Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - David Bronstein: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1837

Episode Date: January 28, 2026

In this 1839th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with David Bronstein about how he became The Prince of Love on late night informercials for Dial-A-Date, what happened next, and his acting performance in Kire Paputt's new film Junkie Run. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, Nick Ainis, and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail].

Hey, if you love talking to singles, you'll love seeing the singles you're talking to. Live! At the Internet address on the screen. That's right. Go to the Internet address on your screen, and you'll connect live to the same people you're seeing on the show. Not pictures, not videos, but see and chat live to Veronica. See and chat live to Carlos. It's dilate uncensored, unrestricted, uncut.

Especially the guys. Anything goes, even their clothes. And they're wrong. So go to the Internet address on your screen. Run to your computer. on the damn bookstore's computer, your office computer, your friend's computer. You got to see dial-a-date uncensored with hot girls, hot guys, live, uncensored, unrescripted. Anything goes, even their clothes.

Amen. It's mine. Welcome to episode 1,839 of Toronto Mike. An award-winning podcast proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery. Order online at Great Lakes Beer.com for free local home delivery in the GTA. Palma Pasta, enjoy the taste of fresh, homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville. Visit palma Pasta.com for more. Fusion Corpso, Nick Ienis.

He's the host of Building Toronto Skyline. and building success two podcasts that you ought to listen to. Recycle MyElectronics.c.a.cometing to our planet's future means properly recycling our electronics of the past. And Ridley Funeral Home, pillars of the community since 1921. Joining me today,

making his Toronto-Miked debut. It's the Prince of Love. David Bronstein. Am I, do you see me? Yeah, how you doing, buddy? I can't believe I figured this out. Well, you look good and you sound good. So that's two for two, buddy.

Yes, thank you. Are we rolling? Yeah, we're always rolling here on Toronto, Mike. I'm just glad we could do this because I know we tried to do it last week. Yes, I was scheduled. And I was booked and ready to go. And then my business partner from Bagel Plus, because you got off Baker Plus right away.

We got a chulipuna sandwich or whatever he wanted me to do. So I said, yes, I ran over there. And then with all the weather and the bullshit, I thought, you know, I'll take an Uber because I don't know where I'm going where I'm going. Where I might have to go to Hawaii if I go to Tobaccoeco. It's the same thing to me. I don't know where it is. But there was so, you know, there was so much going.

I said, I'll just go on a train because it'll be faster. But we all know what happened then. Well, I replaced you with some guy named Kiri Papoods. You ever heard of him? Yes. I haven't listened to the podcast, but when did you do it? The one, where's Dave O'Brienston? When did you do it?

Well, that same. So you were scheduled for two. Yes. And then I kept, you know, at 3 o'clock, you're like, oh, I'm on my way to Islington or whatever. I was at Islington, yes, correct. And then I realized, oh, like, you're really late. Like, I'm okay. I understand with weather and stuff.

sometimes people are like 10, 15 minutes late, but I'm like, this guy's going to be like, you know, 90 minutes late. I simply didn't have time. So I'm like, I was like needing to like vent about you. So I called up my buddy Keri and we just did an episode like, what the fuck happened to David Bronstein? Did you have, if you had said to me, Dave, I only have this window open. We would have, I wouldn't have known.

I would have scheduled it for another time knowing how long it took me to get there. I didn't know that. Okay. And again, I'm not, I'm not mad anymore. and I'm excited and honored that you're here right now, that we're going to do this by Zoom. So what's the deal? Like basically when the bagel guy calls,

all other plans get aborted. Is that the deal? Yes. All right. I just wanted to set the record straight because we had a two o'clock, but in your world, that could mean I'll roll in at like 3.30.

No, no. I knew I was scheduled to leave it. You know, I figured I'll take back. an hour I figured, because I don't know where I'm going. So I figured two o'clock, I'll leave a 12-30. And I was going to take an Uber there because I don't know where I'm going. But he called at that time. So I rushed over there to do that quick TikTok because they pay me a lot of cash.

Well, listen, money talks. And I get it, man. I get it. And I'm not, again, I talk to my therapist, my anger with you. It's really anger, misdirected anger at my father. I understand this now. But I'm glad you're here. but can you tell me, just so we do this off the top,

how do you know Kiri Papoots? Who's Keri Papoots? Is that his last name? Because I call him, I don't even know how to call him. Kira, Kare, Kikuyu. See, I say Kiri Papoots because I feel like early on, that's what he told me is the proper pronunciation. But, I mean, instinctively, I'd call him like Kairi Pappets.

I've never called him by his last name because I don't know how to pronounce it. so I I call him I don't know what I Kyrie Kiri Kari Kari Kari How did you meet him? Here's the answer to your question

Yeah He got in touch with me two, three, four years ago He was a fan of mine From my late night dating shows And he was producing a movie Called The Last Pornow show Yeah

And he wanted me to appear in it And he came up to my neighborhood and we discussed and I was flattered that he wanted me to appear in it so that's how I know Kiri. And the way Kiri

explains it is like for this movie which is called Junkie Run Yes. He was assembling like his Avengers like you're a member of his Avengers Thank you.

So you're in Junkie Run like maybe a little Because I want to let the listenership know. If you go back to the episode called Where's David Bronstein? Yes. Keri and I talk quite a bit about this new film that he made called Junkie Run, which I loved. You're great in it. So maybe just a word or two before I get to my important questions.

Like, what was it like filming Junkie Run? How long did you work on it? Have you seen the movie? What do you think? Those are a lot of questions. Here's the deal. Kirae is a real pro. And when I first did the last picture,

I was called the last picture show, he's Peter Bogdanovich. When I first did the last porno show, and I went to the set and we'll get to answer your question, there was a whole crew there. It was a big crew, and there was a scene where I'm in a movie theater, and a guy runs out and popcorn goes all over the place.

