Canada's secret weapon against 1950s American TV dominance? Ballet and Shakespeare, baby.
Season 4 • Episode 19
LatestThe story revolves around the Pontevedrian embassy's efforts to prevent a wealthy young widow from marrying a foreigner and taking her fortune out of her own country, which would result in impoverishing it. [final episode] by Franz Lehar, in the English version by Christopher Hassall staged by David Adams with members of the National Ballet Company of Canada. Cast: Helena Scott ........... Anna Glawari David Atkinson ........ Count Danilo Danilovitch Natalia Butko ........... Olga William Cole ............ Vicomte Cascada Alan Crofoot ............. Raol St. Brioche Alexander Gray ......... Pritschitsch Bernard Johnson ....... Bogdanowitsch Tom Kneebone .......... Njegus Andrew MacMillan ...... Baron Zeta Harry Mossfield ............ Kromow Frank Porretta .............. Camille De Rosillon Marie Gauley ............... Valencienne Jacqueline Ivings Lawrence Adams
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.
Production
Sponsor-free survival in commercial TV's golden age? Actually radical.
Acting
Pre-fame Robert Goulet singing his heart out for CBC pennies.
Direction
Harvey Hart and David Greene became legendary Canadian filmmakers.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Folio launched during the Massey Commission era, when Canada desperately tried defining itself against American cultural imports. It was literally state-funded identity construction.
Most Folio episodes are considered lost media—destroyed, taped over, or simply vanished. What survives exists because someone cared enough to break rules about recording live broadcasts.
CA
