King of Kensington

1975

5.2

5 Seasons

King of Kensington is a Canadian television sitcom which aired on CBC Television from 1975 to 1980. The show starred Al Waxman as Larry King, a convenience store owner in Toronto's Kensington Market who was known for helping friends and neighbours solve problems. His multicultural group of friends consisted of Nestor Best, Max, and Tony "Duke" Zarro, who hung around regularly to the perennial disapproval of King's mother Gladys. The show was popular with viewers; prior to the start of the fourth season one of the producers noted that show drew 1.5 to 1.8 million viewers weekly. For the first three seasons, Fiona Reid played his wife Cathy. At the end of the third season, Reid decided to leave the series, so Larry and Cathy divorced. The show never fully recovered its stride or chemistry as Larry pursued other relationships, most notably with Gwen Twining in the final season. The show's gentle but politically conscious humour is seen by some critics as a Canadian version of the topical Norman Lear sitcoms of the 1970s, such as All in the Family and Maude. The series was syndicated to some American stations during the height of its popularity, including WTTG in Washington, D.C.

Season

Episodes

Ep 1

Variety Store

In this pilot episode, Larry King sponsors an immigrant who creates a competition when he opens up his own variety store.

Ep 2

Hot Line Host

Ep 3

Kensington Achievement Award

Larry and the boys at his club, want to present Toronto Maple Leafs star Eddie Shack with the ""Kensington Achievement Award"", but Larry is at a crossroad when the big man is fashionably late.

Ep 4

The Tax Audit

Ep 5

Save Old George

Ep 6

Where's Cathy?

Ep 7

Half-Way Home

Ep 8

The Lady Who Came to Dinner

Ep 9

The Joy of Kensington

Ep 10

The Gambler

Ep 11

The Real Mrs. King

Ep 12

Scout's Honour

Ep 13

The Christmas Show

Cast

Al Waxman

Larry King

Helene Winston

Gladys King

Robert Haley

Ron Bacon