Coming Up Rosie

http://www.film.queensu.ca/CBC/Cin.html

Mon/Wed/Fri 4:30-5:00 p.m., 15 Sep 1975-25 Feb 1976

Mon 430-5:00 p.m., 13 Sep 1976-28 Mar 1977

Tue 4:30-5:00 p.m., 4 Oct 1977-28 Mar 1978

Rosemary Radcliffe became familiar to Toronto television audiences as a frizzy-haired, zany but smart young woman in the early 1970s through her work on the local CBLT-TV broadcast Sunday Morning (a comedy and public affairs show "for people whose Sunday mornings start at noon"), Toronto theatregoers got to know her as part of the Second City cast. Executive producer Don Elder and producer/director Trevor Evans drew on the talent of other Second City cast members when they devised a replacement for Dr. Zonk and the Zonkins, which children found too childish, and created Coming Up Rosie, starring Radcliffe as Rosie Tucker.

Rosie, a recent graduate of film school, rented space in the basement of a building at 99 Sumach, and tried to produce documentaries. There, she found herself surrounded by a troupe of loonies who helped or hindered her work. Barrie Baldaro played her assistant, Dudley Nightshade; Dan Hennessey was Ralph Oberding, a salesman for the Neva-Rust Storm Door Company; Fiona Reid played Mona Swicker and Catherine O'Hara was Myrna Wallbacker, operators for the Ding-A-Ling Answering Service; John Stocker portrayed elevator operator Dwayne Kramer; John Candy was Wally Wypyzypychwk of Sleep-Tite Burglar Alarms; and Dan Aykroyd was Purvis Bickle, the building janitor.

This entertaining situation comedy for older children boasted knockabout action, with stories that had characters run from one office to another to the elevator to broom closets, and clever, rapid-fire dialogue. The shows were written by Barbara Evans, David Mayerovitch, and Stuart Northey. Evans had had experience with this type of clever kids' show, as Kiddo the Clown, a 1960s show for CFTO-TV in Toronto. He left Coming Up Rosie, and was replaced for the final season by Hedley Read.

Please credit: Last updated 4 December 1996 by Derek Redmond redmond@queensu.ca URL: http://www.film.queensu.ca/CBC/Cin.html

It's been puzzling me for a while but I thought I remembered Dan Aykroyd as the Scotish janitor in Coming Up Rosie. Checked Aykroyd's bio on IMDb and sure enough! I was around 11 when I watched it.

It was a goofy spoof on what is described as an office building. I remember the location of the show as a small mini-mall. Aykroyd had his "typical" Scot accent and worked out of a broom closet. A recall the screen door salesman (Ralph played by Dan Hennessey) as the stereo-typical salesman. And then who could forget Zonk productions - the film company that never seemed to get it right.

Does anybody remember any of the episodes? Did it have any humour that adults would have laughed at?

Wow! Aykroyd, Candy and O'hara were all on it. No wonder, being a Canadian produced show.