FROM THE VAULT: remembering Dinah Christie

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With the recent passing of Dinah Christie at 83 we go back into the vault for my 2014 conversation with the beloved Canadian entertainer. 

Always a welcome presence on television in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, Christie was a touchstone for many boomers. I used to rush home from school to see the CHCH charades series Party Game where Christie, along with impish comedian Billy Van and "Captain" Jack Duffy, formed the almost unbeatable home team. 

As we discuss in this interview, the weekday favourite was kind of Canada's low budget Tonight Show. It allowed viewers to see homegrown singers, actors and other celebrities as themselves in a relaxed and casual setting. 

Christie's more serious side shone a decade earlier when she was the self-admitted "token blond" on the landmark (but short-lived) Canadian newsmagazine This Hour Has Seven Days. Hear her on those experiences as well as her three seasons opposite Don Adams on the less acclaimed grocery store set sitcom Check it Out!.