# Variety Tonight
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{{Short description|Canadian radio show}}
{{About|the radio show|REO Speedwagon song|Variety Tonight (song)}}
{{italic title}}
'''''Variety Tonight''''' was a [CBC Radio](/source/CBC_Radio) show which aired from 1980 until 1985 in the 8–10 p.m. timeslot.[[M. T. Kelly](/source/M._T._Kelly), "CBC gives its mandate 40 whacks". ''[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)'', March 1, 1980.] It was a nightly series featuring [jazz](/source/jazz_music) and [pop music](/source/pop_music) as well as trivia games, book and movie reviews, comedy segments and interviews.["CBC Radio's Danny Finkleman defends his grab bag show; Putting the spice back into Variety". ''[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)'', April 5, 1980.]
The program was created by producer [Danny Finkleman](/source/Danny_Finkleman),[ but he was let go from the program in December 1980.]["Variety Tonight fires Finkleman". ''[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)'', December 2, 1980.] It was hosted by David Cole in its first season,[Bill Musselwhite, "This is the big one, Variety Tonight, and he's David Cole...". ''[Calgary Herald](/source/Calgary_Herald)'', September 27, 1980.] followed by [Vicki Gabereau](/source/Vicki_Gabereau) for the remainder of its run.["Gabareau new host for Variety Tonight". ''[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)'', September 4, 1981.] Cole continued to contribute to the program in 1982 and 1983 as producer of ''[Here Come the Seventies](/source/Here_Come_the_Seventies_(radio_show))'', a [sketch comedy](/source/sketch_comedy) series that aired as a weekly half-hour segment of ''Variety Tonight''.["Comedy writer turns interviews into fun", Bruce Blackader, ''Toronto Star'', 28 Feb 1982: C6.] ''Variety Tonight'' also aired the initial series of the sketch comedy show ''[Frantic Times](/source/The_Frantics_(comedy))'' in 1981, which went on to become a standalone CBC Radio series.["A Frantics approach to comedy": [Final Edition] Clay, Chris. ''Mississauga News''; Mississauga, Ont.. 26 Feb 2008: 1. ]["Cadet Air Farce gets wings: Loaded down with gags, The Frantics taxi for takeoff", by Rob Salem, ''Toronto Star'', 08 Oct 1981: B1]
In the show's first season, it hired [Don Novello](/source/Don_Novello), in character as [Father Guido Sarducci](/source/Father_Guido_Sarducci), to serve as a correspondent covering the [1980 United States presidential election](/source/1980_United_States_presidential_election).["CBC Radio hires Guido Sarducci". ''[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)'', August 26, 1980.]
Gabereau won an [ACTRA Award](/source/ACTRA_Award) for Best Radio Host or Interviewer at the [13th ACTRA Awards](/source/13th_ACTRA_Awards) in 1984.[[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105743995/ "Three ACTRA winners have local connections"]. ''[Kingston Whig-Standard](/source/Kingston_Whig-Standard)'', April 4, 1984.] She was also nominated, but did not win, at the [12th ACTRA Awards](/source/12th_ACTRA_Awards) in 1983,["Awards show will be telecast on April 16 on CBC Finalists for ACTRA awards announced". ''[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)'', March 31, 1983.] and at the [14th ACTRA Awards](/source/14th_ACTRA_Awards) in 1985.[Charles Hanley, "Chautauqua Girl has three chances for a Nellie: ACTRA names award nominees". ''[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)'', March 19, 1985.]
After the program's cancellation, Gabereau continued in the same time slot as host of the new interview series ''Gabereau'' in the 1985-86 season.[Henry Mietkiewicz, "CBC executives defend new radio schedule". ''[Toronto Star](/source/Toronto_Star)'', August 21, 1985.] In January 1986 she announced that she would be leaving the show at the end of the season to pursue other interests;["Vicki Gabereau quitting CBC radio 'to take risks'". ''[Montreal Gazette](/source/Montreal_Gazette)'', January 15, 1986.] she was ultimately convinced to change her mind and remain with the network, although her show moved to a weekly airing on Saturdays and its nightly time slot was taken over by [Stan Carew](/source/Stan_Carew)'s new ''[Prime Time](/source/Prime_Time_(radio_program))''.[Henry Mietkiewicz, "CBC brings arts back in Prime Time". ''[Toronto Star](/source/Toronto_Star)'', August 3, 1986.]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/networks/CBC_Radio_Program_Details/VARIETY_TONIGHT.html ''Variety Tonight''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311030120/http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/networks/CBC_Radio_Program_Details/VARIETY_TONIGHT.html |date=2007-03-11 }}
Category:CBC Radio One programs
Category:1980 radio programme debuts
Category:1985 radio programme endings
Category:1980s Canadian radio programs
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Variety Tonight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variety_Tonight) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variety_Tonight?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.