Cover of March 22, 1952 edition of The Saturday Evening Post. Illustrated by Amos Sewell.
How would you open a profile of Toronto for one of the U.S.’ most popular general interest magazines? Well, if you were the Saturday Evening Post 60 years ago, you would start with a joke that originated in rival city Montreal: a Toronto magnate was summoned to appear in court. On the appointed day his doctor appeared in his stead, claiming the businessman had lapsed into a coma. An attorney asked, helpfully, “Did you try showing him some money?”
So began that magazine’s look at Toronto in its March 22, 1952 issue. Our city was profile number 116 in the magazine’s “The Cities of America” series, which spotlighted the continent’s most colourful urban areas. After reading the article, a reader might have concluded that Toronto possessed a boastful attitude and an obsession with money.
Host Georgea Brooks-Hancock and judge Matt Folliott will kick off Strip Comedy in the Comedy Bar cabaret room immediately following the Super Bowl this Sunday. Photo courtesy of the Trend Collective.
There’ve been a lot of changes at Comedy Bar since the Bloorcourt performance venue opened in 2008. Much of that is due to a series of upgrades, like a luxurious wrap-around bar (instead of the ice-filled beer tubs with which they started); a dedicated box office line (rather than co-owner Gary Rideout Jr.’s personal cell phone); and a professional cleaning service (a nice alternative to Rideout’s initial position of “mostly not cleaning”—his words.) But the biggest change happened just in November, when the opening of a 50-seat cabaret room turned Comedy Bar into a multi-stage venue.
About half the size of the original theatre space, it’s having an effect quickly: in the last few months, several troupes have moved shows in. It’s partly due to the intimate feel of the room, but it’s also because in the three years since it opened Comedy Bar has become a place much of the comedy community in Toronto has come to regard as their natural hub, whether they do sketch, improv, or stand-up. Read More…
ALL CLEAR: The delay eastbound on Gerrard at Greenwood has now cleared and full service has resumed on the 506 Carlton streetcar line. #TTC | 4:29 PM Feb 3
506 Carlton Streetcars diverting eastbound via Broadview, Queen, Coxwell due to a collision on Gerrard at Greenwood. #TTC | 4:07 PM Feb 3
Elevator Update: Yonge/Bloor Stn elevator, Yonge to Bloor-Danforth line, out of service on February 5th. Use St George Stn as an alternate. | 3:11 PM Feb 3
