A Luncheon Date to Remember

Today's National Post column may be a little baffling to non-Canadian readers - but Canadians of a certain age will find it rings a lot of childhood memories! Elwood Glover was a veteran CBC broadcaster, one of the most familiar voices in Canada through World War II and the years after. But in my house, he was known until this week as Exhibit A of the horrors of life in the dark ages before cable.

Today's National Post column may be a little baffling to non-Canadian readers - but Canadians of a certain age will find it rings a lot of childhood memories!

I owe the memory of Elwood Glover a huge and heartfelt apology.

Elwood Glover was a veteran CBC broadcaster, one of the most familiar voices in Canada through World War II and the years after. But in my house, he was known until this week as Exhibit A of the horrors of life in the dark ages before cable.

"Imagine," I'd say to my children, "being home from school sick. You think: hurray, unlimited, unsupervised television! But there are only six channels. The cartoons end at 8. Then there are a couple of lame shows for preschoolers on CBC. Then it's hours before The Flintstones and Jetsons are broadcast at lunch! What are you going to watch? Truth or Consequences? Bowling for Dollars?

And then, the punchline: "... Elwood Glover's Luncheon Date?"

At this, my wife would always burst into laughter. A Toronto girl, she grew up on the same TV schedule, and in her memory, too, Luncheon Date is preserved as the most boring television show ever.