Stars on Ice (Canadian TV series)

Stars on Ice was a weekly television ice show, broadcast from 1976 to 1981 on the CTV Television Network in Canada. The series was hosted by Alex Trebek (1976–1980) and later, Doug Crosley (1980–1981), and featured skaters such as Toller Cranston. The program was produced on an ice rink set up at Studio 6 of CFTO-TV in Toronto.

Stars on Ice
GenreVariety Show
Ice show
Directed byMichael Steele
Presented byAlex Trebek (1976–1980)
Doug Crosley (1980–1981)
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
Production
ProducerMichael Steele
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkCTV
ReleaseSeptember 21, 1976 (1976-09-21) –
1981 (1981)

The series was produced and directed by Michael Steele, had a regular cast of 14 world-class ice professionals, most of whom lived and taught skating locally in and around Toronto. The variety show format on ice consisted of a glitzy "show opener" by the regular cast of skaters and a bigger budget production number (usually tributes to Hollywood musicals) with elaborate set pieces in the middle of the half-hour.

Rounding out the half-hour were famous and novelty-act figure skaters, vaudeville-type acts, and "affordable" (on the series' modest budget) non-skating celebrities at the B-list phase of their careers, such as Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz formerly of The Monkees, Eddie Mekka of Laverne & Shirley, and 1960s recording artist Donovan.

Due to being only minimally dependent on language, and its unusual ice/variety show format, the series went on to be widely syndicated throughout the world.

This television series is unrelated to the later traveling ice show tour, Stars on Ice.

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