Retro Canada

At 6 p.m. on Dec. 16, 1953, Vancouver got local television.

Photo: A night shot of the neon lights along Granville Street in 1955 overlaid with CBC Vancouver's old logo.

Courtesy: https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/this-week-in-history-1953-vancouvers-first-television-station-starts-broadcasting/wcm/dd528740-ab98-4b35-9f68-850101783509/amp/

Toronto Toros, ice hockey team (1973-'76)

The Toronto Toros were an ice hockey team based in Toronto that played in the World Hockey Association from 1973 to 1976.

The Toros played home games at Maple Leaf Gardens and Varsity Arena.

Excerpted from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Toros

Talent Caravan (ca. 1950's-early '60's) - CBC series was like an early version of American Idol, except it had weekly winners who were decided by viewers sending in postcards.

Gordon Lightfoot also appeared on CBC's Talent Caravan with his singing partner Terry Whelan.

Excerpted from: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/blog/look-back-at-gordon-lightfoot-s-early-days-as-a-famous-country-dancer-1.4906786

Music Hop (1963-1967) Canadian television series hosted by Alex Trebek and Dave Mickie.

Pop and rock music was featured in this series for youth, essentially a Canadian version of American Bandstand.

A pre-famous Gordon Lightfoot performed on Music Hop in the early '60's. Canada's first teen idol Bobby Curtola also was on the show in 1963.

Excerpted from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_Hop
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/blog/look-back-at-gordon-lightfoot-s-early-days-as-a-famous-country-dancer-1.4906786

Bonimart pop made in Canada. Bonimart was a discount store in Quebec. In other provinces they operated as Towers department stores. They became defunct in 1991.

Excerpted from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towers_Department_Stores

Johnny Canuck and the Vancouver Canucks

Originally a political cartoon then a super hero in the 1940's, Johnny Canuck was redesigned in the 1960's to present the Vancouver Canucks NHL team. In 1970, they discontinued the lumberjack logo, in favour of the "Stick-in-Rink" logo.

Johnny again made a comeback in 1996; designed by Harold Berndt. Berndt released his logo redesign advocating that "Johnny Canuck" would make the best new logo for the Vancouver Canucks.

Beginning in 2008–09, the Canucks introduced "Johnny Canuck" on the shoulder patch of their third jersey.

In 2006, a vintage-inspired goaltender mask worn by Canucks' goaltender Roberto Luongo featured the older style "Johnny Canuck" logo.

In July 2021, the Canucks NHL organization announced, that their "Johnny Canuck" logo, would become the logo for their new AHL farm team, the Abbotsford Canucks, in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

In October 2022, the Canucks revealed their reverse retro jersey which featured Johnny Canuck as the logo.

Excerpted from : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Canuck

Canadian Airlines International Ltd. (1987-2001)

Canadian Airlines International was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, carrying more than 11.9 million passengers to over 160 destinations in 17 countries on five continents at its height in 1996.

Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canadian Airlines served 105 destinations in Canada, more than any other airline.

Excerpted from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Airlines_International
https://www.ruudleeuw.com/rem-canadian.htm

Wayne and Shuster, Canadian comedy duo (early 1940's-late '80's)

Formed by Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster, the duo were active from the early 1940s until the late 1980s - first on radio and then on both Canadian and American television.

Wayne and Shuster were born in the same neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, and met in grade school. They both studied at the University of Toronto, where they wrote and performed as "Shuster and Wayne".

By 1954, they hosted a regular comedy show on the CBC. In 1958, they signed a one-year contract with Ed Sullivan to appear regularly on The Ed Sullivan Show for $7,500 a show.

By the mid-60's The Wayne & Shuster Hour; their very own television show was born. They also debuted Canadian musicians such as The Guess Who.

Wayne and Shuster were well known in Canada, and were Ed Sullivan's most frequently recurring guests, appearing a record 67 times on his show.

Despite repeated suggestions that they should move to the United States to further their careers, the duo chose to stay in Canada.