And after we shot that, and the assistant director would say, go back to once, go back to Ones me, we're going to do it again. The crew, one, two, three, they're pushing the popcorn, they're setting up the set. Everyone had a job to do, and they all knew their job, and they're all real pros in the movie business, where when I do my crazy shows, my informal shows, whatever I do, nobody listens to anything I check. I have to do it all. So to answer your question, when he asked me to being junkie, I knew it was going to be a huge professional.

deal, and it was. And there were trailers, and I had a dressing room, and I had makeup and costume and wardrobe. And it's working on a Hollywood set when you work with Kirae and the executive producers there. They tweeted me like a star. They, they, it was hot outside when we shot in the summer of 20, 24. And they're holding an umbrella over me like I'm Brad Pitt. Oh, God, God, I should sweat.

It was crazy. I can't. Holding an umbrella cause it a sudden. son, but I didn't say it. I love hearing this, man. Like, I mean, I'm a big fan of his work as well. And I know he doesn't have a big budget. So the fact that he's giving you this respect.

And that's amazing, but this is all because he knows you from infomercials. Right. Maybe he treats the other actors the same way. Every two minutes, Dave, you want a bottle of water? Dave, you want a day here that's a chair. They had, it was so hot outside, so they had this tent for the actors, me and my co-star to sit in, I would tell my family, this is crazy how they're treating me. It's, I was very flatter and honored, and it's a wonderful.

And I want to work with him with other movies, too, because he's great at what he does. He's very creative. Yes, he's great. Do you know who his father is? I met his dad, but I don't know, other than meeting him, I don't know who his father is. So do you know the vile tones? The vile tones, a Toronto punk group. Anyway, go ahead.

Yes. No, I know. I met there was another actress on the set that was talking to him. Do you know who I'm talking about? The other actress said it was also a punk. Yeah, Mickey Skin. Mickey, yes.

Yeah. Did they work together? Yeah, well, so Chris Haight is the chap from the vile tones. That's Kiri's father. And so Keri comes by it honestly, and that's where Mickey Skin from the Curse, Mike Dent from the Dents,

ignoring a call there. Mickey, yeah, Mickey Sedatist and Chris Houston from the forgotten rebels, you know, teenage heads first manager. Like he's got a lot of cool punkers in there and he's got you in there. Oh, you're very kind. Thank you. Would all the Canadians know this group and all these characters? No.

But the cool cats know. And I'm speaking to the cool cats here. So I'll just tell the listeners if they can find a way to get to one of the, I think Gary Top has a screening. guess you'll be at the Gary Top screening of the new film, Junkie Run? I'll be at the one on February 15th. I'll be there.

That's Gary Top presentation at The Paradise, and people should get tickets. Have you seen the movie? Yes. Did you enjoy it? Yes. When I, you know, when you're making a movie, it's like shooting a puzzle.

And even though I read the script and I met the actors, and the actors are real people, the regular people, like you and I, and then when I saw the trailer, before I saw the feature, the people that I worked with were regular people. And the characters on the screen or the trailer that I saw

are two different people, whatever you call it. So when I saw the movie, I was there when they were shooting the, maybe I won't say too much, with the bad guys and the bar and the fighting. And I could have watched how they hired a stunt person to show the actors how to choke somebody, how to shoot somebody, how to fight. And I should have taken the time to watch all of that.

But I did. It wasn't my scene and I was in the holding area. But when I saw it on the screen, they're so real, it's unbelievable, how Kiri brings out that performance. And the cinematographer, hopefully they're not watching, I've got their names, whoever was the crew. They're all so creative.

It's a pleasure, they're professionals, and they're creative, and it's a pleasure to work with all of them. Love it. Do you mind if we go back to the 80s for a moment? Sure, go ahead. Okay, in the time machine with me, David, let's go. Okay.

To my head already, yes. Which moniker do you prefer? of late night TV or the Prince of Love? So the Prince of Love, I used to do stand-up comedy in the Cats Go Mountains. And it was upstate New York, a big resort where I was part of a comedy team like Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. And performing in these hotels, I was known as the Prince of Comedy. So when I came to Toronto and I had the idea for the late-night dating shows, I just called it the Prince of Love based on that. And the stick that I did, the comedy, the one-liners,

it was the same act I did in the Catskills, but the girls were my straight men. And that's, so people know me as a Prince of Love, and I call me the King of Late Night TV. It's moniker. Okay, now what brings you to Toronto? If people can't tell from your voice, you're an American. Yes, I'm from Philadelphia.

And I met my wife in the Catskills. She was a guest, like, it was like dirty dancing. actually, the campus was like dirty dancing. And I was performing there and she was a guest and we fell in love and all that bullshit. And so I moved back to Philly and I was going to New York

and my wife, we got married, living in Philly. I'm going to New York, going to Cadill Call auditions and they would be called, I'd be number 105 on the list, they're calling number one. And my in-laws who lived in Toronto, so why do you come to Toronto? They're making movies in every corner. This is a place to be.

So I said, all right, I'll become a big fish a small pond and then I'll go to Hollywood. So that's why I came to Toronto. I'm going to play 56 seconds of a clip that hopefully brings you back. You ready? Yes. Hi, I'm David Bronte. And I'm Alex Amina.

And this is Toronto After Hours. And this is the famous Batonville. Another creature of the night and one of the jazzier features at this year's Canadian National Exhibitions. David, give me the keys. The keys? Alex, we can't drive this car off the lot. Who's going to know?

For our nocturnal proud tonight, we're going to have to let our boots do the walking. Sounds like a song, probably never so. But not only boots, rides on ferris wheels, elephants, and so many other high-flying adventures. And speaking of boots made for walking, we're going to drop in on the Nancy Sinatra's as a Cameron. Definitely no relation to Frank. And we're also off to see The Wizard. Come to think of it, this whole show is retro. I mean, we're going to be seeing a musical about a 50s TV show, a movie about 60s and hippies.

So if we've got so much to do, let's get going. Give me the keys. Do tell David Bronstein, what the hell was that? Here's the story. My agent was with the Edward G. agency at the time. And they got me the audition for this show called After Hours on CBC. And the producer with Steve Scanny. I don't know if anyone knows who's Steve Scanner,

was a sports producer. And they hired me right away. And then they had to find a female host that we had the same chemistry. So I had auditions with many female hosts. And then they hired Alex, who was. on the show T&T with Mr. T. And because she's a hot, tall, model blonde, and I'm a short Jewish comic from the Catskills,

they thought it would work well. And it was. And then Steve left the show to do another show whatever he was doing. Then they brought in another producer who left the show. And then they brought in a female producer who hated my comedy.

