The Frantics Comedy Troupe Resurrects Historic Radio Show as Podcasts
--One of the most enduring comedy troupes in history appeals to
new and old fans with 900 hilarious sketches from the archives--
TORONTO, Nov. 15, 2016 /CNW/ - The popular 1980's CBC radio series, Frantic Times, will be reincarnated as a free, best-of podcast series to be released in early 2017. The Frantics, the comedy troupe who created the series, is raising the production money to repackage the shows through an Indiegogo crowd funding campaign.
"With less than a week to go in the campaign we've surpassed our modest goal by more than 80%," says Paul Chato, one of four founding members of the original Frantics sketch troupe. "The money raised will fund a professional producer to sift through 3,300 minutes of Frantic Times radio shows—an insane amount of material—bring them up to the highest broadcast standards, then package them into 50 half-hour podcasts."
To show their gratitude to everyone who donates, The Frantics created a number of fun perks including a Mr. Canoehead bobble head doll and a Frantic Times scrapbook full of reviews, pictures, promotional releases and something called Big Lumps. "Don't ask," suggests Chato.
The Frantics are Paul Chato, Rick Green, Dan Redican, and Peter Wildman. The group began on the sketch comedy scene in Toronto 37 years ago in 1979, making them one of the most enduring comedy troupes in history. They toured with a live stage show, starred in a TV show called "4 on the Floor," recorded several albums, and landed their big break in 1981 with the CBC radio show Frantic Times.
Frantic Times aired 110 episodes into 1984, making famous such iconic characters as:
- Mr. Canoehead, a mild-mannered camper who was struck by lightning while portaging his canoe in Algonquin Park and had the canoe welded to his head. He became Canada's greatest aluminum-headed crime fighter.
- Boot the Head sketches (Last Will and Testament, Ti Kwan Leep) made popular on Dr. Demento's U.S. radio broadcast.
- Todd Booster, a throwback to the Flash Gordon style radio series but done in The Frantics' style of insanity.
- Lou and Hymie, two nerds who thought girls were attracted to them and were often heard to exclaim, "We drive chicks mad!"
"There's enough material for more than 100 half-hour podcasts, but we plan to produce half that number," adds Chato. "We didn't just want to make this a walk down memory lane of interest only to rabid Frantics' archivists. Of the 50 shows we eliminated, some use music we can't license, others are irrelevant for 2016, and a few weren't that funny in the first place."
The podcast will be free for listeners to download. Sample shows expected to be part of the series include Todd Booster Space Cadet in "Mars Blockade", Boot to the Head (Ti Kwan Leep) and How to Write a Song.
The crowd-funding campaign continues until Nov. 19. In addition to the Indiegogo campaign, The Frantics are also seeking podcast sponsors who want to build their profile with the original baby boomer audience that originally numbered half a million weekly listeners on CBC. Part of the goal of this campaign is to find those fans again.
About The Frantics
The celestial gases that created planet Frantics included Peter Wildman, a member of the cast of the Flamingo Cabaret; Dan Redican, a solo folky-puppeteer; and Rick Green and Paul Chato who came packaged as the comedy duo of Green and Chato. In 1979 these talents coalesced into the Skits-O-Frantics. However, a drunken MC at the famous El Mocambo club in Toronto thankfully shortened their name to The Frantics when introducing them as the opening act for Point Blank. Learn more about The Frantics at http://www.thefrantics.com/.
SOURCE The Frantics
Video with caption: "Toronto, Ontario, Nov. 15, 2016—The popular 1980’s CBC radio series, Frantic Times, is being reincarnated as a free, best-of podcast series to be released in early 2017. The Frantics, the comedy troupe who created the series, is raising the production money to repackage the shows through an Indiegogo crowd funding campaign that runs until Nov. 19, 2016.". Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnGRyI887mc&feature=youtu.be
visit the website at The Frantics or contact Paul Chato, [email protected], 647-283-6161
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