Fun Trivia : You Can't Do That On Television

Structure Sub-topic of: Television U-Z Quizzes Interesting Questions, Facts and Information There are a total of 20 general entries. Special Topics 'Hey Moose...'

Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information

You Can't Do That On Television

What color was the slime?

You Can't Do That OnTelevision


Green. It was other colors on some shows, like on the one with the Russians it was red, but otherwise it was mostly green.



What was the name of the stage hand?

You Can't Do That OnTelevision


Ross. He always carried around a clipboard.



What word made something fall out of the sky?

You Can't Do That OnTelevision


Water.



Who was the main girl in the first episodes?

You Can't Do That OnTelevision


Christine McGlade. Christine was the one with the dark hair. Who was always getting slimed.



Who owns the resturaunt on the show?

You Can't Do That OnTelevision


Barth.



What happens when people eat there?

You Can't Do That OnTelevision


They get sick.



How long did the show run?

You Can't Do That OnTelevision


10 years. It ran from 1979-1990 excluding 1980.



Where did they do most of their jokes?

You Can't Do That OnTelevision


Lockers.



Whose face is shown in the beginning credits and break ins with the shows title on his face?

You Can't Do That OnTelevision


Ross.



What year was the only show without water or slime shown on?

You Can't Do That OnTelevision


1984. It was called the Ace of Clubs.



"You Can’t Do That on Television" was far more popular in the United States than in the country it was produced in. What country was that?

You Can't Do That On FunTrivia


Canada. "YCDTOTV" was filmed in the studios of CJOH television in Ottawa, Ontario, using kids who attended local schools. Some kids got on the cast through auditions, others were chosen from school drama classes, and some were chosen simply because someone on the production team thought they would work well on the show. Adam Reid wrote the director saying he could do better than the kids they had on the show. Kevin Kubusheskie was approached in an airport by the director, who had witnessed him arguing with a flight attendant. Many of the kids appeared in only one show, and some appeared for several years (Christine, 6 years, Vanessa, 6 years, Doug, 6 years, Lisa, 5 years, Alasdair, 5 years).



Among the characters on the show were Senator Prevert, Mr. Schidtler, El Capitano, Barth, and Snake Eyes. Who played all these roles (and every other adult male character)?

You Can't Do That On FunTrivia


Les Lye. Les Lye was the only person to appear in every episode of "YCDTOTV". Prior to that, he had extensive experience in children’s theatre and TV, including a show called "Uncle Willy and Floyd." Ross Ewich, the stage manager for "YCDTOTV", was one of Les Lye’s characters (and yes, the name is supposed to sound like "Raw Sewage"). Roger Price and Geoffery Darby were the brains behind the show.



There was a maternal figure who almost always wore gloves, regardless of what role she was playing. Who played the mother in the family skits and most other adult female roles?

You Can't Do That On FunTrivia


Abby Hagyard. Abby Hagyard appeared in every episode from 1982 to the show’s end in 1990. In an interview shown at ycdtotv.com, she explains that the gloves were because the production company felt her hands were too elegant to belong to a housewife. Ruth Buzzi starred in "Whatever Turns You On", a spin-off sketch comedy show that aired in 1979 and starred the same "YCDTOTV" cast members. Lily Tomlin’s connection to Canadian children’s TV is "The Magic Schoolbus". Marjorie Silcoff was a child cast member who later appeared in the "YCDTOTV" reunion show "Project 131" (available for viewing on Youtube).



The longtime host of the show was Christine McGlade, who among kids holds the record for most appearances. While she was frequently called Christine, she was also commonly referred to as a specific Canadian animal. What was her nickname?

You Can't Do That On FunTrivia


Moose. Moose supposedly got the name because she was rather short and an unsuccessful attempt to primp up her hair gave her the appearance of antlers. She was actually far older than the rest of the children, playing a teenager well into her 20’s. At 16, she attended an audition for the inaugural cast in 1979 only to support a friend, and the director told her she either audition or leave. She auditioned and got the job—her friend did not.



We all know about the cast members of the "All New Mickey Mouse Club"—Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, etc. But what singer spent time with the cast of "YCDTOTV?"

You Can't Do That On FunTrivia


Alanis Morissette. Alanis Morissette was 12 years old when she appeared in five episodes in 1986, including an episode on pop music. She was always known to be singing around the set and people who knew her say they are not surprised by her career (though the topics of some of her songs raised a few eyebrows).



The "Locker Jokes" segment of the show was very similar in style to a segment on a popular adult variety show. From what show was the "Locker Jokes" format adapted?

You Can't Do That On FunTrivia


Rowan & Martin's Laugh In. Ruth Buzzi was on the cast of "Laugh-In" and was involved with the first season of "YCDTOTV" and its spinoff, "Whatever Turns You On." On "Laugh-In", one actor would stick his or her head out a window and call out another, then would deliver a joke.



One "YCDTOTV" episode was banned from airing on Nickelodeon due to its handling of a controversial topic. What was the topic of this episode?

You Can't Do That On FunTrivia


Adoption. The adoption episode was banned because of fears about how adopted children and their parents would respond to the cavalier treatment of the subject matter (including video segments on available children—a violent “Little Orphan Andrea” and a chronically misbehaving Doug with "the intelligence of a dung beetle"--that resembled adopt-a-pet videos). Frankly, one of the things that made "YCDTOTV" great was its handling of controversial topics. While other kids shows ignored, sanitized, or demonized topics such as drugs, politics, relationships, or censorship, "YCDTOTV" presented them in a way that kids could enjoy and relate to. Part of it was the “You Can’t Do That” mentality—do what they say you can’t do, and part of it was due to using some of their former and current cast members as writers, production people, and drama coaches (thus getting a kid's perspective alongside an adult's).



In the 1981 episode about drugs, what is used to represent drugs?

You Can't Do That On FunTrivia


Custard pies. "This is an egg. This is a frying pan. This is an egg in a frying pan. Any questions?" While drug prevention in the 80's used ridiculous metaphors as the fried egg and simple platitudes such as "Just Say No", "YCDTOTV" decided to have fun with it in their usual messy fashion. Various members of the cast are addicted to splatting pies, and at one point there is a discussion about how custard pie use will lead to something worse... green slime!



"YCDTOTV" was featured in a scene in a popular movie. What movie was that?

You Can't Do That On FunTrivia


Fatal Attraction. The scene in 1982’s "Television" episode where Christine explains to Vanessa how the sliming works was in the movie "Fatal Attraction." It also shows to what extent they loved to slime Christine—she gets nailed with green, red, blue, yellow, and striped slime. This was also Vanessa’s first show.