And she would say, Canadians don't like slap Laptic, don't like burlesse, don't like one-liners. They like subtle, cerebral humor. And I'd say, what, and you want subtle cerebral humor? I can't even say it. You know what it is? Soutle cerebral humor.

And they'd write in my scripts, no jokes, no funny lines, no, no faces, don't make any faces. And that's why the original producer hired me for that reason. and when the show first aired, Rita Zekis from the Toronto Star wrote, Who's this pumpernickel on television? We usually see white bread. And the press was great.

She was great. And her husband, I came up her name. Rob Salem. Yes, Rob Salem. And Antonia Zebra Dzias and other... Zurbias. Yeah. Antonia Zurbias.

Yeah. These are all people who've been down here. Go ahead. They were all wonderful to me. And when... this other female producer started writing in my skin, don't make faces, don't do jokes.

Who's there? My wife. You know, she can go on camera if she wants, but please continue. I'm enjoying you. She won't even call my TikToks. She won't even go and bed with me at night, but besides that. So,

then they start writing, what happened at a pumpernacle? They noticed the stick, and then after a year with that producer, they fired me. They said, fire because I would still, I couldn't happen. I'm a comic. And I think funny, you know, Jonathan Winters, you know Jonathan Winters. Of course. He says, I could teach you to be funny. I can teach you to wear a little hat, a little mustache fall on a banana peel, fall down a

manhole cover. But I can't teach you to think funny. So I think funny. So when I'm at Chinese, high-end Chinese restaurant with Alex and they're bringing out all these dishes I've never heard of. And she's, I'm saying, what is this? And she's saying, this is Muguay Pan and this is Kak. And then I point to the bowl of rice. I say, what's that? And she hits me with a spoon. It's funny.

You know, what she says is, this is Okra. I said, isn't that a whale? She, that's Orca. So she knew how to play with me in that respect. But the producer told when they fired me in six months, the show was. canceled. It was just Alex. It was Alex without David. But after that show, after

hours, I did, I got a dog house, a series called doghouse for USA Network. I was high. I played Lauren Glickman, a sleazy character, and there was an American show and the producers were American and they liked my. The day I had that audition, coming home on the subway, my wife called and said, you got the part. That was very nice. I left Edward

Gene. I went with the characters. Larry Goldthard character, I went with him. And then that show was canceled after the first season, Doghouse. Which is as crazy as it is, it's how the following. My followers bring up Doghouse. Well, all that said. So then after that, I wasn't getting any work as an actor. And people say, but you're an American.

You have an American accent. They're making American movies. You should be working all the time. And I would tell people my agent couldn't book Lassie into a kennel. Because I say, I should be working all the time. He said, well, it's slow, it's slow. Because my personality is I have, instant gratification. I have to have it right now.

I say, I can't wait for somebody to hire me. I'll produce my own shows and I'll star on them. So that's how I had the idea for the late-night dating show. I was in bed with my wife. I think it was my wife. I was not watching this. And I, a knee-a-people's party machine was on. It was right after Arthinio Hall.

Right. And there's these hot, sexy girls on television dancing. And I said, Andrea, there should be a phone number to chat with those. girls. So I had the idea, but I'm not a tech guy. Technology is my Achilles heel. So I don't know how to have technology. They had 9-7-6 numbers then in Toronto Sun, phone sex, whatever that was. But I don't know how to do that. But I knew how to get it on television because I got all the experience of after hours because we would go to clubs and bars with a crew and they would shoot and they would edit. So I learned how to do that from after hours. So I would pitch my idea to guys that had 9-7-6 numbers

and they were just booking ads in print. And they would pay me 10, thousand dollars to produce a dating show love and passion night encounters night and passion bullshit names with me doing my stick and they're supposed to give me a piece of the action because that's where the real money's at but i never got a piece of the action so every guy would screw me because they couldn't believe the money they were making when they would put it on television uh and i was so as i'd go from one entrepreneur to the next entrepreneur the next entrepreneur the next entrepreneur, the guy was booking airtime from, from Rogers' cable, said, stop making money for everybody else. Let's form this partnership. I'll take 40,000 from my house, and we'll set up a company

called B&W Entertainment, Bronstein and Wells, and we're standing on the corner of Young and Charles. And he said, we're going to be the biggest infomercial company in Catter. And you know, you have dreams and aspirations, you want success. And you hope, but you say, okay, yeah, sure. and I produced the first show for $7,000 the dial-a-date with me with whatever I one-liners and we put it on television

for $20,000, but $20,000 and that $20,000 generated $104,000 in 30 days. So you put $20,000 on the pass line in April of 1995 and you get a check in May for $104,000.

And I remember walking to the bank and I, so my dreams and aspirations of show business and Hollywood flew out the window because I like this cash. I couldn't believe it. And then we kept parlaying it and that's how it happened. Okay, we're going to pause you there because I need to review some things. First of all,

because that was a lot and that's a wild story. But Alex Amini, who was your co-host on After Hours before they fired you. Yes. Because she didn't get you. But Alex was great. It was the producer that hated my guts. The producer hated my guts. The producer hated.

your guts. Okay, but am I right? So Alex Amini got to co-star with Mr. T during the day and David Bronstine during the night. I think Mr. T. was finished at the time. Oh. I was going to ask if you ever got to meet Mr. T. I met him when I

first came out. I was doing extra work before I did any of this. I was also Al Pacino's stand-in on Sea of Love. I worked with him for three months. He's a great guy. But I met Mr. T when I was a stand-in when I went to the set. I didn't even know Alex at the time. But he was, he's a regular guy, Mr. T.

You say he's a regular guy, but I remember, I saw, I was around in the 80s, okay? I saw, you know, Rocky 3. That guy was larger than life to be in my buddies. Like, Mr. T was everything. I remember T&T. Yes, but when I said a regular guy, man, when I saw him on the set. Oh, yes. Okay, okay.

