details about the theme song. It was his big sister and a friend singing, "He was once a little green slab of clay..." to a tune composed by a prominant jazz musician. The music played millions of times for a paltry one-time fee. Even Clokey lost out when a spinoff merchandising deal made a fortune -- not for him, but for the toy company. We also talk about Clokey's other famous series, Davey and Goliath , a collection of suburban kiddie parables bankrolled by the Lutheren church. I saw both shows daily as a lad while watching Rocketship 7 and Commander Tom as they beamed across Lake Ontario from Buffalo, N.Y., on WKBW.…

1
Ontario Place documentarian Ali Weinstein 47:50

15 days ago47:50

47:50

Ali Weinstein is the writer/producer/director behind "Your Tomorrow," a look at Ontario Place the summer before it was shut down after 52 years. For over five decades a 155-acre Toronto waterfront sanctuary, it is being radically redeveloped. Gone are 850 West Island trees. Instead we get a spa with a killer view of Cinesphere. In a moving, observational documentary,Weinstein captures the place in its final days as a full-on family retreat. Even after falling into disrepair, it was still treasured as a bird sanctuary and even a beach. The documentary is rather personal for me. As a student, I worked there as a bus boy for three summers, 1972, '73 and '74. Out the front door of the West Island's Blockhouse restaurant, between shifts clearing tables for two dollars an hour, I watched the CN Tower rise above the Toronto skyline. It never seemed possible back in those halcyon days of summer that Ontario Place would wind up, fifty years later, looking like an abandoned mall. Weinstein's documentary, shot mainly during the park's last active summer of 2023, throws a bright light on that reality. Was Ontario Place purposefully left to rot? Hear Weinstein on that and the making of this doc, which premieres on TVO March 23 and streams on TVODoc starting March 21.…

1
Malcolm McDowell returns 1:01:57

29 days ago1:01:57

1:01:57

Podcasts were invented for guests such as Malcolm McDowell. He is a smart, funny, generous man and as terrific as ever as Pop on CBC's Son of a Critch . This conversation took place last summer in St. John’s, Nfld., in McDowell’s trailer which was parked outside the Bella Vista banquet hall. It had been an exciting 24 hours with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau -- who was down the street trying in vain to save his job at the annual Regatta -- stopping by to say hello to the cast and crew. Back in August, few suspected how Trudeau’s fortunes might change in six months. Wait till you hear McDowell’s take on Trudeau as well as the PM's mother Margaret whom McDowell first met 50 years earlier in London. We touch on some of the actor's past performances in films such as “Clockwork Orange," “Caligula” and too many others to mention. We start off talking about a few of his past podcast hosts, one he loved and another not so much. McDowell made sure I was offered a cup of English breakfast tea (milk; no sugar) and we were off to the races. Pour yourself one now and listen in.…

1
Jennifer Whalen & Meredith MacNeill's Small Achievable Goals 25:25

5 weeks ago25:25

25:25

Two of the four Baroness Von Sketch Show players, Jennifer Whalen and Meredith MacNeill, are back with a new CBC series -- and it's a period piece! The series is called Small Achievable Goals and it is about two women in midlife encountering all of the joys of menopause. Hot flashes, mood swings, homicidal trendencies and more. Now, you can't swing a tampon in daytime TV without Drew Barrymore or Oprah menopausing for station identification. Even in primetime this has come up before. Remember that episode of The Golden Girls ? Where Blanche thought she might be pregnant? That episode was called, "End of the Curse." Well, Whalen and MacNeill wage war on the curse. Helping is a top Canadian comedy cast including Jon Dore ( The Lake ), Peter McKeleghan ( Workin' Moms ), Tricia Black ( Pretty Hard Cases ) and Paul Braunstein ( Shelved ). The two main characters are podcasters, so right there, I have a rooting interest. The eight episode series airs Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. ET on CBC and CBCGem.…

1
Mom of a Critch Claire Rankin 1:05:07

6 weeks ago1:05:07

1:05:07

Claire Rankin says she's waited "a really long time...to land something like this." The PEI native is talking about her role as Mary on Son of a Critch . How she landed the role -- after one of those remote zoom call auditions -- is just one of the stories she shares on this hour-long podcast. Season Four finds Mary -- and Rankin -- out of the kitchen and in the thick of it. On this Tuesday's episode (CBC, CBCGem), Mary has a mid-life crisis. In a few weeks, she's going back to school. Later, she'll be getting back in touch with her beauty pageant roots. The challenges are all welcome for this versatile actress who began her stage career at Stratford performing in Shakespean classics such as Love's Labour's Lost, Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest . During her Hollwood years, Rankin found gest starring roles in everything from House, Monk and Ally McBeal to The Drew Carey Show . Those shows were all more fun and less stressful than one of her first LA jobs opposite a Hollywood legend, a "Wish" she wishes she had never made. Way more fun was working opposite Dick Van Dyke on Diagnosis Murder , especially getting a chance to sing with the TV legend between takes. Get to know Claire Rankin, this week on brioux.tv: the podcast.…

