The Death of Dr. Foth

 Allan Fotheringham (August 31, 1932 - August 19, 2020)

  "The wicked wit of the West", "the greatest cobweb blower and guff remover in Canadian journalism" has moved on. But, the "non-partisan eviscerator of political hypocrisy and pomposity" can still make us laugh. Here are a few funny items from the many pieces and obits.

He referred to Joe Clark as "Jurassic Clark" who booked a hall "that sleeps 300." Another Prime Minister you will be able to identify is "the jaw that walks like a man." 

"The Liberals (or Gliberals) were the Natural Governing Party, triumphing over the Regressive Convertibles and the Few Democrats. The Prime Minister’s official residence became “24 Nosex Drive,” which was in Ottawa, also known as Coma City, or “Ennui-on-the-Rideau,” or “Sparta on the Tundra,” or “yesterday’s city tomorrow,” or “bland on the outside, comatose on the inside.” If possible, Fotheringham was less kind about Toronto."

"The used-car salesman wardrobe of white tie, white belt and white shoes became “the full Nanaimo.” The CBC was the Holy Mother Corp, or Canadian Broadcorping Castration, while Alberta premier Ralph Klein was “a former TV reporter who resembles a badly-dressed bowling ball.” The oil barons of Calgary were the “blue-eyed sheiks of Saudi Alberta.”

"At his best, he huffed a great gust of post-’60s irreverence, offering a blast of insouciance aimed at the pompous denizens of Parliament and the ink-stained courtiers of the Press Gallery who delivered ponderous pronouncements in galleys of grey ink."

Sources:

  The quotes above are from: 

"Allan Fotheringham Was Loved, Revered and Loathed but Never Ignored:

The Maclean's Icon Who Shook Canadian Politics and Media With a Blast of Post-'60s Insouciance Has Died. He defined acerbic wit, but couldn't hide how deeply he cared about his country," Tom Hawthorn, Maclean's, Aug. 19, 2020. See also: Paul Wells, "Unlocking the Mystery of Dr. Foth, Maclean's , Aug. 19, 2020.

"A Legendary Columnist With Chilliwack Ties, Allan Fotheringham Passes Away at Age 87: Fotheringham Moved to Chilliwack at 10 years old and Had His First Byline in the Chilliwack Progress, Eric Wells, Chilliwack Progress, Aug. 23, 2020.

"Dr. Foth Was A Force in Canadian Journalism: Loved and Feared Columnist Allan Fotheringham Passes at 87," Lorrie Goldstein, Owen Sound Sun Times, Aug. 20, 2020. 

And you can still read him. Two of his books are pictured above. 

The Bonus:

This all reminded me of another Allan: Allan Lamport - a former Mayor of Toronto. He was funny - unintentionally so. He was known as "Metro's Goldwyn Mayor" because he was like Sam Goldwyn, another manufacturer of malapropisms (see the Wikipedia entry).

Here are some of them:

" I deny the allegations and I defy the alligators". 

" Let's jump off that bridge when we come to it". 

" If somebody's gonna stab me in the back, I wanna be there". 

"Did she have a Shakespearean section?" 

"It's like pushing a car uphill with a rope". 

"It's not only unique, it's different" 

"I sold my house and moved into a pandemonium". 

For more see: "Not Only Mayor of Toronto, He Was Toronto," Toronto Star, Nov.20, 1999.