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Topic: Les Lye of You Can't Do That On Television dead at 84
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John Lasher
Master Film Handler
Posts: 493
From: Newark, DE
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 07-25-2009 01:26 PM
Since there is now apparently a time limit for editing a message I'll post this here.
quote:
CTV Ottawa legend Les Lye passes away
Updated: Thu Jul. 23 2009 16:47:36
ctvottawa.ca
Actor and broadcaster Les Lye passed away on Tuesday at the age of 84.
Born in Toronto, Lye came to Ottawa after graduating from Lorne Greene's Academy of Radio Arts in 1948.
He joined CFRA Radio, where he served listeners for more than a decade. It was at CFRA, that he worked with Rich Little and they collaborated on a comedy album, 'My Fellow Canadians' - a spoof of the Diefenbaker years.
In 1961, he joined CJOH-TV as a freelance writer and performer. It was here, that he forged a long-lasting partnership with Bill Luxton. Together, they created the popular 'Willy & Floyd,' which ran for more than 20 years. Such personalities as Alanis Morissette, Klea Scott, Bruno Gerussi and Margaret Trudeau would drop by for surprise guest appearances.
Opportunity knocked when producers of 'You Can't Do That on Television' were looking for a versatile actor to play the many adult "foils" for the kids. Lye answered the call and instantly became a household name around the world.
Lye is survived by his wife Johnni, three children Brett, Daralyn and Emily.
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John Lasher
Master Film Handler
Posts: 493
From: Newark, DE
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 07-25-2009 07:25 PM
He played EVERY adult male character on the show (and even a few female characters). He was the only actor to appear in all 130 episodes of the original series. Apparently Nickelodeon had plans to release the series on DVD a few years ago, but it was shelved when they decided they couldn't fail to disappoint the fans (again!) like that.
And for the record, the character's name was Barth, Barth Bagge.
Matter of fact here's a list of just about every character he played on the show, in no particular order:
Ross Ewich - Floor Director, hates kids, apparently got the job because the producer is his uncle. Takes particular delight in tricking the kids into saying the magic words ("I don't know." [slimed] and "Water" [watered]).
R. Sole - Producer (the actual producer of the series was British, so a bit of an in joke there)
Barth Bagge - Proprietor/Cook Barth's Burger Emporium. Who do you think is in the burgers? "D'ah I heard that."
Senator Lance Prevert - Dad to apparently every kid on the show
Nazti - Dungeon Master
El Capitano - Firing squad captain, had a tendancy to get shot at the end of his scenes and moan, "That's one sneeeky keed."
Blip - owner/operator of Blip's Arcade
Peter Cockroach - restaurant critic, appeared in only one episode, flamboyantly homosexual (a DARING choice for a kids show in the '80s)
Coach - coach of every sports team on the show, once complained "Even when I need stupid players, I get them too stupid."
Principal - school principal, typically seen assigning students to copy large portions of the dictionary for detention, then being tricked into letting the kid go. The kid would then say, "Sometimes it's so easy, I'm ashamed of myself."
Doctor - Doctor, played as a not-too-shabby Groucho Marx impersonation. Bills exorbitant sums of money for the simplest procedures. Once suggested his patient try the latest miracle cure: "You lop off the patient's ears, without anesthetic, and then the patient forgets all their other problems."
Dentist - Replaced doctor after they ran out of doctor jokes. The producer forbade Lye from playing him as a W.C.Fields impression, so Lye made the character British. Unable to pull a kid's bad tooth, the dentist "just pulled one of the good ones."
Santa Claus - ...Santa Claus
Panzarotti - an Italian film director and another one-episode-only character. Was intent on making "You Can't Do That On Television: The Movie" until this scene occurred.
The un-fairy godmother
Nickelson Dime - president CJOH during the first season (now lost save for 3 episodes someone recorded at home on Beta).
Camp counselor
Various police officers, cowboys, burglars, etc.
and last but not least...
Himself - after the credits of a 1981 episode on smoking, Les, dressed as Ross, removed his headphones and false mustache and addressed the audience as himself to say how disgusting it was, as a non-smoker, to play all of the smoking characters in that episode.
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