NIGHT AFTER NIGHT - "Archival Sunday" (1990)

 

I remember when "The Comedy Channel" came on in 1990 because in the beginning, some of it like "Night After Night" with Allan Havey was hilarious. It really seemed like it happened all too fast, and they said, "Okay Allan, be funny for two or three hours." It was fascinating, and that's why it's this week's Weird Wednesday presentation!

 

Allan Havey has gone on to be in many TV shows like "Madmen," and his latest was a show called "Billions" that was on from 2017 to 2020. Allan is a very funny and sarcastic guy, and I'd really like to see how his stand up routine holds over to today's standards of what's funny and what's not!
 

This bit on "Night After Night" was called "Archival Sunday" which was nothing more than showing weird shorts made over the years that I'm sure were public domain, with Allan as the host.

It was all silly stuff like "Dating Do's & Don'ts" from 1949. 

It was not much different than a lot of public access TV shows I've seen.

Then they'd cut back to Allan and whatever the heck he'd come up, like this bit about "Ploughman's" Piccalilli, which was a pickle relish, or this other fine product known as "Bovri" which was a meat extract like bouillon but the texture of "Vegemite."

The topic was spotlight on archival snacks, and the show is now called "Cholesterol Carousal." Allan goes on to tell you that these products meet all our "traditonal requirements, like high fat, high sodium, and low nutritional value!"

 "Let's pour some out, and explore "Ploughman's Piccilli." It's vicious, it's pungent, and it leaves an ooze trail like a tree slug." He even describes it as being a goose turd colour.

Yummy!

Then out comes the "Bovril." 

Allan thinks that both of these classic condiments would probably taste great on a chunk of "Spam."

The disgusting stench eventually gets to him, and his has to push the plate away while he's speaking.

 

Time for more fun shorts like "Round-Trip Tickets from 1961.

And, video of this "Lottery Winner" from 1936.

And if all that wasn't enough, there were monkeys in pajamas..................

..........and footage of 80's heartthrob, the beautiful and hilarious Judy Tenuka!

The only thing I have to compare this to is when a local FM rock radio station went out of business here about 25 years ago, and when you turned it on, and they played Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World" over and over with no interruption for I think was about 72 hours straight. It was all just very Surreal.

 

 

The Comedy Channel turned into Comedy Central, and although it will never be as funky as it was when they first started, at least they brought "Drunk History" to the world, and for that, I am forever indebted!