He was a regular, an actor, you know, a person, yes. A regular, okay. So, okay, so we got all that. And by the way, just interesting coincidence. You've mentioned Rita Zekis and Rob Salem. They're both in this basement next week. So I got to shout out Rob Salem and Rita Zikis. I'm going to ask them about your show.

They're wonderful. They would write about every film festival I would go to. Because when I did after hours, they would take me to the Toronto Film Festival. It was the first time I was going. I didn't know anything about it. In 1989, that's when I did it. And since then, I was going to Toronto Film Festival. And they always wrote about me every September being at the parties and all that stuff.

Rita was always great. And then after I did Sea of Love with Al Pacino, I wrote a script called Second Team. Because on a film set, the first team of the stars, the second team are the stand-ins. And I met with Rita, and she did a story on me. And Ellen Barkin was the other actress in it called Second Team and Rita Zika. They were always wonderful to me. Rob and Rita always wonderful to me. I always had a thing for Ellen Barkin.

Yeah, she's very hot. She's hot in that casino movie, Oceans 13. I just remember Barfly. Does that ring a bell? Barfly? Yes. Yes. But yeah, she was, yeah, she's still gorgeous, of course. But, okay.

So, now that I'm all flustered over here, okay. I'm going to play a clip. But you did mention Young and Charles, and I just think that's wild, because earlier today I was chatting with this. Well, he used to produce theater in this city. His name is Joel Greenberg. And he was telling me he's living at Bay and Bluer.

And then I had to tell him I lived at 30 Charles Street West when I was going to university with my wife at the time. And that's Charles Street and Young. So I just think we should shed out the brass rail here. Oh, sure, shout out the brass rail. It's a different, as you know, Young and Charles. than when you and I remember Young and Charles. Well, because when I was there, Uptown Theater was where you'd go,

and I know that's long gone, so... The movie theater, right? Yeah, the Uptown, yeah. It was right there. Like, from my balcony, I could throw a rock and hit, you know, the Uptown Theater. I saw Twister there. You know what? That sounds about right, because I saw saving Private Ryan there

and a bunch of stuff, including that Billy Bob Thorne. What was it called, Slingblade? I saw that there. Yes, yes. Isn't that nice? I reckon I feel okay. Yeah, he's great. Yeah, terrific.

Hey, can I play a little clip here? Yes. Okay, here we go, 16 seconds. Hey, if you're single and love to party, don't touch that dial. You're about to meet some of the hottest and sexiest single women and men. And you can talk live on dial-a-date, the hottest way to connect.

Starring the Prince of Love, David Bronsty. That's you. The Prince of Love, David Bronstein. Okay, so you explain that this thing sounds like it was printing money. Like, can you give us some details on, like, where it was filmed? Like, just give me some details on dial-a-date

because a lot of people, when they hear David Bronstein, they think about dial-a-date. Yes. We shot it at the limelight on Adelaide because they were great to us. And we had to shoot it in the afternoon because the music is so loud in the club, you wouldn't hear me. So we had to stage it in the afternoon. It was all scripted.

The girls were hired to do shit. Well, we paid the girls, but they would dance behind me without music. And then after we shot the one-liners and the girls take, I'm Sue, I like to go to the movies, I'm Jack, I'm an accountant, whatever they would say, I would come back at night and then do pickup shots when the club was actually happening so I could piece it together and then put all the music in. Many of my, when I go to restaurants, people would say, don't you have you to get at the club? They didn't know that it was taped. They thought I was actually there when it was happening.

And then I shot at, I shot in Los Angeles. I shot in Las Vegas. I could shoot my basement with a mirror ball and flashing lights. Nobody would know the difference. Right, right. Many of the club owners always wanted me to come to their bars, to promote their bars, which I did. And they didn't, I didn't take any money.

They didn't pay me to. I was thrilled. a place to shoot this crazy show. But we were spending $250,000 a month in airtime. We were running 150 times a week. Every time you flip the channel, I was on from 1231, 132, 235,000, buying, buying, buying, buying, buying, buying, and we were getting checks from Bell Canada for half a million a month and 800,000 a month. So you put 250,000 on the pass line and you get a check for 800,000. So that's the upside. Yeah. So now here's the, the challenge.

Okay, I'm ready. After the first year, 95 to 96, in March of 97, I think it was, I got a state we spent $250,000 in March of 97 on television, and in April

I get a statement that we owe Bell Canada $700,000. And they're not, the money I spent in March, the 250,000, I'm not getting in April. I threw $250,000 out the window. I'm not getting it back at April,

and I owe them $700,000. Because the guys that were calling the chat line was $50 a call for 15 minutes. Then the system would hang up. Then you have to call, you don't have to call back, but the guys were falling in love with our girls and they wanted to talk.

And it wasn't phone sex. My competitors thought it was phone sex, but it never was just lonely, and they wanted to talk. And they would bill in their phone bills $20,000 a month. $40,000 a month. And then they get their bill.

And I tell about Canada, I didn't call. It was my nephew, my cousin, my sister-in-law came over. Oh, my God. And they piled up all those charts until one statement. So they paid us a lot of money over the year or a year and a half until we got the gigantic statement there. So that's what happened. Okay.

So 50 bucks got you 15 minutes. And these are women, I think, what, 75 or so women? and who... Yes. Like, what did they make? We paid them 25 cents a minute to chat because all my competitors had phone rooms.

And they were paying the girls $6 an hour at that time to chat with guys when the guys would call. And the girls, if the phones weren't ringing in the phone rooms, the girls were reading a book, they're watching television,

just sitting around waiting to get a call at $6 an hour. We don't want to throw that money away. So my business partner, who's much more technical than I am, came up with, when a guy calls 900 number, it'll go into the system.

The system will call the girl in her house. And when she gets a call, it'll say, this is dial a date calling. Press 1 to connect. And the system would track how many minutes she's on the phone for. And we were able to pay them 25 cents a minute, which is $15 an hour. So the girls were getting paid $15 an hour in 1995, 1996, 1997. Yeah, now thinking back to what I was making at Food City, at the Galleria Mall. I was making a lot less than that.