By the late 1970s, critics were calling their comedy irrelevant and out of date, but their Canadian TV ratings remained strong. In 1980, CBC re-packaged their material into 80 half-hour specials that were syndicated worldwide.

The pair continued to produce comedy specials until Wayne's death from cancer in 1990.

Courtesy: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_and_Shuster
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/boaty-mcboatface-vancouver-s-china-syndrome-yes-it-s-a-thing-two-waynes-and-a-shuster-1.3555806/two-waynes-and-a-shuster-1.3555870

Country Hoedown (1956-'65) and Gordon Lightfoot

Country Hoedown was a Canadian country music television series which aired on CBC Television from 1956 to 1965.

Before Gordon Lightfoot was known as one of Canada's greatest songwriters, he was famous for another reason — as a square-dance singer.

From 1960-62, Lightfoot appeared on the CBC show Country Hoedown as a member of the Singin' Swingin' Eight.

Members of the Singin' Swingin' Eight were four men and four women.

Excerpted from: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/blog/look-back-at-gordon-lightfoot-s-early-days-as-a-famous-country-dancer-1.4906786
https://www.nicholasjennings.com/country-lightfoot
https://etcanada.com/photos/304674/gordon-lightfoot-a-look-back/ -304680
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_Hoedown

Hy's Steak Loft (Winnipeg), 1960's menu

Courtesy: https://vintagemenumania.com/products/1960s-original-vintage-menu-hys-steak-loft-winnipeg-manitoba-canada?variant=31137380401221

Ed’s Warehouse Restaurant (mid-'60's-late '90's), Toronto

Ed’s Warehouse was once located at 266 King St W (at Ed Mirvish Way on the northeast corner) in Toronto’s Entertainment District.

In the early 1960s, Ed Mirvish, the founder of Honest Ed’s, had finished his restoration of the Royal Alexandra Theatre. At the time, that stretch of King St West was lonely, so Ed purchased the neighbouring Reid Building and converted it into a restaurant to attract patrons to the theatre.

A jacket and tie were required for men, and if you came without a tie, Ed supplied it. The décor of Ed’s Warehouse was an attraction in itself. It included antiques, red brocade, massive vases, various lamps including many Tiffany ones, red tablecloths, photos of celebrities and much more.

Over the decades, Ed acquired more warehouses along the section of King Street West and opened Ed’s Seafood, Ed’s Chinese, Ed’s Italian, Old Ed’s and Ed’s Folly. Ed’s Warehouse closed in the late 1990s, while Old’s Ed’s, the last of Ed’s remaining restaurants, closed in 2000.

Excerpted from: https://www.torontojourney416.com/eds-warehouse/

Jasper National Park, AB - Souvenir booklet of fold-out postcards ca. 1940

Courtesy: http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/PC/010/PC010585?locale=fr

Anne Murray album, 1979

Throughout the 1970's and '80's Anne Murray made guest appearances on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show.

Courtesy: https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Anne_Murray

Vancouver's Chinatown at night, 1960's

Ford Model T promoting Expo 67’ in Montreal in front of the iconic Gateway Arch in North Bay.

This 1928 Model A Ford was driven around the world (by a man named Stan Guinard) and raised $300,000 for cancer research.

Stan was once the Canadian heavyweight boxing champion and at one time owned the Dionne Quints home.

Courtesy: https://www.baytoday.ca/columns/remember-this/remember-this-north-bay-photography-collection-provides-window-to-the-past-3619193

Hotel Senator - Saskatoon, SK

A landmark building located in downtown Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; the Hotel Senator was built in 1907.

Built by James Flanagan, it was called the Flanagan Hotel until a renovation in 1945, when the cupola was removed from the top of the building.

When originally built, the hotel included many luxury features for 1907, including steam heating, hot and cold running water, telephones in each room and extensive use of marble and wood paneling.

