The Frantics (comedy)

The Frantics is a Canadian comedy troupe consisting of Paul Chato, Rick Green, Dan Redican and Peter Wildman.

The group formed in 1979. In 1981, they were given a weekly radio slot on the CBC Radio show Variety Tonight, then hosted by Vicki Gabereau. In the summer of 1982 they were the summer replacement for the Royal Canadian Air Farce. They got their own permanent time slot in the fall of 1983. Between 1981 and 1984, their show, Frantic Times, ran for 113 episodes. Each episode regularly featured a female "special guest": in the earlier episodes this was Carolyn Scott, while later it was Mag Ruffman. Sound effects formed an important part of the show and were generally provided by Cathy Perry, longtime CBC sound technician and later a producer at CBC.

The album Frantic Times was released in 1984 and collected the best sketches and songs from the radio show. In 2003, Deep Shag Records reissued the album with a new cover and three previously unreleased selections.

In 1984, the troupe was a feature act with a number of sketches in the television pilot, The No Name Show for TVOntario, which was not picked up for a series. In 1986, the troupe moved to television, producing a CBC series called Four on the Floor, which lasted only one season of thirteen episodes.

A couple of short radio series followed, including Fran of the Fundy (a three-part spoof of Anne of Green Gables) in 1987, and the eight-part The Frantics Look at History in 1988.

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