''Cross-Canada Hit Parade'' is a Canadian music television series which aired on CBC Television 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'' was 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 ru ...

''.

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 Bert Niosi (February 10, 1909 – August 3, 1987) was a Canadian bandleader, known as "Canada's King of Swing". Early life Niosi was born on February 10, 1909, in London, Ontario. "As a teenager he briefly played clarinet with Guy Lombardo in Cle ...

. 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 song, with music composed by 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. The song has been covere ...

" 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 performed " Rock Around the Clock" 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. The song was a Top Ten hit for Bill Haley and His Comets in 1956 in the United States, reaching no. 6 on ''Billboa ...

" 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-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

was a guest on the series prior to attaining international stardom. Cab Calloway 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 (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

and

Hermione Gingold Hermione Ferdinanda Gingold (; 9 December 189724 May 1987) was an English actress known for her sharp-tongued, eccentric character. Her signature drawling, deep voice was a result of nodules on her vocal cords she developed in the 1920s and e ...

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

Della Reese Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017), known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a s ...

and

Jonathan Winters Jonathan Harshman Winters III (November 11, 1925 – April 11, 2013) was an American comedian, actor, author, television host, and artist. Beginning in 1960, Winters recorded many classic comedy albums for the Verve Records label. He also h ...

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