Condensed Classics with Dave Shaw

Condensed Classics (also known as Condensed Classics with Dave Shaw) was a television show that aired on Movieola, the Canadian Short Film Channel. Though only 25 episodes were produced, the show was run and rerun on Movieola, and later its sister station Silver Screen Classics from 2001 to 2005. The program still airs occasionally (as of May 2009) on Silver Screen Classics, usually on Saturday nights.

The Show

Condensed Classics was an attempt at reviving the "horror host" format of the 50's and 60's. The program aired not very good movies, such as The Terror of Tiny Town and Gorgo, (an honest to goodness "classic" such as Night of the Living Dead or Carnival of Souls would slip in on occasion, however) condensed from their original running time to about 40 minutes and presided over by host and head writer Dave Shaw. The hosted segments of the show would pop in four times a broadcast, and rarely had anything what so ever to do with the movies at hand. In fact some hosted segments were parodies of different movies altogether, usually cult films such as Mulholland Drive and Misery. The program still airs occasionally (as of May 2009) on Movieola's sister station Silver Screen Classics, usually on Saturday nights.

Style

Shaw described the show as "What if Dean Martin hosted a horror movie show?", and then ran with that aesthetic. The hosted segments were shot in black and white and featured a Tuxedoed Shaw in the "Condensed Classics" movie lounge (really, a painted backdrop of 1940's era Hollywood)where, with martini in hand, he'd do short comedy bits, usually with a comely female sidekick in a 40's era cocktail dress. The sidekicks switched every week, though several put in return appearances, always as different characters. The music was as lounge as lounge could be.

Aftermath

Of the episodes produced, one was never completed. The show stopped airing on Movieola completely in 2004 and moved to Silver Screen Classics. It was soon pulled altogether, and replaced in 2005 with New Condensed Classics which cut down the movies even more (to about 20 minutes). Shaw was not involved with this show and was replaced as host by a pretty blond woman named Tarantella. The original set and "Rat Pack" aesthetic was gone as well, though Tarantella did occasionally wear cocktail dresses.