"Larry King", played by one Al Waxman, ran a variety store here in Toronto's famed "Kensington Market" ― hence the show title, King of Kensington.
The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) sitcom ran from 1975 to 1980 and was fairly popular in this country ― and it was syndicated to some U.S. stations. Despite the fact that this sometimes-pompous television critic had decided at a young age that he did not like sitcoms, he did watch some episodes in King's earliest years: I remember taking in a show with my mother and figuring her laughter to be some kind of 'seal of approval'. (She was British.)
King of Kensington's first season was released on DVD. This surprised me. As I found out years ago, attempting to put old CBC shows to home-video is a legal minefield, a nightmare due to a tangling of rights issues. (Actor contracts at the time did not account for the home-video market.)
Those opening titles are pretty wonderful, with a memorable song. By the way, the intersection at the clip's beginning is that of Augusta Avenue and Nassau Street. I live just a few minutes walk from there ― time to take some snaps to illustrate what that intersection looks like now. Kensington Market is where I would do a lot of my grocery shopping (fresh produce!), but, in some of its markets, prices have really gone up over the years. (I first noticed the bump-up around 2010.)
Final note: Al Waxman later co-starred on the CBS drama series Cagney & Lacey (1982-1988). He was very good as the titular characters' big boss.
What a guy.
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