Today, the Senator’s restaurant is called Flanagan’s Steakhouse, and the building is also home to Winston’s English Pub and Grill

Excerpted from: https://www.tourismsaskatoon.com/blog/post/stroll-time-walking-tour-downtown-saskatoons-historical-buildings/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Senator_(Saskatoon)

Photo Courtesy: http://spldatabase.saskatoonlibrary.ca/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QBE_QUERY&TN=LHR_RAD&NP=4&QB0=AND&QF0=ID_NUMBER&QI0=C-193&MR=20&RF=www_SingleRecord

RCMP footage from the 1920's-'50's!
Courtesy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY4TE38bppA

Rocky Mountain Tours Co., Alberta

Courtesy: https://forums.aaca.org/topic/370087-rocky-mountain-tours-co-banff-alberta-canada-ca-1950and-bear/

Montréal Old City Hall, 1950's

Courtesy: https://www.vintag.es/2020/02/montreal-1950s.html?m=1

Speakers Corner (late-'80's-2008), Toronto

Located at the corner of Queen and John, the Speakers Corner booth was a uniquely Toronto innovation.

Long before YouTube, Twitter or TikTok, Speakers Corner was where Toronto people went to share their personalities with the world.

The concept was simple – for $1, you could speak your mind in a video cubicle for 2 minutes. The usage fee was donated to the CHUM Charitable Foundation and in its prime generated over $50,000 a year.

By 1990, the booth was producing so much content that a dedicated weekly series was commissioned.

Many found fame on Speakers Corner, including Ba*****ed Ladies who performed an early version of “Be My Yoko Ono” in the booth in 1991. Comedy duo The Devil’s Advocates also amassed a cult following, they were eventually given an entire episode devoted to their clips, and later their own series.

Celebrities loved Speakers Corner, too – Mike Myers, Madonna, Weird Al, Harrison Ford, Irving Layton, Timothy Leary, Kim Campbell, Pinball Clemens, Nelly Furtado, Sam Roberts, Choclair and Michael Buble all stopped by to get in on the action. Even then-Prime Minster Jean Chrétien stopped by to record a pre-election message.

By the late 1990s, Speakers Corner was a full-blown cultural phenomenon.

A French version of Speakers' Corner, called VoxPop, operated at MusiquePlus in Montreal from the early 1990s until the early 2000s. Other booth locations included:

• Vancouver (CKVU): 180 West 2nd Avenue
• Victoria (CIVI): Broad Street and Pandora Avenue
• Nanaimo (CIVI)
• Calgary (Access, CKAL): Citytv Building, 535 7th Avenue SW
• Edmonton (Access, CKEM): West Edmonton Mall
• London (CFPL): Galleria Mall and Covent Garden Market. Richmond and Oxford Street (location was removed due to high vandalism).
• Ottawa (CHRO): 87 George Street
• Pembroke (CHRO): Pembroke Mall
• Toronto (CITY): The Jays Shop at Rogers Centre
• Windsor (CHWI): Palace Cinemas Building, 300 Ouellette Avenue

In 2008, after acquiring Citytv from CHUM Limited, Rogers cancelled Speakers Corner, crediting YouTube for killing the program’s modern relevance.

Today, Speakers Corner lives in Liberty Village at the MZTV Museum.

Excerpted from: https://www.blogto.com/city/2020/11/speakers-corner-toronto/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speakers_Corner_(TV_series)

Niagara Falls, 1958

Bertie Beaver - Alberta's wildfire prevention mascot

Bertie Beaver was a gift from Walt Disney in 1958 to the forest service for the Disney films they made in the Kananaskis region of Alberta.

Similar in purpose to Smokey Bear, Bertie Beaver is a forest Protection Special Agent who delivers important information about protecting Alberta's forests.

Excerpted from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-wildfire-warehouse-front-line-1.4077901
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertie_Beaver
https://open.alberta.ca/publications/0778540561

The Town Pump (1971-1997) - Vancouver, BC

The Town Pump was the last great rock and roll club in Vancouver. It was owned by Ruben Kopp and Edward Keate and located at 66 Water Street.

It was the place to be for touring Canadian bands to come, as everyone from the Tragically Hip to the Shuffle Demons played their first Vancouver shows at ‘the Pump’.

Other popular bands to play their first gigs at the Pump included Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and No Doubt.

