''The Big Revue'' was a Canadian

variety television Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a compè ...

show. It was the first ever production of

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

when both debuted in 1952. The show was directed by

Norman Jewison Norman Frederick Jewison (July 21, 1926 – January 20, 2024) was a Canadian filmmaker. He was known for directing films which addressed topical Social issue, social and political issues, often making controversial or complicated subjects acces ...

and written by John Aylesworth and Frank Peppiatt. The pilot episode first aired on 9 September 1952. The series was hosted by actress

Toby Robins Toby Robins (March 13, 1931 – March 21, 1986) was a Canadians, Canadian actress of film, stage and television. Robins starred in hundreds of radio and stage productions in Canada from the late 1940s through the 1960s, working with such perform ...

who would later rise to fame as a panelist on ''

Front Page Challenge ''Front Page Challenge'' was a Canadian panel game about current events and history. Created by comedy writer/performer John Aylesworth (of the comedy team of Frank Peppiatt and John Aylesworth) and produced and aired by CBC Television, the s ...

''. It was on ''The Big Revue'' that

Don Harron Donald Hugh Harron, (September 19, 1924 – January 17, 2015) was a Canadian comedian, actor, director, journalist, author, playwright, and composer. Harron is best remembered by American audiences as a member of the cast of the long-running co ...

introduced TV audiences to his country bumpkin

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...

, "Charlie Farquharson" (who years later would be immortalized on the American series ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired from 1969 to 1993, and on TNN from 1996 to 1997. Reruns of the series were broadcast on ...

'' and the Canadian series ''

The Red Green Show ''The Red Green Show'' was a half-hour Canadian television television comedy, comedy series. It aired on various channels in Canada from April 4, 1991 until April 7, 2006. The show was created and entirely co-written by Canadian comedian Steve S ...

.'').

Reception

The Ottawa Journal The ''Ottawa Journal'' was a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from 1885 to 1980. It was founded in 1885 by A. Woodburn as the ''Ottawa Evening Journal''. Its first editor was John Wesley Dafoe who came from the ...

'' said the show "all too frequently isn't very good ... the comedy rarely makes anyone laugh, and the dancing at best is mediocre". They complimented the music as "generally excellent", and highlighted George Murphy, Phyllis Marshall, Joan Fairfax and Margo MacKinnon for their "superb singing". The newspaper also pointed out that the show is Canada's "most costly television production, and with one or two exceptions, has been a flop week after week". ''

The Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands division. The newspaper was establis ...

'' had a different view on the show, writing that it has a "big dash of comedy ... an eyeful of brightness if you are television color blind ... some lovely songs with a punch ... dancing with a point, rhythm ... and fast timing which only seldom goes astray". Additionally, they were impressed with Phyllis Marshall, saying she "hits the bullseye when it comes to television singing ... she combines visual emotion with tone in a way some other television stars could afford to imitate".

References

External links

* 1950s Canadian variety television series 1952 Canadian television series debuts 1953 Canadian television series endings Black-and-white Canadian television shows CBC Television original programming 1950s Canadian sketch comedy television series {{Canada-nonfiction-tv-prog-stub