Image of the Day: Take 30

Adrienne Clarkson, Moses Znaimer and Paul Soles pose for a Take 30 photo shoot in the 1960s.

Take 30 was afternoon TV for homemakers, but it assumed women's interests went beyond recipes and child rearing. The program aired from 1962 to 1984, but may be best remembered for its late '60s/early '70s era with hosts Clarkson and Soles. Its topics of discussion touched on everything from teen sex, censorship, pornography and the back-to-the-land movement.

Each day had a theme: Mondays were entertainment interviews and performances; Tuesdays featured advice for housewives on cooking and childcare; Wednesdays focused on public affairs; Thursdays concentrated on the male influence; Fridays were travel. As the title of the show suggested, it was meant to be a 30-minute "escape" in the middle of a housewife's day.

Original hosts Soles and Anna Cameron were also actors. Over the years other hosts included: Znaimer, Clarkson, Hana Gartner and Mary Lou Finlay. Chef Jehane Benoît was also a regular segment host.

As the program evolved over the years, it tackled more serious issues, such as the death penalty and the unborn child. Executive producer Glenn Sarty said the show was able to get away with risky subject matters because it was an afternoon program aimed at women. That meant it was under the radar of CBC executives.

But in the 1970s, Maclean's said Take 30 was overly preachy and that the show attempted to be a conscience for Canada.

Posted on Oct 28, 2011 6:00:00 AM