That sounded like a good gig. So, and you're saying it wasn't sex, so I'm sure a lot of guys would call in and try to get her to sort of, you know, talk sexy in all this. Well, if the girls wanted to, they could. We didn't give them scripts. But the reason that the call volume was so high is because if it was phone sets, the guy would hang up after three minutes or 30 seconds or whatever it is. Right. But the fact they kept calling back, these were their telephone girlfriends. And they could meet.

I mean, it's a dayline. You can meet the guys. We don't care. We didn't say you can't go out with anybody. You know, we just needed girls on the line so the guys would always have somebody to talk to. Okay. Because that's how we paid that. And that you get to a point where you're spending, you know, a quarter of a million dollars, 90s dollars.

Okay, that's when a million dollars meant something. So you're spending a quarter of a million dollars to air these spots, 150 times a week. Everybody of a certain age remembers these dial-a-date infomercials. Like, you're a big deal. deal to be the star of these things. But you're saying that because of this, you know, hey, my, my little kid made that call, not me or whatever, Bell would reverse these charges and then you'd get stuck with it. And it, that's, so is that what kills dial a date?

So when we got that statement, that night, the show was still airing, but we knew if any calls come in, we weren't going to get that money. So we had to pull the 900 lines out of the wall. are, you know, we hired a media buyer who's working for gray advertising at the time to come work for us. And we were paying him. And a media buyer gets 15% of the buys. So if we're spending 250,000 a month, 15%, 10%, be 25,000. Over 30,000 a month, I think he was making from us.

And he set up his own company because of us. He's a wonderful guy. But that day, we all, him and other people in the office, we were pulling the five. lines out and we're trying to put in lines where you can take credit card calls because the shows we're going to air. We're already booked. We wanted to throw the money out the wind that we already did. But we sued Bell Canada because they didn't over the year or two years, however long it was, the chargeback should have been accruing. Every statement, you have 5%, 10%, 12%, but there were none until March of 1997. From 95 to 97, it was 100% cash.

Okay, I hope you stored some of that, like, under your bed or something. Well, my business partner told me we made $6 million that year. Now, I don't know. I just know, you can say, how don't you know? Because I don't know. I didn't know. A lot of cash was always there available. You're like Tony Soprano.

Yes. And I remember he bought a Jeep, and he bought a $3,000 suit, my business partner. And I said, a $3,000 suit. My kids bar mitz by then I spent $400. If I spend $3,000 for a suit, I would have a tag on the lapel. I tell everybody. You see this suit? It's $3,000.

But that's what he liked. And I like traveling with Andrea, the Bahamas, and having fun. So I'm a heath. So materialistic things, Rolex watches and Cadillacs doesn't do it for me. I like to have fun. Disney World, Las Vegas, that's what I like to do. I'm with you. Sometimes I wonder, like, if somebody said, hey, Mike, here's $5 million.

I like what you do. I'm like, okay, I guess my kids are going to university now, and maybe I'll buy a nicer bicycle. Whatever, you know, turns you on or, you know, if you see my TikToks, I talk about the rich Starbucks. And I call it the rich Starbucks because all the cars there are, Mercedes and Porsches and Maseratis. So that's why I say they're rich Starbucks.

But a friend of mine who I was just messaging today has a Porsche, and he tells me the expense isn't spending $100,000 or $200,000 for the car. It's when you have to fix the car. That's where the expense comes in, which I wouldn't even know that because I would drive those kind of high-end cars. Well, I remember a former boss of mine had a Porsche and I remember him telling me that the headlight went out or something,

which I had a Mazda protege. And if my headlight went out, I can't remember now, but it was like 15 bucks or something for a new bulb and whatever. And this port, I remember him telling me it was $900 or something. This is going back now. But I remember thinking, oh, yeah, like it's not about just buying this thing. It's maintaining this thing, which is now going to be $900.

box if a light goes out. Did you think rich people know that when they buy this stuff? Okay, so on that note, somebody else I remember telling me a story they bought a like a luxury car because I've only driven, you know, shitboxes, but they had a luxury car and then they asked like, oh,

where's the light in the, like, where's the light in the hood? And the person explained that, oh, when you buy this car you don't, you don't change your own oil. Like, you don't open the hood and do anything. Like, that's not, so like the whole notion that, and a, luxury car owner would do their own

oil changes, for example. That's ludicrous. So, yeah, I don't know. It's interesting, though, that it's not always just about that initial money up front. It's like you've got to carry this new lifestyle. Carry the new life. You're absolutely right. I mean, the cars are beautiful.

They're very luxurious. Well, I wish you had one. You would have been here last week, and I could have given you fresh craft beer from Great Lakes Brewery and a frozen lasagna from Palma Pasta? I'm still going to do whatever you said. Well, first you have to find South Oatocco on a map.

I think that's the first... What neighborhood do you call home? Lawrence and Bathers. So is it fair to say, like, do you ever get down to the lake? You mean the Queens Key? Yeah, sure, sure. Yes, in the summertime. Okay, so just that harborfront core there,

like you're not going to get to like, I don't know, the waterfront in Mimico or something. I don't even know what my mental is. Okay. Well, I'm going to ask you about quickly because you just mentioned it briefly, but copycats, okay? So you struck oil here. For a brief time there, you're printing some money with dial a date. Can you just tell me, because I'm good friends with Ed Conroy, who writes as Retro Ontario. So I got a little insight into the most notorious knockoff of Dial-A-Date,

but do you remember like what competitor tried the hardest to bust your styles, of course, failing to capture the success like you did? Was that Larry Harowitz? So I don't know. Larry, okay, there's a name. Gosh, shout out to Ridley Funeral Home. But is he the guy behind the date line? No, I don't know.

Okay, so the date line, this is from Retro Ontario, an FOTM Hall of Famer. I know you don't know what that means. But the date line was an attempt. Paris Black. Oh, yes. Paris, a great guy. Yes. I knew Paris.

Before I did that, whatever I did. Before I did Thailand, I knew Paris. He was a wonderful guy. And yes, I guess my competitors who are running 976

tried to emulate whatever I do. Yes, yeah. He's a wonderful guy, Paris. Yes. And at this time, at the dateline, Paris would do sort of

like a Rodney Dangerfield impersonation. Oh. I vaguely remember that. Was that during when I was doing my stuff? Yeah, exactly, exactly. So basically you create this late night TV genre, if you will, as the Prince of Love.

