King of Kensington

King of Kensington is a Canadian television sitcom which aired on CBC Television from 1975 to 1980.[1]

King of Kensington
Created byPerry Rosemond
Directed byRay Arsenault
StarringAl Waxman
Fiona Reid
Helene Winston
Rosemary Radcliffe
Jayne Eastwood
Country of originCanada
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes111
Production
Running time30 minutes
Release
Original networkCBC Television
Original releaseSeptember 25, 1975 –
March 13, 1980

Synopsis

Al Waxman starred as Larry King, a convenience store owner in Toronto's Kensington Market who was known for helping friends and neighbours solve problems. His multicultural group of friends consisted of Nestor Best (Ardon Bess), Max (John J. Dee), and Tony "Duke" Zarro (Bob Vinci), who hung around regularly to the perennial disapproval of King's mother Gladys (Helene Winston).

For the first three seasons, Fiona Reid played his wife Cathy. At the end of the third season, Reid decided to leave the series, so Larry and Cathy divorced. Larry then dated Tina (Rosemary Radcliffe) in the fourth season and Gwen Twining (Jayne Eastwood) in the fifth.[1] At the same time, Larry sold the convenience store and took a new job with a youth community centre.[1]

Production

The show was created by Perry Rosemond, who also produced the first season. Other producers included Jack Humphrey (1976–1980) and Joe Partington (1978–1980). The original series pilot starred Paul Hecht and Sandra O'Neill as Larry and Cathy King, although the series was recast with Waxman and Reid by the time the show went into production.[1]

The series featured many Canadian actors as guest stars, including Andrea Martin, Mike Myers, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Jeff Wincott and Mark Humphrey. The show was popular with viewers; prior to the start of the fourth season, one of the producers noted the show drew 1.5 to 1.8 million viewers weekly.[2]

The show's gentle but politically conscious humour is seen by some critics as a Canadian version of the topical Norman Lear sitcoms of the 1970s, such as All in the Family and Maude.[3] The series maintained a tight production schedule, with episodes sometimes airing just one week or less after they were filmed, so that topical jokes about current news stories could be incorporated into the scripts.[1]

The series was syndicated to some American stations during the height of its popularity.[1]

After King of Kensington ended in 1980, many of the producers went on to create the new CBC sitcom Hangin' In, while head writer Louis Del Grande went on to create and star in Seeing Things, and Waxman was cast in the American series Cagney & Lacey.

Cast
  • Al Waxman as Larry King
  • Helene Winston as Gladys King
  • Fiona Reid as Cathy King (1975–1978)
  • Ardon Bess as Nestor Best (1975–1978)
  • Bob Vinci as Tony "Duke" Zarro (1975–1978)
  • John J. Dee as Max (1975–1978)
  • Jayne Eastwood as Gwen Twining (1978–1980)
  • Peter Boretski as Jack Soble (1978–1980)
  • Robert Haley as Ron Bacon (1978–1980)
  • Rosemary Radcliffe as Tina (1978–1980)
  • Linda Rennhofer as Dorothy (1978–1980)

Episode list

Season 1 (1975–76)
Ep № Title Airdate
11Variety StoreSep-25-1975
22Hot Line HostOct-02-1975
33Kensington Achievement AwardOct-09-1975
44The Tax AuditOct-23-1975
55Save Old GeorgeOct-30-1975
66Where's Cathy?Nov-06-1975
77Half-Way HomeNov-13-1975
88The Lady Who Came to DinnerNov-20-1975
99The Joy of Kensington (ft Andrea Martin)Nov-27-1975
1010The Gambler (ft Saul Reubenick & Luba Goy)Dec-04-1975
1111The Real Mrs. KingDec-11-1975
1212Scout's Honour (ft Mike Myers)Dec-18-1975
1313The Christmas ShowDec-25-1975
1414The Detroit Story (ft Dave Thomas)Jan-15-1976
1515Cathy's HobbyJan-22-1976
1616Duke's DilemmaJan-29-1976
1717Delma's DecisionFeb-05-1976
1818Happy AnniversaryFeb-12-1976

Season 2 (1976–77)
Ep № Title Airdate
119Fertility for TwoSep-21-1976
220The PartnersSep-28-1976
321The CheckupOct-05-1976
422The DancerOct-12-1976
523Delma's FurOct-26-1976
624The ReunionNov-09-1976
725Gestalt of KensingtonNov-16-1976
826Welcome to CanadaNov-23-1976
927The FriendNov-30-1976
1028Duke's New JobDec-07-1976
1129Prisoner of KensingtonDec-14-1976
1230The HolidayDec-28-1976
1331The End of the WorldJan-04-1977
1432The LotteryJan-11-1977
1533Gladys' Teddy BearJan-18-1977
1634Bunny of KensingtonJan-25-1977
1735Mary Theresa Is MissingFeb-01-1977
1836Cathy's ParentsFeb-08-1977
1937The Central Tech TigerFeb-15-1977
2038The CrushFeb-22-1977
2139Tiny's JobMar-01-1977
2240Gladys' ProblemMar-08-1977
2341The Quiz ShowMar-15-1977
2442The Big ShotMar-22-1977

