Galloping Gourmet, The

1 9 6 8 – 1 9 7 1 (Canada)
30 minute episodes

English chef Graham Kerr became one of television’s most popular cooking instructors of the late ’60s.

With one hand usually clutching a glass of wine, the 6 foot 4 inch Kerr presented his somewhat unconventional approach to cooking with a humorous approach – giving instructions to “slosh” some liquid into the dish and sometimes appearing not to know exactly what he was doing.

Sometimes the dishes came out perfectly, and sometimes not so much . . .

Nevertheless, he always invited a member of the appreciative studio audience to join him in a candlelit dinner to taste the final result.

The 25-minute show was produced by Kerr’s wife, Treena, at CJOH-TV in Ottowa, Canada.

Kerr honed his cooking with comedy skills while working as chief catering adviser for the Royal New Zealand Air Force in the late 1950s. This led to a hit series in New Zealand and Australia, followed by this very popular series syndicated in America, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and other countries.

The series came to an abrupt end when Kerr struggled to recover from a near-fatal car accident.

He returned in the mid-1970s, after a few years’ hiatus, with another syndicated cooking show, called Take Kerr.

Because Kerr and his producer wife had apparently found religion and sworn off alcoholic beverages and rich food, the wine glass was no longer featured, and he prepared mainly low-fat low-cholesterol dishes.

Although the new show attracted a loyal following, it certainly had fewer viewers than his more outrageous original series.