1
SNL original Rosie Shuster 56:15

7 weeks ago56:15

56:15

Saturday Night Live is celebrating the big 5-0. Who better to put it in perspective than the Canadian writer who was there at the start. On this special presentation from brioux.tv: the podcast and LateNighter , Rosie Shuster tells how it all began. She was born with a funny bone as the daughter of Frank Shuster (half of the comedy team of Wayne & Shuster). She meets Lorne Michaels at junior high, he falls for Rosie, and Lorne then soaks up every showbiz lesson he can from her dad. Together with their Toronto school chum Howard Shore, all three land at 30 Rock in New York, assemble the Not Ready for Prime Time Players, put together the next generation of comedy writers (including Rosie) and create the greatest live TV comedy-music showcase ever. Shuster talks about the show that came before, CBC's Hart & Lorne Terrific Hour ; writing for Gilda Radner (a joy) and John Belushi (a struggle), getting props from her proud poppa, and her on-again, off-again marriage to Michaels. But will she get a dress in time for two galas in New York, including the three hour SNL50: The Anniversary Special as well as the hour-long red carpet show? Tune in Sunday, Feb. 16, on NBC and Global to find out.…

1
When Calls the Heart's Jack Wagner 41:45

8 weeks ago41:45

41:45

OK, Hearties, here he is, Jack Wagner who plays Bill Avery on When Calls the Heart . The former soap star has played the sheriff-turned-judge character for 12 seasons on the Langley, BC-based Hallmark and Super Channel series. As viewers will see on the Saturday, Feb. 8 episode, Avery will be re-introduced to Georgie McGill, played by special guest star Melissa Gilbert whose credits date all the way back to her child star days on Little House on the Prairie . 'Bout time Avery got in on the romance on this series, says Wagner, a veteran of several soaps, including General Hospital, The Bold and The Beautiful and Santa Barbara . He also played a romantic lead on Aaron Spelling's frothy primetime serial Melrose Place . All this and the guy is a scratch golfer, the only non-professional athlete winner of a major pro-am tournament. Listen for his story about golfing with Sean Connery. We also talk about his chart-topping mid-'80s hit "All I Need," his previous encounter with Gilbert (both were on Dancing with the Stars ) and his theory as to why When Calls the Heart is the perfect show for 2025.…

1
Rick Mercer guests on Son of a Critch 26:26

8 weeks ago26:26

26:26

If ever we needed some candid talk from Rick Mercer, we need it now. The CBC Hall of Famer didn't hold back when I spoke with him last summer in St. John's on the set of Son of a Critch . The native son plays Mark Sr.'s new VOCM radio station boss on the CBC sitcom. Catch the episode this Tuesday (also on CBCGem). Mercer was delighted to be back before many familiar faces among the crew. He is, of course, an original alumni of Mark Critch's other series, This Hour Has 22 Minutes . After traveling across Canada last year doing stand up shows with his friend Jann Arden, Mercer questions whether the public broadcaster has lost its way at the worst possible time. He notes how Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre's oft-stated goal to cut the CBC appropriation now draws applause breaks even on the East Coast. Hear more frank talk from one of Canada's most popular entertainers as he returns to brioux.tv: the podcast. SPECIAL ALERT : That bearded guy glimpsed in the background Tuesday in the bar scene with Critch and Mercer? The guy trying hard not to act? Yup, guilty as charged. Don't blink.…

1
Son of a Critch's Benjamin Evan Ainsworth 31:18

9 weeks ago31:18

31:18

This episode is the second to feature a cast member from Season 4 of Son of a Critch : none other than the son himself, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth. Ainsworth, of course, plays young Mark Critch, circa 1990, on the CBC sitcom. The episode was recorded last summer on location in St. John's, Nfld. Ainsworth was shooting a scene on a residential street closed off for the production. Also there was Sophia Powers, who plays Mark's girlfriend Fox. The two are trying to navigate high school this season, with scenes shot right in series' co-creator Mark Critch's old high school in St. John's. It is fun to hear Ainsworth speak in his own lilting Liverpudlian tongue during this interview. He and his famous co-star, the great Malcolm McDowell, are often at the Duke of Duckworth, cheering on their favourite football club. Ainsworth also talks about his upcoming feature film "Everything's Going to Be Great" which costars Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney. Special note : at the end of this episode, listen for a tribute to one of my high school pals, Stephen Dudley. I recently learned that this brilliant pianist, whose music can be heard on most of these episodes, passed away late last December. Here, in a cassette recording made exactly 50 years ago, he gifts a folk night crowd with one of his own compositions. Stephen was 67.…