Season 3 (1977–78)
Ep № Title Airdate
143Cathy's New CareerSep-25-1977
244The ComicOct-09-1977
345The PromOct-16-1977
446The HostageOct-23-1977
547The BoilerOct-30-1977
648Hotel BuffaloNov-06-1977
749The PhotographerNov-13-1977
850The TeacherNov-20-1977
951The MoveNov-27-1977
1052Gladys' RestaurantDec-04-1977
1153The HeroDec-11-1977
1254The Dance StudioDec-18-1977
1355The SuitorJan-08-1978
1456The HustlerJan-22-1978
1557The WizardJan-29-1978
1658Big DaddyFeb-05-1978
1759The RacehorseFeb-12-1978
1860The DukedomFeb-19-1978
1961Las VegasFeb-26-1978
2062Old FlameMar-05-1978
2163King's CousinMar-12-1978
2264The Blood of KingsMar-19-1978
2365Cathy's Last StandMar-26-1978

Season 4 (1978–79)
Ep № Title Airdate
166King's First DateSep-28-1978
267Summer of '56Oct-05-1978
368School DazeOct-12-1978
469The InvitationOct-19-1978
570Words and MusicOct-26-1978
671Carol's ArrivalNov-02-1978
772Double StandardNov-09-1978
873The PursesnatcherNov-16-1978
974Third PartyDec-07-1978
1075Big BrotherDec-14-1978
1176A Xmas StoryDec-21-1978
1277The HouseguestDec-28-1978
1378With This RingJan-04-1979
1479Guido's JobJan-11-1979
1580Over the HillJan-18-1979
1681Dear Aunt MarthaJan-25-1979
1782The Best ManFeb-01-1979
1883Hockey Night in KensingtonFeb-15-1979
1984True ConfessionsFeb-22-1979
2085Mr. King Goes to OttawaMar-08-1979
2186White Lace GlovesMar-15-1979
2287The Fishing TripMar-22-1979
2388Cyrano de KensingtonMar-29-1979

Season 5 (1979–80)
Ep № Title Airdate
189King's Brave New WorldSep-13-1979
290Diabolical PlotsSep-20-1979
391Life Begins at FortySep-27-1979
492The Hat TrickOct-04-1979
593Home Is Where the Heartburn IsOct-11-1979
694The RivalsOct-25-1979
795Born to BoogieNov-01-1979
896The Double DateNov-08-1979
997Masters and Johnson and KingNov-15-1979
1098The BetNov-22-1979
1199Pawn to King FourNov-29-1979
12100Down But Not OutDec-06-1979
13101Catch 23Dec-20-1979
14102The Total WomanJan-03-1980
15103Look Ma, No CavitiesJan-10-1980
16104Sign of the BullJan-17-1980
17105The Spirit of JoyJan-24-1980
18106Good News, Bad NewsJan-31-1980
19107War and PeaceFeb-07-1980
20108Counter AttackFeb-21-1980
21109Green Eyed MonsterFeb-28-1980
22110Purple PassionMar-06-1980
23111Movin' OnMar-13-1980

Tributes

In the SCTV episode "CCCP1-Russian television", one of the fake TV programs infiltrating the network is Hey Giorgiy, about "everyone's favorite Cossack", intended as a Russian knockoff of King of Kensington.

In the first episode of the 1990s television series Twitch City, also set in Kensington, the character Nathan (played by Daniel MacIvor) was sent to prison for killing a homeless man with a can of cat food. The producers of Twitch City cast Al Waxman in the role of the murder victim, as a symbolic wink to King of Kensington, although they claimed that they did not intend for the character to be seen as Larry King himself.[4]

In the late 1990s, This Hour Has 22 Minutes featured a sketch detailing the making of a film version of King of Kensington. In the sketch, director Atom Egoyan (played by Greg Thomey), re-imagines the series as a surreal crime thriller, with Larry King as a serial killer instead of a convenience store owner.

Following Waxman's death on January 18, 2001, a memorial to him was erected in Kensington Market.

In one episode of the Canadian comedy program Puppets Who Kill, the character Bill steals Al Waxman's preserved brain from CBC headquarters.

DVD release

On November 13, 2007, Morningstar Entertainment released King of Kensington – Season One on DVD in Region 1.[5]

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References
  1. Mary Jane Miller, Turn Up the Contrast: CBC Television Drama since 1952. UBC Press, 2011. ISBN 9780774843218. pp. 134-144.
  2. "King to be bachelor". Ottawa Citizen. 1978-01-25. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  3. Geoff Pevere and Greig Dymond, Mondo Canuck: A Canadian Pop Culture Odyssey. Pearson Canada, 1996. ISBN 9780132630887. p. 209.
  4. "Twitch City a weird look at television addiction; Former King of Kensington gets whacked tonight". Edmonton Journal, January 19, 1988.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2011-05-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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