Cue the Elephant: Backstage Tales at the CBC

by Knowlton Nash

From more than 120 interviews with past and present stars of the CBC, Knowlton Nash has winnowed thousands of unforgettable stories about what really goes on behind the scenes. One such yarn, which gives rise to the little, Cue The Elephant, is about a producer's memorable encounter with a pachyderm in 1952 an a test-run television show

Genres: Nonfiction, History

328 pages, Paperback

First published October 26, 1996

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whenever I hear someone waxing nostalgic for a simpler time when the humour was pure and clean; and complaining about how crass comedians are today and how the young have no work ethic and everything is just going to hell in a handcart, I am going to point them to this book. Because it wasn't like that back then. People may think it's bad now, but judging from the tales told here it was much worse then. At least one member of the staff showed up drunk every single day. The practical jokes that were looked on as a matter of course would get people fired if they were attempted at any business I've ever worked in. NO ONE I KNOW BEHAVES ANYTHING LIKE THIS. Stop complaining about how much worse things have gotten. When you start feeling like that, read this book. You'll feel much better.

[Alexia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Professionalism was not invented yet when the CBC started. People were just doing anything in the workplace in the 20th century

[Paul Riches · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cue The Elephant: A History Of The CBC From The Inside

Readers of a certain age will recall watching the CBC‘s flagship news program The National back in the day and the amiable anchor Knowlton Nash. He was long the face of the network and his retirement in the 1990′s was the end of an era for so many of us. Nash had written several books before leaving television, but Cue The Elephant seemed like a true labour of love, a humourous look back at the varied and strange history of the CBC up until the 1990′s.

The title comes from an early television show which tried so professionally to, well, Cue The Elephant, with results of the not expected kind. That tale is just a sample of the type of stories Nash takes you oh so gently on. He starts very early, right at the beginning of the public broadcaster, and moves through its history, culminating with the tumult caused with the arrival of new boss Ivan Fecan.

Over a hundred interviews and plentiful pictures are featured throughout this volume, with tons of anecdotes and factoids provided to entertain and enlighten. From several veteran actors showing a great dislike for my favourite William Shatner to multiple horror stories from the set of another favourite Wayne and Shuster. The Beachcombers and Front Page Challenge, two shows I wished they had never cancelled, are given new life here with wonderful stories. For the record, I never liked Gordon Sinclair and even after reading this chapter with Nash trying in my mind to humanize the man, I still don’t. Other productions from the past I had almost never heard of, like The Happy Gang and Tommy Hunter, are extensively profiled as well.

With the CBC always seeming to be living in a sea of turmoil, Cue The Elephant shows us this is actually the status quo for the decades old public broadcaster. And they always weather the controversies with humour, grace, and impeccable stage directions. At least the elephant would say so.

Scoopriches

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book I delved into quite a bit during my university days -- during my rabid pro-public broadcasting phase. Knowlton Nash wasn't simply a first-rate anchorman...he's also a first-rate historian of the corporation for which he worked.