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people have visited this site.
Isn't that interesting!
The Unofficial |
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Web Site |
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This is a tribute Web page to the Canadian comedy troupe known as "The
Frantics". Though probably best known to people for the song "Boot to the Head" and
for the comedy skit "Ti Kwan Leep" which are often played on the Dr. Demento show, they
had a long history. They did comedy stage shows back in the late 1970s, had a 7-year
run on the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) in the early 80s, and also starred in
the "Four on the Floor" TV series produced in 1986.
Who were the Frantics?
The Frantics comedy troupe consisted of Paul Chato, Rick Green, Dan Redican and Peter Wildman.
They were joined by comediennes Maggie Butterfield and then Carolyn Scott in their early years on
radio, succeeded by Mag Ruffman in the final 3 years of their radio show.
Before embarking on a radio comedy career, they were a stage comedy troupe, and continued doing comedy reviews while doing their radio show.
The Frantics did about 120 shows for the CBC that were broadcast between 1979-1986, plus a couple of short-series radio specials in the late 80s. For true fans of The Frantics (especially for those who have only seen the TV series or heard of them from their two albums), the radio shows are worth tracking down since many of the comedic ideas and characters (such as "Bill from Bala", "Mr. Canoehead", "Quenelle", "Mrs. Sarnicky" and many others) that first appeared here.
The Frantics released two comedy albums: "The Frantics" in 1984 (vinyl only, and long out of print), and "Boot to the Head" in 1987 (still available on CD from Attic Records). Both of these albums get regular airplay on the Doctor Demento show.
The Frantics also did TV, producing a single season of "Four on the Floor", a madcap comedy series that brought many of their favourite characters (like "Mr. Canoehead") and skits from their radio show.
Since then the individual Frantics members have gone their separate ways, reuniting briefly at the Montreal "Just for Laughs" Comedy festival in 1987. Many of them still doing comedy in one form or another today, and continue to have a major influence on Canadian television comedy through shows like The Red Green Show and Kids in the Hall.
So why the Web page?
I like telling my friends that there is a Web page out there about any and all subjects
imaginable on the Web. But when I was trying to do some research on The Frantics online, I
found next to nothing. This humble Web page tries to fill in the gap! ;-) If you have any information about The Frantics you'd like to share, please contact me via email at: robertskATwave.home.com (replace the "AT" with an "@" symbol).
This Homepage is created and maintained by a fan of The Frantics. It is not endorsed by The Frantics, nor is it formally affiliated with any commercial entity. (Though at least three Frantics have viewed these pages and liked them. ;-)