Retro Toronto Thread for Nostalgia Purposes.

Mr Deeds said:

Anybody remember these

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Definitely. I remember sneaking downstairs to watch in the basement... LOL! No graphic oral, no cumshots, no penetration shots (porn was pretty tame back then)- but groundbreaking for tv. Now that I think about it, the excitement of sneaking down successfully to watch the CityTV Blue Movie is very similar to the excitement of knocking on the door and seeing a new SP for the first time. The Blue Movies would be almost mainstream cable tv by today's standards but people need to realize that back in the early '70's even the Sear's catalog lingerie section was the stuff of teenage wet dreams or fuel to spank your monkey... LOL!

JackBurton said:

These days I listen to KCSN FM, a college station in Northridge California. GREAT music and it’s all music centric. No wacky morning zoo shit, just great music mix and no commercials. Google them, you can listen online at their website of App.

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thx....pretty diverse playlist that is a mash of CFNY/Q107/60's Brit invasion/folk(?!)

The CFNY memories reminded me of a concert at Ontario Place hosted by CFNY's David Marsden - maybe '81 or '82. This was at the West Island Bandshell - the smaller stage where local bands played before the main show started at the Forum. I was there with friends to see "Blue Peter" perform. The bigger Forum show featured Janis Ian of "At Seventeen" fame and her crowd was very different than Blue Peter. Blue Peter played a really loud set and kept playing encores. They were supposed to stop playing so that Janis Ian could start (concerts always ran like clockwork at the Forum) but Marsden was on the mike and on stage chanting "We're not gonna stop playing..... RIGHT??" to loud cheers and making jokes about "At Seventeen" - finally after forcing a delay for the main forum - Ontario place technicians arrived and cut power. A couple years later Blue Peter played on the Forum stage.

Anybody remember Honest Ed's Steakhouse back in the 70's/early 80's? This was always a family treat place - where we would go as a family for some special occasion like special birthday/graduation. I remember one time where my brother refused to wear a tie or jacket, so when we arrived he had to borrow one from the Maitre-D which was way too big, and a tie too. In hindsight it was all done with good humour and intentions - and was funny as hell. This was back in the days when going out was an event and you dressed up for it. I remember that every table had Tiffany lamps and they all had price-tags - one of Ed Mirvish's genius kitschy fun/marketing ploys. To this day, I still like ordering a globby shrimp cocktail as an appetizer whenever it's available (which is rare these days...) The other gaudy steakhouse that was legendary for it's red velvet decor and pretty good steaks with simple sides was House of Chan. It never changed, until the day it closed. I always wondered if people actually ever got Chinese food at House of Chan.

Which reminds me of another memory - when the only Chinese restaurants in Toronto were a handful at Dundas/Spadina/University area: Kwong Chow and Sai Woo Gardens. Again - people used to dress up to go out to these restaurant which seemed super exotic even though the menu was (with modern hindsight) pretty basic North American Chinese: egg rolls, Cashew Chicken, wonton soup type of stuff. But always tasted great.

I still remember CHCH TV, Italianissimo and the rise of Bob Vinci. My family would make the journey to his theater at Jane and Weston, his shows weren't very good. Later he got dinged for tax evasion and skipped town. He returned to Napoli and disappeared.

Italianissimo producer Emilio Maschia, lobbied the CBC to broadcast the 1982 World Cup, several years later he was the co-founder of TLN.

Bob Vinci had a role in King of Kensington (0.40).

essguy_ said:

Anybody remember CFNY back in the glory days when they were truly cutting edge? ...with David Marsden as the programming director (also one of the dj’s). Was available across North America via satellite in the early years and was hugely influential in forming the “alternative radio” format. First time I head U2 was on this station and that was before their first album came out and when they booked into small venues. No other Toronto station was playing eg: the Sex Pistols or anything that wasn’t mainstream. The DJ’s were given free reign to do their thing.

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Listened to CFNY religiously, was tired of corporate rock, wanted something new.

CFNY was good up until late 80's when "House" music was the rage, could.t stand it.....but then came grunge and the great 90's bands

Yonge ST 1977, was seedy back then, with all the massage parlours and pornhhouses, at 2:44 , that shoeshine boy is Emanuellle Jacques, the shoeshine boy who was sexually assaulted and killed that summer, I remember that vividly, he was found days later on a rooftop on yonge st. The city decided to clean up yonge st thereafter.

Red rocket streetcars

Trolley buses

Subways trains with conductors that whistled to tell you doors were closing

The "hump" on the Gardiner near Humber Bay

The original Yonge and Dundas square with the giant jeans store

The World's Biggest Bookstore

Alpine Way at the EX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4Md-QpfVes

Polka Dot Door https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxahzY-tnHI

Electric Circus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEmj3zi9plo

Speakers Corner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSZpDDJUpuI

Beachcombers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENMOwXwRTZU

Littlest Hobo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgGKSjiw0HQ

-the Yonge st mall when yonge st was closed to vehicular traffic in the summertime from Gerrard to Queen
-Watching the CN tower being built
-Going to Eaton Centre for first time after it opened and was in awe
-going to Jays games in their inaugural season at "Exorcism" stadium
-Ontario place
-going to Sam the Record man on weekends in the 70's , it was a big deal
-working at fast-food place on Yonge st in the 70's -fun times indeed
-watching movies at the Biltmore theatre and "Imperial Six" theatres, now the Ed Mirvish theatre,
- shopping at Honest Eds
-"Le Strip" strip joint
-Mr. Submarine at Yonge and Dundas
-bellbottom jeans
-roots/terra ferma shoes: ugliest shoes ever made, and yes I had pair
-platform shoes
-Sittler's 10 point game game
-Turnbull's 5 goal game
-Bulova Tower at CNE-everyone's meeting place
-night of the Alice Cooper Riot at CNE when canceled show at last minute
-Yonge ST riots- trickle effect from Roodney KIng's beating at hands of LA PD

essguy_ said:

Which reminds me of another memory - when the only Chinese restaurants in Toronto were a handful at Dundas/Spadina/University area: Kwong Chow and Sai Woo Gardens.

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Kwong Nam, the original late night hole-in-the-wall with the 24 hrs. pool hall in the basement. For the Chinatown hardcore only.
It's a Denny's now. :apologetic::apologetic:

One of my favs back in my early 20's was 102.1 The Edge live to air retro sunday from whisky Saigon!!!

New World said:

One of my favs back in my early 20's was 102.1 The Edge live to air retro sunday from whisky Saigon!!!

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With the late great Martin Streek who sadly killed himself after corps canned him and killed the last vestiges of my youth.

james t kirk said:

Toronto used to have some really good local-centric TV back in the day.

Now, it's all just shit and (so called) reality shows. I miss the old City TV before it was sold to CTV (or Bell or Rogers or whoever). They had some great content and personalities you liked. Gone are the days.

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Got to give it to the old City TV. It was an amateurish production with average (at best) personalities, but it did have a character and a wonderful local flavor.