Yes. And you're so popular that producers say, hey, we need to do a Kirkland brand version of this, and the Dateline emerges and Paris Black. And bless Paris Black's heart, of course. This is a, you know, a character in this city, and I need to get Paris over here. But, like, they couldn't capture whatever it is you had, that lightning in a bottle.

They often imitated but never duplicated. It's funny that you say that lightning in a bottle. You're right. Whatever it is that I am or what I do or the schick that I do, whatever I do, the character that they think I am or whatever I do on TikTok. And here's the crazy thing. My fans from late night television are my fans now on TikTok, who, grew up with me, and now their kids who were in high school and college are my fans. So Noah Biderman, who was the CEO of Ashley Madison, his kid, Abel, and all his rich friends,

I call him the rich kids, they're all my fans. They're at college. Now, I'm from Philadelphia. We call Princeton College and Harvard College. Here you call it university. If you take college, I think you're an idiot. But I call it all college. He called me every day, Abel.

Noel's kid, which I'm flattered. But I don't know why. I'm there Jerry Lewis. I'm this generation's Jerry Lewis. That's what it is. But this genre, we'll call it this late-night genre that you kind of invent here, this doesn't leave the 90s, right? Like the final gasp of all this is in the 1990s.

Yeah, yes. I mean, all I was doing was buying my way on television as an opportunity to perform to be seen because in my world you had to somebody had to make you a star see you in the theater see you on television and that's why I was doing and the only way I could perform as an actor is to do my Catsco routine and Catskill jokes which was an opportunity for me to perform

and play that nutty character and I always put the girls on a pedestal I was always the dopey one Hey baby hey good lady you know I was I was playing the role that I was chicken when I was in good clubs I never had that confidence Hey good looking hey You know, but as the character, I could do that as an actor. So I did that in the clubs and made the girls the smart ones. Yeah, so it's just so happened, I was lucky enough.

As you say, lightning in a bottle, that's what it was. Well, I'm thinking the people at home watching, because I would watch at home, but I would never, like, dare call it. Like, I didn't pay the phone bill, and I was too afraid of what would happen if I, you know, 50, you know, to, you know, I would watch these things. And what I think the, what you did successfully, was that like, so I'm going to say the average Joe at home who's lonely, sees this schmuck. Yes.

Yeah, like you're just a guy. You're kind of a schmuck. You know, you got the cheesy humor and you've got the girls. And at home, if you're just a schmuck yourself at home, you're like, oh, I can call this number and I can chat with pretty girls like that. Like, I'm in. And then the rest is history. That's correct. Nobody was doing it at the time.

I've always been a, what's the word? I like the Wright brothers, you know, a visionary. Or I'm great at seeing the future. My Achilles heel is putting the teams together to facilitate it. And even now, when I first saw Facebook and it was called the Facebook, and the only college kids could get on it. And I was asking my kids about it, and they didn't even know about it. But I said, I got to get in on this.

we got to create these and apps. I saw what was going on. It's the golden age of television. I thought this is an unbelievable opportunity. The internet, but my, it's putting the teams in the, raising money is easy format. I can raise money on a handshake. But my VCs and investors, they know I'm not going to run the show. I'm not the business guy.

I'm the Wizard of Oz. I'm P.T. Barnum. I need the guy, the management behind so I could do what I can do. And that's always very frustrating. for me. So today, 2026, if we want to see David Bronstein, you mentioned TikTok. So can you

just like shout out all the social media channels that you're currently pumping full of David Bronstein content? I'm on TikTok and Instagram and threads and LinkedIn and Facebook. I should be on all the platforms, but my content

is not monetized. And many times, I don't know if you see it, I do that bagel joke, I'll have today's half-priced bagels. I want to buy them today because I won't eat them until tomorrow, whatever I say. Many times my followers will say, you keep doing the same jokes. Why do you keep doing the same jokes? Here's why I keep doing the same jokes.

And why don't I do the same jokes? Here's why I do the same jokes. When I was in the Catskills, every week the same comics came up. And they had a star on a Saturday night, Jackie Mason or Jerry Lewis. But on the week was Catskill Comics. and they never changed their routine in the, I was there from 77 to 82, but every week new audiences came up.

So they didn't have to change their routine. Don Rickles never changed his routine. Jerry Lewis never changed their routine because there's always new audiences. So I learned that on TikTok, I could keep doing the same schick when I'm at a store because they're all new people watching me all the time. So my content, these creators on, it's a whole new world and these creators are making 25,000 a day,

50,000 a day on TikTok, on TikTok shop, and social shopping, it's called, and creating content. Did you know Mr. Beast? He's a billionaire. Of course. I got kids too, man. I know Mr. Beast, yes. And my stuff is not monetized with pay-per-click and affiliate accounts and shopping links. And I'm losing money every day.

Well, I was going to, so I'm just trying to get a taste of what you're up to. I'm going to get back to the bagel place in a minute. But, like, so you are, because I was asking Kiri, like, I was just venting, man. Like, I'm like, my guest for 2 o'clock. It's now 3.30, not here, whatever. And he's like, oh, he's probably live streaming his trek on TikTok. Like, you're creating content all the time, right?

Yes. My kid said to me, do you ever have any downtime? He said, do you ever stop? And he's right, because it's a performance. When I'm doing TikTok, I'm performing. And I don't write stuff. My followers say, where do you get your comedy or shit, whatever they think I do. and as I open the front door

and there's my comedy. I don't have to write anything. It's just so nutty and caca maybe when I go out shopping with Andrew, I go to York, wherever I go, I go, I go for anything to do. I'm just there and maybe I see something that doesn't make any sense to me and it's illogical and that's when I do TikTok.

But it sounds like the bagel shops got you as a pitchman where you'll blow me off to do that gig because, of course, that's a cash transaction. I totally respect that as a businessman. But like, so you're available to be a pitchman for products and services out there. So here's the deal. So that was bagel plus. Can I give my plug?

You know what? You give them a plug, but then I get to do a plug after. Yes. All right. Everyone going to bagel plus. Here's the deal. I just got to, nobody people think, oh, they give you money and they pay you and they pay you free food.

