Bizarre (TV series)
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Bizarre | |
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Directed by | Maurice Abraham (1980–1982) Jack Budgell (1982–1986) |
Starring | John Byner Bob Einstein Philip Akin George Allen Harvey Atkin Billy Barty Cynthia Belliveau Tanya Boyd Dave Broadfoot George Buza Lally Cadeau Christine Cattell George Cowan Jennifer Dale Richard Dawson Laura Dickson Jack Duffy Jayne Eastwood John Evans Astrid Falconi S.J. Fellowes Barry Flatman Redd Foxx David Fraser Candace Frazee Brian George Luba Goy Nonnie Griffin Lori Hallier Barbara Hamilton Tom Harvey John Hemphill Laura Henry Ken James Keith Knight Mimi Kuzyk Don Lake Kathleen Laskey Carrie Leigh Cec Linder Ziggy Lorenc Kate Lynch Jack Newman Pat Marsden Viki Matthews Annie McAuley Debra McGrath Julie McLeod Sherry Miller Pat Morita Mike Myers Kathy Nagy Mark Parr Suzie Pellman Earl Pennington Donnelly Rhodes Dar Robinson Laura Robinson Wayne Robson Mary Beth Rubens Saul Rubinek Elijah Siegler Sharolyn Sparrow Beau Starr Nancy Steen Melissa Steinberg Eric Taslitz Dave Thomas Theresa Tova Billy Van Mike Walden Irene Walters Roberta Weiss Steve Weston Michael Wincott |
Music by | James Dale |
Country of origin | Canada |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 6 |
No. of episodes | 141 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Allan Blye (1980-1982) Bob Einstein (1980-1982) |
Producers | Perry Rosemond (1980–1982) Allan Blye (1982–1986) Bob Einstein (1982–1986) |
Running time | 22 minutes |
Production companies | Shiral Productions Showtime |
Original release | |
Network | CTV (Canada) Showtime (United States) |
Release | September 18, 1980 September 1986 | –
Related | |
Super Dave |
Bizarre is a
Synopsis
The series featured slapstick sketches, monologues, TV parodies, and performances by guest stand-up comics. Byner's interactions with members of the studio audience, or with show producer Bob Einstein (who often came in to halt a sketch midway through), provided an early example of removing the fourth wall. Much of the humour on the show was considered risqué during the original run of the series.
The series utilized a rotating ensemble of supporting actors who backed Byner in his sketches. Besides Einstein, this group included Philip Akin, Harvey Atkin, Billy Barty, Cynthia Belliveau, Jack Duffy, Jayne Eastwood, Barbara Hamilton, John Hemphill, Barry Flatman, Keith Knight, Don Lake, Kathleen Laskey, Kate Lynch, Pat Morita, Debra McGrath, Mike Myers, Earl Pennington, Melissa Steinberg, Billy Van, Steve Weston, and Wayne and Shuster alumnus Tom Harvey.
Bizarre had guest star performers during its run including
Super Dave Osborne
A regular feature of the show was Super Dave Osborne (a spoof of daredevils such as Evel Knievel), portrayed by Bob Einstein, in which Super Dave would perform elaborate mock stunts meant to enthrall viewers; a reporter (usually Mike Walden) would assist in framing the sketch. Inevitably, the stunt would fail spectacularly, resulting in severe injury to Super Dave. These sketches would usually finish with a view of the scene, in which Super Dave was buried, encased, launched etc., as appropriate for the sketch. Meanwhile, feigning agony, Super Dave would discuss sundry details – information about the next show, why the stunt failed, or what he would do to the reporter once he recovered from his injuries.
One notable Super Dave sketch was a stunt where he attempted to avoid being harmed while standing under a pile driver, by repeating the nonsense phrase "balloon ball". The stunt failed in typical Super Dave style, leaving him as a helmeted head atop two shoes. This particular sketch was popular enough that during the following season, Showtime ads for Bizarre featured a cartoon logo of Super Dave's helmeted head and shoes.
The Super Dave sketches led to a spin-off series (Super Dave) with a more family-friendly style.
Content editing
Two versions of the show were produced: episodes that aired on the
The "adult" version was also shown regionally on ITV in the United Kingdom, usually airing after 11 pm with some of the more extreme language bleeped out conventionally.
Sketches containing nudity were censored for Canadian television and syndication by the inclusion of reverse angle scenes originally filmed from behind nude actors (generally women baring their breasts) or scenes that had been filmed with the models wearing a bra. Rare scenes involving a woman being naked below the waist, however, just ended very abruptly.
The "adult" version has not aired on television since the Showtime airings and original syndication ceased in the late 1980s. The syndicated episodes have been rebroadcast since.
Development
Bizarre was originally developed for
Dawson taped the pilot for Bizarre at Television City Studios in Hollywood. The special aired on ABC March 20, 1979.[3] Ultimately, neither Dawson nor ABC decided to continue with the project (ABC instead went with Fridays and Nightline). Production moved to Canada (allowing the show to qualify for Canadian content credits, despite maintaining a mostly American cast) and impressionist John Byner was installed as host. The premiere of Bizarre used many of the same sketches as the Dawson pilot.
DVD release
DVDs of the unedited version, titled The Best of Bizarre Uncensored, were released in late 2005 from Canadian video label
While the episodes appear to be uncensored regarding language and nudity, most are missing their original end credits, which included plugs for the Royal York Hotel in Toronto and Tilden Rent-a-Car. The only episodes to retain their original end credits are ones where live-action sketches are still taking place while the credits roll, and most of those episodes have the sponsorship plugs removed, with the exception of episode 47 (on Volume Five), due to Super Dave Osborne commenting on the plugs. A generic "DVD credits" roll appears on each disc to give credit to the people who worked on the show.
Reruns
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The "adult" version has not aired on television since the Showtime airings and original syndication ceased in the late 1980s. The syndicated episodes have been rebroadcast since then in Canada (as recently as 2003), where they were mostly scheduled to fulfill "Canadian Content" requirements.
The Comedy Network aired Bizarre from 1997 to 2003. TV Land Canada, later known as Comedy Gold, aired Bizarre from New Year's Eve 2008 to August 2011.
References
- ^ "Former 'Family Feud' host Richard Dawson dies". CNN. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
- ^ Bushkin, Henry; Lewis, Andy (October 9, 2013). "How Johnny Carson Nearly Quit 'Tonight' and Scored TV's Richest Deal Ever". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- ^ Facebook page of The Museum of Classic Chicago Television, October 25, 2015.
External links
- Bizarre at IMDb