1 of 1- Hansa
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Here Come the 70s
Does anyone remember the series "Here Come the 70s" that aired on CTV at the beginning of the decade (and was repeated until the late 70s)? It was produced by Douglas Leiterman, formerly of This Hour Has Seven Days and had a very provocative opening, especially for a network show 50 years ago, featuring a nude woman walking into Lake Ontario superimposed over images of technology, starving children, soldiers, and images of current issues. Unfortunately, there is no sign of a full episode anywhere online but here is the opening sequence. I recall the show, or at least the opening sequence, being very popular among young boys at the time who, in an age before VCRs, made the weekly airings appointment television.
The model is now in her 70s and posted the following hilarious comments:
I remember filming the nude lake scene. We were on Lake Ontario where the lakebed was very rocky and the water was extremely cold. In between takes, they threw a comforter around me while I thawed. A memorable job, indeed! I had never seen this until an old friend sent me the link on my 75th birthday. Your comments were hilarious! I had no idea that there were so many impressionable young men in Canada. And to "Rusty" who suggested a sequel with me coming out of the water with a walker, I can only say, babe, 75 is the new 40! Look me up in 30 years and we can see about that sequel!
I think someone must have recommended me for the job, who knows? These guys I had never met showed up at my apartment, explained their project, said they had tried to use models but their bums were too flat and would I consider doing it? At the time, it wasn't an unusual request. I was in the arts, my friends were in the arts and we were always posing for one another or working on somebody's production of some sort. This seemed like a small thing, wouldn't take too much time, so I said yes and filmed it. Never saw the open on TV and really never thought about it again (except for a brief moment when I walked into Tower Records and saw that someone had made a poster of me in the lake without my permission.) The first time I saw the actual TV footage of the open was when my friend sent me the YouTube link on my 75th birthday. My husband said he was glad he didn't know me in the 60's-LOL
Last edited by Hansa (August 11, 2024 10:19 pm)
- mace
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Re: Here Come the 70s
I don't remember this show at all. But growing up in the 60's/70's, I rarely watched any Canadian television.
- paterson1
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Re: Here Come the 70s
I remember this series. It ran 3 seasons on CTV and was shown Thursday nights at 9:30. CTV also had a mini series of 10 one hour shows called The Fabulous Sixties which was produced by the same group headed up by Douglas Leiterman. This Fabulous Sixties was so well received that CTV decided to go ahead with the half hour Here Come The 70's. Here is 1967 from The Fabulous Sixties narrated by Peter Jennings..,vid:19v7XnJ6CWQ,st:680
Last edited by paterson1 (August 11, 2024 5:44 pm)
- unclefester
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Re: Here Come the 70s
Hansa wrote:
Does anyone remember the series "Here Come the 70s" that aired on CTV at the beginning of the decade (and was repeated until the late 70s?). It was produced by Douglas Leiterman, formerly of This Hour Has Seven Days and had a very provocative opening, especially for a network show 50 years ago, featuring a nude woman walking into Lake Ontario.
Yes I remember it very well. One of my favourite shows for obvious reasons!
- Peter the K
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Re: Here Come the 70s
Oh man, I remember it well. Even have both the album and the 45 single of the theme song by Syrinx.
I was only 8 or 9 when it first aired but that didn't stop me from appreciating the opening of the show. (no pun intended)
What I really found interesting about the show were all the predictions they made. I would love to see the series again to see how many of them they got right 50 years ago. (I don't think there were many, if any)
The show was shot on film, so I'm hopeful that someday, someone will turn up a bunch of reels and unearth the series.
That reminds me of another CTV series from about the same period. The Untamed World was from the early 70s and and also had really cool theme music. There are a few full episodes of it up on youtube.
Last edited by Peter the K (August 11, 2024 7:53 pm)
- paterson1
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Re: Here Come the 70s
CTV commissioned the Toronto based electronic band Syrinx to compose a theme for Here Come the 70's. The song was called Tillicum and was released as a single on True North records. Tillicum reached #38 on the Canadian top 100 and #8 on the RPM MOR chart. The band released two albums in the early 70's and another in 2016 called Tumblers From The Vault which includes unreleased material and remastered recordings.
- Glen Warren
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Re: Here Come the 70s
Did Michael Maclear host (or narrate) the "Here Come the 70s" series?
I seem to recall that he later had his own series titled "Maclear" which also aired on CTV.
Maybe I'm mistaken....
- Carpenter59
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Re: Here Come the 70s
Doug Pringle went on to form the Toronto new wave band The Poles with his wife Michaele Jordan and they had a local hit with their single "CN Tower". Their daughter Ramona Pringle is an actress and professor at Metropolitan University.
- SpinningWheel
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Re: Here Come the 70s
CTV commissioned the Toronto based electronic band Syrinx to compose a theme for Here Come the 70's. The song was called Tillicum and was released as a single on True North records. Tillicum reached #38 on the Canadian top 100 and #8 on the RPM MOR chart. The band released two albums in the early 70's and another in 2016 called Tumblers From The Vault which includes unreleased material and remastered recordings.
.
John Mills-Cockle, a founding member of Syrinx is a Facebook friend of mine. He's still creating music and living in British Columbia. He turned 81 years old in May.
Last edited by SpinningWheel (August 12, 2024 9:09 pm)