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 In
December 1960, Bruce Lawson, the CKCO program director
contacted Wayne Somerville, the physical education
consultant for the Kitchener and District Public Schools
about an exercise program. Wayne felt he could not
accept the job because of his role as consultant so he
recommended me to the program director. I taught
physical education in the Kitchener and District Public
Schools since 1956. I was called the week before
Christmas and asked to come in for a ‘screen test’ on
Christmas eve day.
Bruce was there for the screening
however before I was finished he called a halt to the
‘screen’ and with very little further discussion I was
‘invited’ (if you knew Bruce, you can read into the
‘invite’) to be at the studio
on New Year’s Day to tape an entire week’s worth of
programs. The first program began on January 2, 1961.
I was the producer, writer, host of
the program and was paid accordingly - $10 per program .
I taped 3 shows on one night and 2 shows next night.
George Moskal directed most of the shows. Jack
Alexander was usually on cameras – the turret kind of
lenses. Jack would often lift the one camera off the
tripod while taping, sit it on the floor so he
 could
shoot the exercises from that angle when I was lying on
the floor or the close ups of the hand exercises.
Ron Beatty was usually on boom and Pat Ludwig was on
piano and the Hammond organ - no rehearsal or prior
consultation with Pat - he just followed what I was
doing and whatever rhythm he set I made the exercise
fit. We worked extremely well together as I recall - Pat
is the consummate professional musician - brilliant.
The show followed the CBC's
Friendly Giant all in glorious Black and White.
Video tape recorders had just been
introduced – I believe CKCO had the first outside
Toronto.
VT
machines were very unreliable in those days – sometimes
I had to repeat a show – sometimes again because the
recording did not ‘take’ – there was no way of knowing
this until the show was over and checked. Of course
being an exercise program I would tend to perspire after
each 20 minute show. The production staff were not
thrilled with having to wait for me to cool down –
sometimes the shirts were soaked and the forehead poured
perspiration like a shower. The staff pushed me to get
going on the next show so that they could go home. They
claimed I was just out of shape.
The program went off the air in the
summer of 1964 with a series of reruns . However,
with this experience I was later appointed audio visual
consultant for the Waterloo County Board of Education.
Doug Gerrard
Feb 20, 2009
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