''Cross-Canada Hit Parade'' is a Canadian music television series which aired on

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 ...

from 1955 to 1960. Episodes featured performances of current popular songs in a concept derived from the American series ''

Your Hit Parade ''Your Hit Parade'' is an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1953 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During its 24-year r ...

''.

Premise

The series featured the week's most popular songs in the traditional pop and contemporary genres. Guests performers and disc jockeys appeared in the series. Austin Willis hosted the series with regular performers Joyce Hahn, Wally Koster, Phyllis Marshall, and singing group the MCs. Adam Timoon joined the series for the 1956-57 season. The series house orchestra was led by Bert Niosi. Choreography was directed by Alan and Blanche Lund.

Production

The series was based on staged performances of the current most popular songs for which the series team spent considerable effort in developing the sets, choreographing the song presentations and planning camera positions. Since some songs were top chart hits for multiple weeks, show producers were challenged to vary the presentation of these songs from episode to episode. For example, the song "

Green Door "The Green Door" (or "Green Door") is a 1956 popular music, popular song, with music composed by Hutch Davie, Bob "Hutch" Davie and lyrics by Marvin J. Moore. It was first recorded by Jim Lowe, which reached number one on the US chart in 1956 ...

" was a top chart hit for 19 weeks during the 1956-57 season. The series concentrated on the lighter pop styles of music. Rock songs were occasionally included on ''Cross-Canada Hit Parade'' which were attractive to youth viewers but rejected by adult audiences. For example,

Bill Haley & His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band formed in 1947 and continuing until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

performed "

Rock Around the Clock "Rock Around the Clock" is a rock and roll song in the 12-bar blues format written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers (the latter being under the pseudonym "Jimmy De Knight") in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was reco ...

" and "

See You Later, Alligator "See You Later, Alligator" is a 1950s rock and roll song written and first recorded by American singer-songwriter Bobby Charles (credited as Robert Guidry). The song was a Top Ten hit for Bill Haley and His Comets in 1956 in the United States, ...

" in the 29 February 1956 episode. By the beginning of the 1957-58 season, producers Drew Crossan and Stan Harris indicated that the series would not be transformed into "a rock 'n roll runaway". They also noted the difficulty in adapting Elvis Presley's songs to an appropriately visual format for the series. ''Music '60'' producer Norm Sedawie noted there were few objections after curtailing rock songs on ''Hit Parade'' by 1960. In 1959, CBC financial figures released to the Commons Broadcasting Committee revealed that each week's episode of ''Cross-Canada Hit Parade'' typically cost $30,132 of which $8,214 represented expenses for talent. Sponsorship revenues were $9,678, leaving $20,454 to be supported by government funding.

Episodes

The first season began with minimal advance promotion. Episodes aired 9 p.m. Wednesdays in a half-hour time slot. Jaye P. Morgan was the guest singer on the 12 October 1955 debut episode.

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. His songs include " Diana", “ You Are My Destiny", “Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wr ...

was a guest on the series prior to attaining international stardom.

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

also appeared on the 11 April 1956 episode. The Happy Gang appeared on 9 May 1956. For the 1959-60 season, the series was rebranded as '' Music '60 Presents the Hit Parade'', airing on alternate Mondays but lengthened to an hour. A series featuring Jack Kane aired on the other Mondays, also under the ''Music '60'' banner. The season debut on 12 October 1959 featured guest performances from

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close-harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...

and Hermione Gingold and introduced a larger studio space. The final episode on 11 July 1960 featured

Della Reese Della Reese (born Delloreese Patricia Early; July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017) was an American singer, actress, television personality, author and ordained minister. As a singer, she recorded blues, gospel, jazz and pop. Several of her singl ...

and

Jonathan Winters Jonathan Harshman Winters III (November 11, 1925 – April 11, 2013) was an American comedian, actor, author, television host, and artist. He started performing as a stand up comedian before transitioning his career to acting in film and te ...

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 0341725 CBC Television original programming 1950s Canadian music television series 1960s Canadian music television series 1955 Canadian television series debuts 1960 Canadian television series endings Black-and-white Canadian television shows