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


Early life

Hamel was born in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
of Jewish descent. He was in the television arts program at
Ryerson Institute of Technology Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District in downtown Toronto, 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 specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...
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, later replaced by ...
'' (1961–64). The show featured a talking turtle, Howard. In the late 1960s he hosted two syndicated
game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...
s which aired on all the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
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 artis ...
'' (1969), where he first met
Suzanne Somers Suzanne Marie Somers (; October 16, 1946 – October 15, 2023) was an American actress, author, and businesswoman. She played the television roles of Chrissy Snow on ''Three's Company'' (1977–1981) and Carol Foster Lambert on '' Step by Step' ...
, whom he later married in 1977. From 1971 to 1973, Hamel hosted ''Mantrap'', a weekday daytime panel show, from BCTV in Vancouver for
CTV Television Network The CTV Television Network, commonly known as CTV, is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. Launched in 1961 and acquired by BCE Inc. in 2000, CTV is Canada's largest privately owned List of Canadian ...
stations in Canada, and syndicated in the U.S.A..Mantrap
The History of Canadian Broadcasting
In the late 1970s, he hosted ''The Alan Hamel Show'', a popular daytime
talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...
on CTV. ''People'' magazine considered him "Canada's leading TV talk show host". During that time, he hosted the ill-fated People television series on CBS for a few months in 1978. After Hamel stepped down as host in 1980, fellow Canadian
Alan Thicke Alan Willis Thicke (né Jeffrey; 1 March 1947 13 December 2016) was a Canadian-American actor, songwriter, and game/talk show host. He was the father of singer Robin Thicke. Thicke was best known for playing Dr. Jason Seaver on the 1980s sitco ...
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 and 1983. During its run, highlights from the week's interview ...
'' 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, Inc. 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 Compan ...
, 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. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...
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 159 stores throughout Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, the Hudson Valley of New York, and Pennsylvania and, as of 1998, 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 second wife, actress and author
Suzanne Somers Suzanne Marie Somers (; October 16, 1946 – October 15, 2023) was an American actress, author, and businesswoman. She played the television roles of Chrissy Snow on ''Three's Company'' (1977–1981) and Carol Foster Lambert on '' Step by Step' ...
while she worked as a prize model on ''The Anniversary Game'', a game show he hosted. Although he was already married, they began a relationship which led to an abortion. Hamel and Somers lived together for about nine years before finally marrying on November 19, 1977. A rabbi and a Catholic priest officiated at their wedding. Hamel is stepfather to Bruce Somers Jr., Suzanne Somers' son from a previous teen marriage. Suzanne Somers died on October 15, 2023. Somers and Hamel bought a house in
Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...
, in 1977, and they sold it in 2021 for $8.5 million. In January 2007, a wildfire in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
destroyed their home in
Malibu, California Malibu ( ; ; ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, about west of downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate, its strip of beaches stretching along the Pacific Ocean coa ...
.


Filmography

* 1960: ''Midnight Zone'' (CBC) * 1961: ''Junior Roundup'' - Host * 1961–64: ''
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, later replaced by ...
'' (
CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...
) * 1962: ''A Summer Night'' - Host * 1963: ''Nightcap'' (TV series) * 1965: ''Vacation Time'' - Co-host * 1968: ''Wedding Party'' (ABC/syndicated) * 1969: ''
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 artis ...
'' (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 A ...
'' (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 Mark Goodson, Goodson-Bill Todman, Todman Productions in association with Fremantle (company), Fremantle. The program had two runs on the CBS daytime schedule between February 1974 and June ...
'' (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 ...
'' in Scoop as Councilman Garbers * 1977: '' The Last Hurrah'' (TV movie) as George Sherrard * 1978: ''
All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...
'' 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 television sitcom that aired in Broadcast syndication, first-run syndication from September 19, 1987, to April 1, 1989. Produced by Lorimar Television, the series marked the return of Suzanne Somers to telev ...
'' 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 Entertainers from Toronto Toronto Metropolitan University alumni