''La famille Plouffe'' was a Canadian television drama, more specifically a

téléroman A téléroman ("telenovel" or ''annual drama series'') is a genre of French-language drama television series in Canada, similar to a soap opera or a Spanish language telenovela. In France, the ''téléroman'' genre is known as feuilleton télé ...

, about a

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

family that first aired in the French language on

Société Radio-Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

in 1953. The show was created to fill a void in

francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...

television in Canada. Whereas the English Canadian television branch of the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governmen ...

could broadcast English-language shows from American stations, the francophone component of the CBC, Radio-Canada had to develop its own programs for

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fre ...

viewers from the earliest days of television in Canada. This show was one of the few that helped to launch the téléroman genre of programming in French Canada, around the same time the first

telenovelas A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include ''teleserye'' (P ...

aired in Latin America. The series was also broadcast live in English as ''The Plouffe Family'' on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French- ...

the following year and ran on both networks until 1959. The series was revived in the 1980s as a

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

. The series was based on the novel ''

Les Plouffe Plouffe is a French surname. People with the surname include: * David Plouffe (born 1967), American campaign manager * Katherine and Michelle Plouffe (born 1992), Canadian basketball players and twin sisters * Maeve Plouffe (born 1999), Australian ...

'', by

Roger Lemelin Roger Lemelin, (April 7, 1919 – March 16, 1992) was a Quebec novelist, television writer and essayist. Biography Lemelin was born in Quebec City. From 1944 to 1952, he was a Canadian correspondent for the American magazines ''Time'' and ...

. It chronicled the daily life of a working-class family in the years following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The family included patriarch Théophile, a former provincial cycling champion who had settled into life as a plumber, his wife Joséphine, a naive but kind-hearted mother who doted on her adult children Napoléon, Ovide, Cécile and Guillaume. It was designated and preserved as a "masterwork" by the

Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada The Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada (or the AV Trust). originally the Alliance for the Preservation of Canada's Audio-Visual Heritage,Paul Guèvremont * Joséphine Plouffe – Amanda Alarie * Napoléon Plouffe – Émile Genest * Ovide Plouffe –

Jean-Louis Roux Jean-Louis Roux, (May 18, 1923 – November 28, 2013) was a Canadian politician, entertainer and playwright who was briefly the 26th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec, he originally studied medicine at the Univ ...

Marcel Houben Marcel may refer to: People * Marcel (given name), people with the given name Marcel * Marcel (footballer, born August 1981), Marcel Silva Andrade, Brazilian midfielder * Marcel (footballer, born November 1981), Marcel Augusto Ortolan, Brazilian s ...

* Guillaume Plouffe –

Pierre Valcour Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

* Cécile Plouffe – Denise Pelletier * Gédéon Plouffe –

Doris Lussier Doris Lussier (15 July 1918, Fontainebleau, Estrie, Quebec – 28 October 1993) was a French Canadian comedian and actor, and political activist. He was for many years the personal secretary of Georges-Henri Lévesque, but became famous as a com ...

* Démérise Plouffe –

Nana de Varennes Nana, Nanna, Na Na or NANA may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname * Nana ...

* Onéisme Ménard –

Rolland Bédard Rolland is a surname and masculine given name which may refer to: Surname * Alain Rolland (born 1966), former Irish rugby union footballer and current international referee * Andy Rolland (born 1943), Scottish former footballer * Antonin Rollan ...

* Rita Toulouse – Lise Roy,

Jeannine Mignolet Jeannine is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Jeannine Altmeyer (born 1948), American operatic soprano * Jeannine Baticle (1920–2014), French curator * Jeannine Burch (born 1968), Swiss television actress *Jeannine Davis-Kimba ...

* Blanche Toulouse –

Lucie Poitras Lucie is the French and Czech form of the female name Lucia. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Lucie Ahl, British tennis player * Lucie Arnaz, American actress * Lucie Aubrac, member of the French Resistance * Lucie Balthaza ...

* Jeanne Labrie –

Thérèse Cadorette Thérèse Cadorette (1925 – 2007) was a Québécois writer and actress. A square in Montreal, Quebec, was renamed to honour her in 2016, as part of the Toponym'elles initiative. Career Thérèse Cadorette began her career in theatre with t ...

* Stan Labrie –

Jean Duceppe Jean Hotte-Duceppe (1923–1990) was a stage and television actor from Montreal, Quebec. Born on 25 October 1923 to a family of local shopkeepers in working-class Montreal, Jean Duceppe came to the theatre with no formal training and was compl ...

* Père Alexandre –

Guy Provost Guy Provost, (May 19, 1925 – February 10, 2004) was a French Canadian actor. In 2002, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for being a "giant of the performing arts, admired and respected for his sensitivity and discipline, eis also ...

* Martine Plouffe –

Margot Campbell Margot (; ) is a feminine French given name, a variant of Marguerite. It is also occasionally a surname. Persons named Margot include the following: People with the given name Margot * Margot Asquith, countess of Oxford and Asquith * Marguerite ...

* Aimé Plouffe – Jean Coutu * Flora Plouffe –

Ginette Letondal Ginette may refer to: Music * "Ginette", a song by Têtes Raides. * "Ginette", a song by Beau Dommage. People * Ginette Leclerc (1912–1992), French actress * Ginette Mathiot (born 1946), French chef * Ginette Moulin, French billionaire heires ...

* Agathe Plouffe –

Clémence DesRochers Clémence DesRochers OC (born 23 November 1933) is a Canadian actress, humourist, singer, and author. Life She was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec on 23 November 1933. At the age of 17, she went to Montreal where she entered the normal school. She the ...

* Rosaire Joyeux – Camille Ducharme * Jacqueline Sévigny –

Amulette Garneau Amulette Garneau (August 11, 1928 – November 7, 2008) was a Canadian actress living in Quebec. She was born Huguette Laurendeau in Montreal and was educated at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal, going on to study acting at the school of ...

* Alain Richard –

Guy Godin Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an unincorpo ...

* Hélène Giguère –

Françoise Graton Françoise Graton (4 June 1930 – 7 November 2014) was a Québécoise actress who lived and worked in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She contributed much to the advancement of theatre in Montreal and particularly in involvement with children. Bio ...

* Alphonse Tremblay –

Ernest Guimond Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic languages, Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman ...

References

External links

The Family Plouffe/La Famille Plouffe
Museum of Broadcast Communications
The Plouffe Family aka La Famille Plouffe
- Canadian Communication Foundation {{DEFAULTSORT:Famille Plouffe, La Ici Radio-Canada Télé original programming 1953 Canadian television series debuts Téléromans Television shows set in Quebec City Television shows filmed in Quebec City 1950s Canadian comedy-drama television series 1959 Canadian television series endings Black-and-white Canadian television shows