I have to, when I go to Zorro Steakhouse, I have to pay to walk in. They charge me for a glass of water. Nobody gives me shit when I go to these restaurants. I just go with Andrew. I like the rest. I like, you know, and I do shit when I'm there. All right. But then the bagel joke, half-priced bagels, I was doing another, they all have that sign.

And it blew up, who knows why. And then bagel plus, the partners called me and said, we want to work with you, but building bagel plus. And that's why I'm doing a lot of bagel plus. And I don't do the other restaurant. I used to because now they're paying me and I say in my TikToks. They said, Dave, think of yourself as a partner in Bagel Plus. I said, terrific.

Last week I sold it. So that's the, that's what the bagel plus called me that day. Right. Because they've been great to me and discussing a much bigger play. You know crumble cookies, right? Maybe. Crumble. Every two minutes, these entrepreneur, these college dropouts,

are baking cookies and breads and bagels in their kitchen on Tuesday and on Thursday they joined the billionaires club and and bagel plus has the kitchens and has their restaurants and has and these kids are so crumpled cookies two guys came up with an idea for cookies they're worth $4 billion. Cookies.

So that's why I ran to bagel plus which I'll never do when I'm on your show again if you have me again. Well you can't find South Atobico anyway so I'm glad we could zoom this but I'm also lucky because we had a two o'clock today. is January 28. I'm lucky bagel plus didn't call you

at like 130 and say, get your ass down here. No, no. I say, I explained to them what happened

and, and I, so that's the bagel one. Now here's the other great thing. Yeah. Do you know all these kids with their fashion brands? You know what's going with that?

Sort of. Like, educate me, but I know there are, like, there are fashion brands out there. You can tell what a stylistic man I am. So another brand,

and one more plug, I'll leave you alone. Lemonwood. dot CA, a beautiful fashion brand. There's five retail stores. Lemonwood.com. Lemonwood. You should check it out.

Then I'm also doing business with very high-end. Like the ladies that shop at the Beverly Hills Housewives would shop there at Lemonwood. That's why I've never heard of them because... All right. And we're discussing... My new company creates live shopping studios like we're doing for Lemonwood so they can do live shopping because Lemonwood is retail. And many of these retailers are going out of business because everything is online.

line. And these kids are doing TikTok shop on TikTok and creating their own fashion brands, hoodies and T-shirts. Branch you never even heard of. Lemonwood has a huge, wealthy, is successful. These kids have put on a new hoodie, a new name, and then they got a billion dollars. Okay, so David, you got Bagel Plus and Lemonwood. So let me just counter that by telling people about Recycle My Electronics.ca.com.ca.com.ca.

because, David, if you have old cables, old devices, you don't go to the, you don't throw them in the garbage so the chemicals end up in our landfill. You go to Recycle My Electronics.C.A., put in your postal code, and then drop these off to be properly recycled. You got that? How's this?

All your associates, you're telling me, I'll pitch them all on my dime on TikTok to help any way I can. All right, so here, take the list. Here, Great Lakes Brewery, which is brewed here in southern Etobico, not that you know where that is, but it's fresh, delicious craft beer.

Palma Pasta. So Palmapasta, they're in Mississauga and Oakville, but people should go to palmapasta.com. There's a chap named Nick Iienes, who has a great podcast called Building Toronto Skyline. So much love to Nick Iienes from Fusion Corp. Ridley Funeral Home, they actually sent over a measuring tape for you, David. You could use this on dial-a-date, I think, but... What am I going to do with that measuring stick? I don't know, but I heard jokes in my dial-a-date research when I was reminding myself. you know, cut men jokes, I noticed

in the... Oh, yes, oh, Jesus, that I do a joke like that? Oh, yes, my friend. Hey, last but not least, I just would love to give a moment of love to... Well, maybe that's everybody. You know, it's actually a slow month,

I realize, because I've been kind of busy. I could use a new one, so if Bagel Plus is listening, or Lemonwood, give me a call. I want some of that action, okay? David, is that okay, or is that uncool? Yeah, I will introduce... Yeah, I told I'm coming on your show, and that's perfect.

Well, I love bagels. I don't think they have bagels at Palma Pasta. I don't think there's any conflict here. No conflict. No. And Lemonwood, I mean, someone's got to dress me, David. That's fantastic. They have great accessories, beautiful fashions.

That's absolutely correct. You had me at hello. Lemonwood.com. They're in Oakville also, lemonwood.com. Oh, I love it. Now, what about acting? So is it just that when you're sort of like, what is it? I'd say, like, when Scorsese calls,

um, I was going to say. I know. I won't aim that high, but basically, if Kiri Papoots calls you, you'll do his films. But can anyone else, like, you do any other acting? Yes. You know, yes. So you're his De Niro, is what I'm saying. Yeah, I can, you know, I work with Robert De Niro, too. I'm very lucky, and I know how lucky I am and the celebrities I've worked with and met.

But I compare Kiri to the Saffty brothers. You know who they are? Of course. One of them is nominated, there's a Best Picture nominee for one in that. Timothy Shalame movie. Yes, correct. That's what I compare. Okay. I like the Adam Sandler one with the gambling.

What's called Uncut Gems? Yes. When I saw that, I compared Junkie Run. Yeah. To that gritty, cockamamie, yes, nutty characters. No, you're right.

If they had Uncut Gems was filmed in Hamilton, Ontario. Yes. Yes. Yes. But yes, I need an agent. I need a manager, an agent to get, I get brand deals now. TikTok says me a whole bunch of brand deals. Okay.

And I get agencies, but I have so much going on. I don't take the time. I need somebody to manage me and to monetize my content of Dave O'Brien celebrity merchets. I'm losing two. I should have a podcast. I should have a podcast. Well, you know, I produce podcasts, but, you know, so I'm your guy if you want a podcast. But I can't, yeah, you can't blow me off for.

a bagel plus deal. I'm never going to do that again, Mike. Never blowing you off for a bagel. So let me just remind, because we're winding down, and I consider you, David, one of the great characters in this city, and I'm so glad we could do this, and I want to thank Keri for connecting us.