1
FROM 2013: Donald Trump 24:11

10 weeks ago24:11

24:11

Monday January 20 is inauguration day in the US. So everybody raise your right hand, and for those listening here at home, hang onto those Canadian passports. A dozen years ago The Donald was just another tanned game show host when I interviewed him in his 26th floor office at Trump Tower in New York. Now I've reached into the vault and fired up the time machine to bring you a conversation about TV, the world in general and why he feels both always need a bad guy. The Apprentice host went directly into his signature charm offensive, saying he had checked me out with his friends at NBC who allegedly told him if he spoke with one reporter from Canada, I was “the guy.” (The same line he used on Elon Musk.) Being played like this was a ton of fun, but that was then. Who could have known that this former real estate hustler would be a two-term US president and be seen by some as one of the most dangerous men on the planet? Tune in to hear about The Apprentice , the late Joan Rivers (“she’s tough”), David Letterman (“great guy”), the Canadian economy at the time ("your banks were smart") and the war in Afghanistan (“a mess”).…

1
Pledging Allegiance to Season Two 38:40

11 weeks ago38:40

38:40

The second season of the slick crime series Allegiance begins January 15 on CBC and CBC Gem. The shot-in-Surrey, B.C., drama stars Supinder Wraich ( Sort Of ), Enrico Colantoni and Samer Salem. I spoke with all three in Toronto at the CBC Winter Media Launch in December. Wraich plays Sabrina Sohal, a promising rookie police officer who fights to serve her hometown. Rico is the seasoned cop who mentors her past the hurdles of a flawed justice system. In Season Two, Sohal graduates to the Serious Crimes Unit and has six months to prove she's got what it takes to be a detective. She's paired in that task with a more experienced detective, played by series newcomer Salem. All three take part in this chatty podcast episode, taped live at CBC's Broadcast Centre in downtown Toronto. The discussion ranges from immigration and cultural clashes, fellow co-star David Cubitt (whom they all praise) and even which cast member caused the most outtakes.…

1
Allan Hawco on CBC's new Saint-Pierre 42:33

12 weeks ago42:33

42:33

No man is an island. Allan Hawco's new series, however, is shot and set on an archipelago of eight islands represented by the French government off the coast of Newfoundland. Hawco, who played a detective on Republic of Doyle and was also on Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan , plays Donny "Fitz" Fitzpatrick. He's a cop who gets too nosy about police secrets and is therefore banished to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. There he is paired with local police officer Geneviève "Arch" Archambault (Joséphine Jobert from Death in Paradise ). Sparks fly and plot lines ensue. Hawco talks about creating the series with Robina Lord-Stafford and Perry Chaffe, and starting a TV production base pretty much from scratch with Saint-Pierre -- an even bigger challenge than getting Doyle off the ground years ago in Newfoundland. James Purefoy also stars in Saint-Pierre , which airs Monday nights after Murdoch Mysteries on CBC and CBC Gem.…

1
Son of a Critch is back! 59:15

13 weeks ago59:15

59:15

This Hour has, well, not just 22 Minutes but a full hour as I catch up with Mark Critch, this week's guest on brioux.tv: the podcast. The conversation was taped last summer in St. John's, Nfld., during production on the fourth season of Son of a Critch (returning Tuesday, Jan. 7 on CBC and CBC Gem). What a trip that was, including a visit from a guy who was once Critch's snowboard instructor -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Now both men are going downhill this winter! Speaking of which, we also talk about Critch and the 22 Minutes cast tackling an hour-long New Year's Eve special this Tuesday, Dec. 31, at 8 p.m. ET on CBC. As for Son of a Critch , look for it to be an emotional season. Young Mark (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) is off to high school, with scenes shot right in Critch's old alma mater. In fact, so much of Season Four is pulled from Critch's past, he was literally able to show the other actors video he shot in 1990 before certain scenes were shot. All this and the latest Malcolm McDowell stories in a sweet and fun, on-location episode.…

1
Survivor 47 Canadian Genevieve Mushaluk 28:20

15 weeks ago28:20