WATN (Where are they now?): Gordon Courtenay

Gordon Courtenay was the last of his kind, a real throw-back. He did a Saturday night live radio show from various nightclubs, notably the Jupiter club in Place Bonaventure and the airport Hilton. Between mock-Hawaiian drinking songs belted out in German, he'd walk around the nightclub with his microphone, typically "hitting on" elderly women by asking them if their mothers knew they were out at this late hour and that kind of wonderful schmaltz. He billed himself as the Happiest Man in the World, which worried some of us (especially since his cause of death was described in his obit, below, as 'sudden'). He's been replaced by Larry Day, another intriguing guy -- more about him some other time.

Here's his Gazoo obit from Nov. 1, 2006.

Courtenay, Arthur Gordon George (obituary)


Gordon Courtenay died suddenly in Montreal on October 29, 2006. Billed on his CFQR radio programme as "The Happiest Man in the World," he was married for 17 years to Mme Claude Bouchard. A well-known Montreal radio and television personality Mr. Courtenay had been with CFQR for 30 years. Prior to that, he had been with CBC-TV in Montreal. Mr. Courtenay is survived by his wife Claude, his son Mark and daughter, Laurel Courtenay, both of Vancouver and two step-sons Nicolas and Olivier Baier of Montreal. Mr. Courtenay also is survived by two sisters, Irene and Eileen Courtenay and three brothers, Kenneth, Thomas and Vincent.