Even if you blew me off last week, we're doing it now, I'm a happy camper, but I want to tell everybody, they can see, here in Toronto at the Paradise Theater, they can see Junkie Run starring David Bronstein and a cast of characters. It is a two-hour movie, and it's going to be 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 15th.

This is a FOTM Gary Top presentation. And really quickly, this is how they describe the movie. A dark comedic chase film centered around a community of misfits at a local dive bar. When the regulars get word that foggy, a local junkie, is on the run with a bag full of money from a botched drug deal. They each scheme, backstab, and claw at one another in order to be the first person to find foggy and take the money. You're one of the great actors, the real characters in this film.

The Avengers is how Kiri described it all. And I hope Keri makes a million more movies, and I hope you're in each and every one of them. They're very kind. Thank you very, very much. Did you save any of that money, though, during the heyday of Dial a Date? I want to tell you something. In my lucky world, I make a lot of money and I make no money.

And I make a lot of money. I blow it all that don't have any money. And I have to do it again. So it's a lot of fun. I'm a heath, so I like to have fun and to have the fun I want to have. I need a lot of cash. And there's no safety net.

You know, all my wife's friends, they all have inherences. I'm an herons waiting for their inheritance. And they're giving buildings and houses. And there's no rich uncle in my world. It never was that. There's no,

I walk a tight wire every day. But that's the choices that I've made. And, but when I, I do come into big deals it's a lot it's fun I like I like fun it feels good no I get that I get that and I also get that

there's no rich uncle who's going to leave me anything because that's where I'm at like I hear about these stories too oh I just got to make it a couple more years and then I know I'm going to inherit millions of dollars from my mom or my dad and I'm like must be nice like I don't want anyone to die shout out to Ridley funeral home but geez

geez that's a but I Can I ask you on the way out since I was going to take a whole hour? I think I have a couple minutes here. But you're an American who has chosen to live in Canada. So here's the deal. I came to Toronto, as I said, to become a big fish in a small pond. I was lucky enough to do after hours and doghouse and movies, whatever I did at the time. But then I had kids.

And I love being with the kids. And I love being with the family. And I love taking them to school and going bowling, going to the movies, going to restaurants, going on vacation. I loved all that. So I don't have any regrets that I Well, I got to go to Hollywood and become a big sir I would have missed all that And then I would have had regrets

So I don't have any regrets about my career Or show business Because I was always been performing In the Catskills and then on television I'm always performing now So what was the question? I haven't actually got to the question yet The question is

How are you How do you personally feel about the fact that Donald Trump, president of the United States, is threatening to, I don't know what to call it anymore, annex and they take over this sovereign nation of ours.

How does that feel as an American living in Toronto? Donald, I love billionaires. So Donald Trump is a billionaire. He wins. He has to win, as you said on that show, The Apprentice, he hates quitters or something.

You have to win. And the fact that he got to president We should all aspire to win and to fight and the busts with the obstacles because, as I say, it's real hard getting rich. It's hard. Everything is easy. Making money is hard. And it's easy settling for a lifestyle you don't want.

And I have friends, associates, they watch television all day. And when Andrea wants to go to a, what's that restaurant? I can never remember the name of the hamburgers or something like that. Mordons? I don't know. One of those, Ruth, Chris's steakhouse? What are we talking about? And they say, I'm not going there, but then I know people that fly on private jets.

So here's the answer to your question. He's P.T. Barnum. That's what he is. And he has a platform, is a show. So the political crap, whatever is going on, it's all a show to me. So that's all. It's entertainment to me. It's entertainment.

What's your wife telling you there? What's she saying to you? Who knows? Tell her. I need to talk to her now. I need to talk to someone sane in that house. Put her on. You ain't kidding.

You ain't kidding. Someone's name. All right, David, thanks for doing this. You're now an FOTM. That's friend of Toronto, Mike. I'm so glad we could do this. And at some point, I got to actually meet you, man, so we could take a selfie together.

Are you ever in Toronto? I live in Toronto. Well, South, I don't know how to tell you this. This is going to be a mind blow. You ready? Yeah. South Atobico is now part of Toronto. What was it before?

It was Atobico. Like until 98, we had our own mayor. Well, I wasn't even here then. I only came here 12 years ago. But all the boroughs had their own mayor until 98. And then with Mel Lastman, it was all like amalgamated. And now you got the megacity. Atobico is now part of Toronto.

So when I get close to you, if I'm in Mississauga, is that close to you? No, well, Mississaug is close to me? Sure, yeah, that's close. When I go to the hockey game, is that close to you? Hockey game is downtown, so now you're not that close anymore. But Mrs. Saga's close. Mrs. Saga is pretty close. All right, so when I go to Mississauga, I should call you.

Yeah, let me know when you're going to Mississauga. I'll bike over to meet the legend that is David Bronstein. I will let you know. I will let, yeah. As we get closer wherever I'm going with Andrea, which I'm always with Andrea. So I'll say, am I close to Etobico? That's what I have to say, right?

Yes, just say, am I close to South Atobico? and she'll let you know. Because the day I was supposed to do it, at 3 o'clock I was on Islington. Yeah. At 3 o'clock. Now you're on your way south to where we reside here. Absolutely.

But listen, we're going to do that. But thanks again. And good luck with, I hope that, I hope Junkie Run wins all the Oscars next year. You're very, very correct. Thank you. And please take me all your sponsors. Okay.

And I will do pitch videos for all of them. Oh, I'll do that for sure. And can I just hear you on the way out? Can you say shout out to Ridley Funeral Home? Yes. Everyone, I want to do a shout out to Ridley Funeral Home. You got to go to Ridley, with your dead or alive, go to Ridley's funeral home.

It's private confidential one-on-one on the screen. Get to Wrigley Funeral Home. Tell your family, go now. Why wait at the last minute? And that brings us to the end of our 1,839th show. Go to Toronto Mike.com for all your Toronto Mike needs. And much love to all who made this possible. That's Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta,

Nick Iienies from Fusion Corp, Recycle My Electronics.ca, and Redley Funeral Home. See you tomorrow when Michelle McAdory visits the TMDS Basement Studio.