Alan Hamel (born June 30, 1936) is a Canadian entertainer, producer and television host.

Early life

Hamel was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

of Jewish descent. He was in the television arts program at

Ryerson Institute of Technology Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...

in 1954 but did not graduate.

Career

Hamel co-hosted the Canadian

children's television Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television show, television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during ...

series ''

Razzle Dazzle ''Razzle Dazzle'' is a Canadian children's television program produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation between October 2, 1961, and July 1, 1966. The series was initially co-hosted by Alan Hamel and Michele Finney who were later repla ...

'' (1961–64). The show featured a talking turtle, Howard. In the late 1960s he hosted two syndicated

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

s which aired on all the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

owned and operated TV stations as well as others: ''Wedding Party'' (1968) and ''

Anniversary Game ''The Anniversary Game'' was a daily syndicated game show that involved three married couples competing for points and prizes by performing stunts and answering questions, à la ''Beat the Clock''. The host was Alan Hamel, with voice-over artist ...

'' (1969), where he first met

Suzanne Somers Suzanne Marie Somers (née Mahoney; born October 16, 1946) is an American actress, author, singer, businesswoman, and health spokesperson. She appeared in the television role of Chrissy Snow on ''Three's Company'' and as Carol Foster Lambert on ...

, whom he later married in 1979. In the late 1970s, he hosted ''The Alan Hamel Show'', a popular daytime

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...

on CTV. ''People'' magazine considered him "Canada's leading TV talk show host". After Hamel stepped down as host in 1980, fellow Canadian

Alan Thicke Alan Thicke (born Alan Willis Jeffrey; March 1, 1947December 13, 2016) was a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is the father of singer Robin Thicke. In 2013, Thicke was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. Thicke was be ...

took over and the show was retitled ''

The Alan Thicke Show ''The Alan Thicke Show'' was a Canadian daytime talk show hosted by Alan Thicke. A replacement for '' The Alan Hamel Show'', which ran from 1976 to 1980, it aired on CTV between 1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Car ...

'' and, later,

Don Harron Donald Hugh Harron, (September 19, 1924 – January 17, 2015) was a Canadian comedian, actor, director, journalist, author, playwright, and composer. Harron is best remembered by American audiences as a member of the cast of the long-running co ...

continued the franchise as host of his own eponymous talk show that aired in the same time slot. For several years during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Hamel was a commercial pitchman for

American Stores American Stores Company was an American public corporation and a holding company which ran chains of supermarkets and drugstores in the United States from 1917 through 1998. The company was incorporated in 1917 when The Acme Tea Company merged w ...

, a coast-to-coast chain of

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...

s. Specifically, he did advertisements for

Alpha Beta Alpha Beta was a chain of supermarkets in the Southwestern United States. Stores under this brand existed between 1917 and 1995. Former Alpha Beta stores have all been purchased by other grocery chains and rebranded. History Before Alpha Beta ...

stores in the western United States, and also appeared in occasional spots for

Acme Markets Acme Markets Inc. is a supermarket chain operating 161 stores throughout Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, the Hudson Valley of New York, and Pennsylvania and, as of 1999, is a subsidiary of Albertsons, and part of its presence in t ...

in the northeastern United States. Hamel eventually became a producer, often working on projects involving his wife. He occasionally performed as an actor as well, also sometimes on Somers' shows.

Personal life

Hamel has two children, a son Stephen and a daughter Leslie, from his first marriage to Marilyn Hamel. He met his current wife, actress and author

who is ten years his junior, while she worked as a prize model on ''The Anniversary Game'', a game show he hosted. Hamel and Somers lived together for about ten years before marrying. A rabbi and a Catholic priest officiated at their wedding. Hamel is stepfather to Bruce Somers, Jr., Suzanne Somers' son from a previous marriage during her teens.

Filmography

* 1960: ''Midnight Zone'' (CBC) * 1961: ''Junior Roundup'' - Host * 1961–64: ''

'' (

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

) * 1962: ''A Summer Night'' - Host * 1963: ''Nightcap'' (TV series) * 1965: ''Vacation Time'' - Co-host * 1968: ''Wedding Party'' (ABC/syndicated) * 1969: ''

'' (ABC/syndicated) * 1971–72: ''Mantrap'' - Host * 1972–73: ''

Alan Hamel's Comedy Bag ''Alan Hamel's Comedy Bag'' was a Canadian variety-comedy television series which aired on CBC Television for one programming season from 23 September 1972 to 9 June 1973. The Montreal-produced half-hour program aired on Saturdays and featured ...

'' (CBC) * 1976–80: ''The Alan Hamel Show'' (CTV)''The Alan Hamel Show''
at TVArchive.ca * 1977: ''

Tattletales ''Tattletales'' is an American game show produced by Goodson-Todman Productions in association with Fremantle. The program had two runs on the CBS daytime schedule between February 1974 and June 1984. It was hosted by Bert Convy, with several a ...

'' (CBS) * 1977: ''

Lou Grant Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Ed Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), a half-hour light-hearted situation comedy in which the character was ...

'' in Scoop as Councilman Garbers * 1977: ''

The Last Hurrah ''The Last Hurrah'' is a 1956 novel written by Edwin O'Connor. It is considered the most popular of O’Connor's works, partly because of a 1958 movie adaptation starring Spencer Tracy. The novel was immediately a bestseller in the United Stat ...

'' (TV movie) as George Sherrard * 1978: ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series '' Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

'' in The Commercial as Ricky Buffano * 1979: ''Look Magazine Gala Party'' (TV movie) * 1988: ''

She's the Sheriff ''She's the Sheriff'' is an American sitcom television series that aired in first-run syndication from September 19, 1987 to April 1, 1989. Produced by Lorimar Television, the series marked the return of Suzanne Somers to television for the f ...

'' in All Alone (1988) as Horton

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamel, Alan 1936 births Canadian children's television personalities Canadian game show hosts Living people People from Toronto Toronto Metropolitan University alumni