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Juliette
Juliette
Juliette and Tony Cavazzi
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How did the daughter of Polish-Ukrainian immigrants
transform herself into the most glamourous TV star this country
had ever seen? She started young, worked hard and never stopped
smiling. At age seven, dressed as a boy in top hat and tails,
she sang in amateur shows and created a sensation. At the
tender age of 13, Juliette left childhood behind to become
a nightclub singer, performing with the Dal Richards band
at the Hotel Vancouver. By age 15, she had her own CBC Radio
program. In 1954, Juliette moved to Toronto to break into
television - just two years later, she had her own show.
Juliette and The Romeos
Those who worked with her reveal a darker side to the sunny
Juliette viewers loved. 'Our Pet' could be quite different
off-camera - tough, demanding, even bitchy. Fans loved her,
but the press attacked her. They ridiculed her gowns, sneered
at her smile and dubbed her the "Florence Welk" of Canada.
Privately, many CBC executives agreed with the critics - and
in 1966, despite continued high ratings, they cancelled her
show.
The biography also focuses on her 40-year marriage
to Tony Cavazzi. In 1984, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's,
and she talks about her struggle to care for him at home,
and the pain of having him forget her. After his death, she
had to learn to stand on her own.
At 75, Juliette remains an icon - she is still greeted by
stares, autograph seekers and the occasional standing ovation.
She blazed the trail for women singers who followed. And as
Anne Murray says in the biography, "She was the epitome of
a star."
Original Air Date - September
8, 2002
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