Excerpted from: https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/history/town-pump-vancouver-nightclub-1945377

Further reading: https://604now.com/town-pump-vancouver-club-bar-history/
https://scoutmagazine.ca/2013/04/24/vancouver-lexicon-town-pump/

Ontario Place, 1970's

Animaland Park - Penobsquis, NB

Animaland Park is a defunct sculpture garden and amusement park in New Brunswick. The theme park operated from the early '60's to mid '90's.

Animaland billed itself as a "sculptured zoo" of giant, cement animals and was the brainchild of serial-entrepreneur-turned-sculptor Winston Bronnum.

Excerpted from: https://www.vice.com/en/article/jmawvk/the-creepy-legacy-of-new-brunswicks-abandoned-animal-theme-park
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animaland_Park

New Brunswick tour map, 1960s

Courtesy: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1317175501/vintage-1960s-travel-brochure-saint-john?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_ca_en_ca_d-art_and_collectibles-collectibles-memorabilia-other&utm_custom1=_k_EAIaIQobChMIrLHnt52f_gIVoxhlCh3WbgZ6EA0YBiABEgLQifD_BwE_k_&utm_content=go_319626885_19422824445_75223815405_aud-1409495275150:pla-314954652373_m__1317175501enca_103434482&utm_custom2=319626885&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrLHnt52f_gIVoxhlCh3WbgZ6EA0YBiABEgLQifD_BwE

Bret Sergeant Hart, professional wrestler - born in Calgary, AB in 1957

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bret_Hart

Pacific Western Airlines ads, ca. 1950's

Pacific Western Airlines (1946-1987)

Pacific Western Airlines was an airline that operated scheduled flights throughout western Canada and charter services around the world from the 1950s through the 1980s.

It was headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, BC until 1974, when the head office was moved to Calgary, AB.

Excerpted from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Western_Airlines

First World War Publicity Posters

Courtesy: https://archives.novascotia.ca/warposters/archives/?ID=56

First World War Publicity Posters

Courtesy: https://archives.novascotia.ca/warposters/archives/?ID=82

George Chuvalo worn gloves from fights in Canada, 1966

Big Game & Fighting Fish in Nova Scotia brochure, 1931

Courtesy: https://archives.novascotia.ca/tourism/archives/?ID=380

The Montreal Metro, 1960's

The Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired underground rapid transit system serving Greater Montreal, Quebec.

The Metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, 1966, during the tenure of Mayor Jean Drapeau. It is on this day that Montreal became the 8th city in North America and the 26th in the world to have an underground transportation system.

Excerpted from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Metro
http://expolounge.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html?m=1

1960s Regal Toys Canada doll

Courtesy: https://treasurevalleyantiques.com/products/vintage-1960s-regal-toys-canada-eskimo-inuit-girl-in-blue-parka-jacket-15-tall-doll-in-box-not-sealed

Don Messer (May 9, 1909 – March 26, 1973) from Tweedside, NB

Donald Charles Frederick Messer was a Canadian musician, band leader, radio broadcaster, and defining icon of folk music during the 1960s. His CBC Television series Don Messer’s Jubilee (1959–69) featured Messer's down-east fiddle style and the "old-time" music of Don Messer and His Islanders, and was one of the most popular and enduring Canadian television programs of the 1960s. Messer was known as a shy fiddler, who preferred to have the other members of the band take the spotlight.

Excerpted from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Messer
Further reading: https://mynewbrunswick.ca/don-messer/

Burton Cummings and his mother Rhoda

Courtesy: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/455708056015792637/

"La Souris verte" is a black and white television series for young Quebecers broadcast from December 5, 1964 to 1971 on Télévision de Radio-Canada. During the first and second seasons of "La Souris verte", the broadcast was only on Saturdays from 12:00 to 12:30. The host was Claudia Lamarche and the show was intended to be an introduction to kindergarten.

Excerpted from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10458414/plotsummary/

Photo Courtesy: https://soundcloud.com/les-bons-moments-3/la-souris-verte-louissette-dussault-je-connais-un-menuisier-1971

Vintage Canadian made medicine