Pierre Berton

TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

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Folio, a precursor to CBC's renowned fine-arts series Festival, aired for four years starting in 1956. The series showcased original dramas, music compositions, and ballets, many originating from diverse regions across Canada. Notable episodes featured Barry Morse in a new staging of MacBeth, along with performances by Canadian talents like Robert Goulet and Sharon Acker. One of the highlights included a musical adaptation of the beloved Canadian classic, Anne of Green Gables. Airing without sponsorship, Folio thrived until its conclusion in the fall of 1960. Producers: Robert Allen, Harvey Hart, David Greene, Mario Prizek and Ronald Weyman.

The ABC Weekend Special is a weekly 30-minute anthology TV series for children that aired Saturday mornings on ABC from 1977 to 1997. It featured a wide variety of stories that were both live-action and animated. Similar to both the ABC Afterschool Special and The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie that had started five years previous, the ABC Weekend Special differed in that it was primarily aimed at younger viewers following ABC's Saturday Morning cartoon lineup, whereas the ABC Afterschool Special was known for its somewhat more serious, and often dramatic storylines dealing with issues concerning a slightly older teen and pre-teen audience. With the debut of the ABC Weekend Special, some of the early ABC Afterschool Specials that had been targeted towards younger viewers were subsequently repackaged and re-run instead as ABC Weekend Specials.

Klondike is a 17-episode half-hour American Western television series starring Ralph Taeger and James Coburn that aired on NBC. The series premiered on October 10, 1960 and ran until February 13, 1961, facing stiff competition from The Danny Thomas Show on CBS and the second half of the first-season detective series Surfside 6 starring Troy Donahue on ABC. Klondike followed Dale Robertson's Tales of Wells Fargo on the NBC schedule.

Life and Times was a series of biographical documentary films broadcast by CBC Television, CBC Country Canada and CBC Newsworld. It was hosted by Ann-Marie MacDonald and first appeared in 1996, ending in 2007. The show won many awards during its run, including Gemini Awards and Leo Awards.

French erotic auteur Gerard Kikoine makes the world his canvas in this sexy roundelay of intimate encounters across the globe. Following a pack of cigarettes that ends up with partner after partner, the film moves from Paris to Rome, Cannes, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and New York, exposing carnal couplings that take place everywhere from a furniture store to an airplane cockpit. Marie-France, Sophie Berger and Josephine Jacqueline Jones co-star.

A combination of documentary and dramatic reconstructions, depicting the conception and construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the late 19th century.

The Pierre Berton Show was a television show hosted by Pierre Berton. It ran from 1962 to 1973, and Berton regularly interviewed important artists, actors, and other public figures. His iconic interviews included Malcolm X in 1965, Lenny Bruce in 1966, and the only known interview with Bruce Lee in 1971. When CTV launched, a Pierre Berton show quickly followed, aiming to compete with CBC's late-night news. Initially on CTV, it later shifted to CHCH Hamilton due to scheduling conflicts, continuing its acclaimed interviews syndicated by Screen Gems. Despite its brief CTV run, it relocated to Hamilton after CTV adjusted its lineup to rival CBC's 11:00 PM news.

The Secret World of Og is a children's adventure about 4 children who venture into an underground cavern beneath their playhouse to look for their lost baby brother. There, they discover a land of little green people who are enamored by the world above but won't allow anyone to leave their cavern for fear they might "tell".

Telescope is a Canadian documentary series which aired on CBC Television between 1963 and 1973. The series was hosted by Fletcher Markle, which profiled notable Canadian people from celebrities to the unknown, who made a difference. Starting in September 1966, Telescope was the first regular colour broadcast in Canada. It's producer was Sam Levene. In 2008, CBC offered 10 episodes of Telescope on their Digital Archives website. The episodes are from the 1970-1971 season, and feature new host Ken Kavanagh. Among those profiled were game show host Monty Hall, publisher Mel Hurtig, journalist Pat Carney, actor John Vernon, author Farley Mowat, amusement park impresario Patty Conklin, and underwater explorer Joe MacInnis. A 1970 episode featured actor Donald Sutherland including early footage of his son Kiefer. Mentalist Uri Geller followed a week later by Ray Hyman and Jerry Andrus who explained and duplicated Geller's "paranormal" feats.

The Secret World of Og is a children's adventure about three young girls who venture into an underground cavern beneath their playhouse to look for their lost baby brother. There, they discover a land of little green people who are enamored by the world above but won't allow anyone to leave their cavern for fear they might "tell".

Around 1900, Zaza was the undisputed star of the "Variétés parisiennes". Bonded with pianist Cascard, she indulges in adventures and falls in love with handsome Bernard Dufresne. A short affair. Surprised by her friend's behavior, she believes he has a mistress in the provinces. In reality, he is married and Zaza, faced with her daughter, prefers to step aside. From now on, she'll live for her art, and will always refuse to renew her acquaintance with the man who made her suffer.

The camera traces the Trans-Canada Highway, unveiling Canada's people, resources, and diverse geography from east to west. It showcases remarkable engineering accomplishments integral to constructing the highway.

A priceless gem from the fine folks at The Internet Archive: Bruce Lee’s only existing television interview, from 1971. Martial arts expert Bruce Lee became world-renowned for his performances in such Kung-fu classics as ENTER THE DRAGON. Now his only interview in English is available. Just after the release of his first film THE BIG BOSS, he spoke in Hong Kong with Canada's premier journalist Pierre Berton. This is the closest one can get to this extraordinary master.

In 1968, Gordon Langley Hall claimed he was a woman misdiagnosed as male at birth because of a genital defect. To correct this, Gordon underwent one of the first sex reassignment surgeries in the United States. Her subsequent marriage to a black auto mechanic and the mysterious birth of their daughter Natasha sent Charleston, SC society into a fury and cast serious doubts on the truth behind Dawn’s story.

Classic short film depicts the Klondike gold rush at its peak, when would-be prospectors struggled through harsh conditions to reach the fabled gold fields over 3000 km north of civilization. Still photographs juxtapose Dawson City today against its bustling height in the gold rush.

The history of Niagara Falls and the people that made it famous.

An imaginative history of editorial cartooning in Canada. The documentary provides a witty take on Canada's history through the eyes of political cartoonists like Duncan Macpherson, Robert LaPalme, and Aislin (Terry Mosher). Over 50 artists' notable cartoons and their impact are explored, capturing reactions from their subjects. One cartoonist sums it up: "A picture is worth a thousand words, but a well-crafted cartoon is worth a thousand pictures." An absolute must for cartoon buffs.

In 1934, Elzire Dionne delivered five identical girls. The Dionne Quintuplets follows Cecile, Emilie, Marie, Yvonne and Annette through twenty-one years of strange upbringing. When the girls were just infants, the premier of Ontario issued a court order removing them from parental care. Cut off from the world and their family, over-publicized, viewed twice daily in a special viewing compound, they grew up as prize exhibits. Director Donald Brittain uses old newsreel footage, home-movie sequences and interviews to depict a historic event that became a tragic exploitation of a family.