Celebrity Cooks

Last updated

Celebrity Cooks
Genrecooking/variety
Created byDerek Smith and Kent Anthony
Developed byDerek Smith and Keith Large
Written byGary Dunford
Starring Bruno Gerussi
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons12
No. of episodes478
Production
Executive producersDerek Smith and Keith Large
Production locations Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto
Production companiesCarleton Productions, Initiative Productions
Original release
Network CBC Television (1975-79)
Global (1980-87)

Celebrity Cooks is a Canadian cooking show independently produced by Carleton Productions and Insight Productions and aired on CBC Television from 1975 to 1979 and on Global from 1980 to 1987. It was syndicated throughout Canada and the United States from 1980 to 1987. In the early 1990s, it continued in syndication in Canada. Barrie, Ontario-based CKVR later ran episodes in the 1990s that were also available in Toronto and surrounding areas for at least one season.

Contents

Bruno Gerussi hosted 478 episodes in total. He introduced celebrities, saw guests perform and chatted with them while preparing dishes for the audience.

History

Celebrity Cooks began a successful run with CBC Television in 1975. Hermione Gingold was the guest for the program's first broadcast, on 15 September 1975. [1] Bruno Gerussi served as host throughout the series.

The show moved to Global in 1980. [2] In addition to the daytime programming, Global also developed 26 prime-time episodes.[ citation needed ] The show continued to air in Canada with Global and on a few CBS owned-and-operated stations in the United States until 1987.[ citation needed ] At that point, Initiative Productions and partners had produced 478 episodes.

Among the guests who appeared on the show was a pre-stardom David Letterman. [3] [4] Other guests included Margaret Trudeau (aired 3 February 1978), [5] Jean Beliveau, Barry Morse and Elayne Boosler.

An episode featuring guest Bob Crane was recorded on 28 January 1978. Crane was murdered on 29 June, making this his last TV appearance. The episode was scheduled to air on WCBS-TV in July 1978; however, given the circumstances, it did not air at all in the United States. The episode did air five times in Canada, beginning in February 1978. WCBS's Jeff Erdell claimed that Crane was distraught and joked about sex and death during the show, claims repeated in Robert Graysmith's book The Murder of Bob Crane and dramatized in the film Auto Focus , [6] [7] but this has been denied by the show's producers and production staff. [8] [9]

In 2012, Derek Smith, the creator of Celebrity Cooks, tried to bring back the show in a new version as The New Celebrity Cooks with a new host, actress and improv comic and actress Ellie Harvie in much the same format as the original show. The show was to be produced by Smith's Upside Right Media Inc. [10]

The show also led to the creation of Celebrity Cooks cookbooks:

Key people

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References

  1. ↑ Kirby, Blaik (6 September 1975). "Information packs the channels in bountiful new television season". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. 31.
  2. ↑ Downey, Donn (13 February 1979). "Global planning five new shows". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. 17.
  3. ↑ "Celebrity Cooks: David Letterman". IMDb. 1975. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  4. ↑ David Letterman on Celebrity Cooks, late November 1977 on YouTube
  5. ↑ "Maggie's Tempura (photo)". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. 24 January 1978. p. 15.
  6. ↑ "Bob Crane". Kentucky New Era. Associated Press. 3 July 1978. p. 14. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Slotek, Jim. "Sex, murder and videotape". Jam!/Canoe/Sun Media. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  8. ↑ Ford, Carol; Groundwater, Linda. "Flipside: The True Story of Bob Crane (09. Bob Crane's 1978 Appearance on 'Celebrity Cooks')". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  9. ↑ Ford, Carol M.; Young, Dee; Groundwater, Linda J. (2015). Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography. AM Ink Publishing. ISBN   9780991033072.
  10. ↑ "The New Celebrity Cooks - Host Bio". upsiderightmedia.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013 – via Wayback Machine.
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