Network: CBC Television Network
Broadcast Run: 1956 to 1966
Broadcast Medium: Television
Aired weekly from 1956 to June 18,1966
If there was one bona-fide Canadian star on television in the early days, it had to be Juliette. She brought a strong sense of style and glamour to the network’s Variety Department in 1956 at a time when variety programming was the most popular type of show on television. Years earlier, at the age of 15, she made her CBC debut on a radio broadcast featuring George Calangis’s Sophisticated Strings. But it was her first appearance in 1954 on Holiday Ranch that was only the start of a long career at the CBC. Her show debuted in 1956 and was scheduled after Hockey Night In Canada every Saturday night. This timeslot made for interesting programming particularly when the game went long, but Juliette’s show was always a LIVE broadcast often in rehearsal during the game.
Later, Juliette was able to reach a wider audience with a series of musical specials that were produced until 1981. Juliette’s reputation as a tough person with whom to work, often tainted her natural ability as a singer. As she admitted, “Sure, I was demanding. I was called the Iron Butterfly long before Margaret Thatcher came along”. In 2002, CBC’s Life & Times broadcast a biography with her participation. It revealed a very talented but savvy woman, who was once called the “Florence Welk” of Canadian Television despite the millions of fans who watched her show every week. [See: Juliette listing in Personalities Section]
Principal performers: Bobby Gimby, George Murray, Roy Roberts, Ken Steele, The Romeos, the Four Mice and the Art Hallman Singers. Musical conductors: Lucio Agostini; Bill Isbister and Bobby Gimby [Juliette later hosted a talk show called, Juliette & Friends from 1973 to 1975, daily at 2pm]
Written by John Corcelli – July, 2006