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:

Farewell, C

asey

and Finnegan

by Stephanie Wiebe

When you talk with Emie
Coombs, it’s easy to forget he’s a
Canadian legend. As CBC’s Mr.
Dressup, Coombs has been a tele-
vision friend to delighted young
children since 1964, but with his
good-natured conversation and
easy humour, he seems more like
a small-town neighbour than an
electronic personality.

Coombs will tour Northwest

‘communities this week, featuring

the farewell performance of pup-
pets Casey and Finnegan. After 25

years on-screen with Casey and

Finnegan, "It’s sort of like having

your kids grow up and move away

from home," says Coombs.
Puppeteer Judith Lawrence is

retiring along with the well-loved

characters she created. Her home
in southern B.C. has made the
commute to the CBC studios in
Toronto a long one. Coombs
explains another reason Lawrence
has earned her retirement. "It’s not
easy being stuffed under tables and
counters with your arms sticking
up in the air all those years."
Coombs began his long-running
stint working as an actor in child-
ren’s theatre, and as a puppeteer
for Fred Rogers (that’s the Mr.

- Rogers). In 1963, Coombs met an

opening ina preschool show called
Butternut Square, where puppet-
puppy Finnegan was bom, and
soon after, Mr. Dressup came into
being. In 1965, Casey, the second
half of the famous puppet duo, was
introduced, and Canadian children
have been enchanted ever since.
Coombs says that the show has
not changed substantially through

the years. Mr. Dressup still pulls a
variety of costumes out of his
Tickle Trunk, inciting imaginative
play among his young viewers.
The songs and silly puppet antics
delight wide-eyed children as
always. Although the occasional
sight of a computer on the set
reflects the times, Coombs says his
show is basically the same. Of his
audience, he says, "They haven't
changed that much."

But Coombs must admit that a
portion of his audience has aged a
bit — his original fans are now
adults. "There are a lot of people
who watched the show, that have

kids now," he says. "It’s very ~

gratifying,” Coombs says of this
broad generation of fans.

Coombs never expected Mr.
Dressup to become a Canadian
institution. "I can still remember
Judith and I saying, "Well, this is
a pretty good show. It should last
two or three years.’" The CBC will
officially celebrate Mr. Dressup’s
twenty-fifth anniversary next sea-
son.

Will Mr. Dressup follow Casey,
Finnegan and Lawrence into retire-
ment soon? "I can’t figure out
what [ would do if I did retire,"
says Coombs, This news brings a
sigh of relief to children and par-
ents all across Canada,

Shows are scheduled for 1:00
p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday,
June 8, at the R.E.M. Lee Theatre.
Tickets are available at Jeans
North and the Bank of Montreal.
The event is sponsored by the
Terrace Child Development
Centre.

Mr. Dressup and Terrace children say good-bye to Casey and Finnegan Saturday night ina

Terrace Review —

Wednesday, June 5,1991 B11

performance at the R.E.M. Lee Theatre. The local show Is part of a farewell tour for the retiring
_duo, who over the years have become a Canadian institution in children's entertainment.

Comedy night at the R.E.M. Lee

by Betty Barton

Three Men and a Mike come to
Terrace this weekend with hilarity
and entertainment in mind. Former
Terrace resident Ian Bagg and

The Terrace Review wondered,
What questions would children
ask Mr. Dressup? What follows
is an "indirect" interview, with
questions provided by Parkside
Elementary Year Two and Three
students:

Steven: Where do you live?
Mr. Dressup: Right here, in a
house in a town called
Pickering. ;
Amy: How old are you?

Mr. Dressup: Sixty-three, as old
as a grandfather.

Emily: How long have you been
Mr. Dressup?

Mr. Dressup: That’s
twenty-seven years.
Jessica: When is your birthday?
Mr. Dressup: November 26th.
Brad: What is your favourite
food?

Mr. Dressup: Seafood — I like
all kinds of seafood.

Kenneth: Are you married?
Mr. Dressup: Yes.

been

Matthew: Do you have any
‘children?

Mr. Dressup: Yes, I have a
daughter and a son.

We were wondering...

Steven: Do you have any pets?
Mr. Dressup: Not anymore. We
had a cat, but he went to the
seashore and retired.

Matthew: Do you still film your
show?

Mr. Dressup: Sure do.

Emily: How long does it take to
film a show?

Mr. Dressup: Three hours.

Tamara: Where do you film
your show?
Mr. Dressup: In Toronto.

Amy: Where do you get the
clothes for your Tickle Trunk?
Mr. Dressup: They come from
the CBC costume department,
which is very big. I get a lot of
cast-offs.

Emily: Where do you get all
your craft ideas?

Mr. Dressup: Sometimes from
myself, and sometimes from the
people that write our shows.
Julia: Where do you get all the
neat scenery?

Mr. Dressup: That's made by the
CBC scenic department.

Jamie: Where do you get all the
songs?

Mr. Dressup: We have a library
of songs that we use on the
show.

Kenneth: How many countries
does Mr, Dressup.appear in?
Mr. Dressup: Mainly in Canada.
Jamie: Who does Casty and
Finnegan?

Mr. Dressup: Judith Lawrence.
Julia: Where are Cascy and
Finnegan going to go?

Mr. Dressup: They’re going to
live on Homby Island with
Judith Lawrence.

Jamie: Will there be any new
puppets?

Mr. Dressup: There already are.
We have four new puppcis,
Truffles, Chester the Crow,
Annie and Grannie.

Shaun: Where did you get the
name “Mr. Dressup"?

Mr. Dressup: At the very
beginning show, called Butternut
Square, we decided Mr. Dressup
was a good name for someone
who likes to dress up.

Julia: Why did you choose the
job of being Mr. Dressup?

Mr. Dressup: I didn’t choose it.
I was asked if I'd like to work
on a preschooler’s show, and it
sort of evolved from there.

Vancouverites Peter Kelamis and
Craig Campbell will perform at the
R.E.M. Lee Theatre on Friday
night at 8 p.m.

In a telephone interview Ian
Bagg described the trio as "three
of the youngest, hottest comics in
Canada". He also says the comedy
will appeal to anyone over the age
of 16.

Bagg himself recently won the
honour of being Vancouver's
funniest new comic in the B.C.
competition sponsored by Yuk
Yuk’s and Sprite. He placed third

in the Nationals. His only perform-

ance in Terrace to date was last
November at the Inn of the West.

Peter Kelamis has been on Com-

edy College and "is a headliner all

over Canada", says Bagg. Craig

Campbell was the winner of last

year’s Vancouver’s funniest new

comic competition promoted by C- -
FOX; he’s performed at Improv in

Los Angeles and Seattle. Both

comics have performed in schools:

as well as for adults.

What prompted the three com-
edians to perform in the North-
west? Bagg says they wanted to
start off with some good entertain-
ment (comedy) in an area that
would appreciate them. After this
tour is completed, the three comics
will be moving on to Los Angeles
to find a funnybone in the Ameri-
can market.

-s

Sing your way
to the top of the charts

Come out to Karaoke Night and sing along
with the lyrics as they appear on video.

De

Sundays 8 - 12 midnight & Thursdays 9 p.m. - 1:00 a.m
Join the chorus at George’s Pub!
Northern Motor Inn, 3086 Hwy 16 E.,
Terrace phone 635-6375