La famille Plouffe
Encyclopedia
La famille Plouffe was a Canadian
television drama, more specifically a téléroman
, about a Quebec
family that first aired in the French-language on Société Radio-Canada in 1953. The show was created to fill a void in francophone
television in Canada. Whereas the English Canadian television branch of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
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 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 aired in Latin America.
The series was also broadcast live in English as The Plouffe Family, on CBC Television
the following year and ran on both networks until 1959. The series was revived in the 1980s as a miniseries
.
The series was based on the novel Les Plouffe
, by Roger Lemelin
. It chronicled the daily life of a working class family in the years following World War II
. 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.
Designated and preserved as a "masterwork" by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada
, a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the preservation of Canada’s audio-visual heritage.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television drama, more specifically a téléroman
Téléroman
A téléroman is a French-language dramatic programming television series, similar to a soap opera or a Spanish language telenovela, in Canada. In France, the téléroman genre is known as feuilleton télévisé...
, about a Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
family that first aired in the French-language on Société Radio-Canada in 1953. The show was created to fill a void in francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
television in Canada. Whereas the English Canadian television branch of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
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 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 aired in Latin America.
The series was also broadcast live in English as The Plouffe Family, on CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
the following year and ran on both networks until 1959. The series was revived in the 1980s as a miniseries
Les Plouffe
Les Plouffe is a Canadian drama film, based on a novel, about the titular Plouffe family, set during World War II.-Awards:...
.
The series was based on the novel Les Plouffe
Les Plouffe
Les Plouffe is a Canadian drama film, based on a novel, about the titular Plouffe family, set during World War II.-Awards:...
, by Roger Lemelin
Roger Lemelin
Roger Lemelin, 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 Life and, from 1972 to 1981, chief executive officer and editor of La Presse.In 1980 he was made...
. It chronicled the daily life of a working class family in the years following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. 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.
Designated and preserved as a "masterwork" by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada
Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada
The Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada was a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the preservation of Canada’s audio-visual heritage, and to facilitating access to regional and national collections through partnerships with members of Canada's audio-visual community...
, a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the preservation of Canada’s audio-visual heritage.
Cast
- Théophile Plouffe - Paul Guèvremont
- Joséphine Plouffe - Amanda Alarie
- Napoléon Plouffe - Emile GenestÉmile Genest-Career:Born in Quebec City, Quebec, as a young man Émile Genest served with the Canadian Navy during World War II. At war's end, he worked for a time in radio in his hometown before accepting a job with CBC radio in Montreal where he would eventually become a sportscaster, working in both the...
- Ovide Plouffe - Jean-Louis RouxJean-Louis RouxJean-Louis Roux, CC, CQ is a noted entertainer and playwright, senator, and briefly the 26th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, Canada.-Biography:...
, Marcel Houben - Guillaume Plouffe - Pierre Valcour
- Cécile Plouffe - Denise PelletierDenise PelletierDenise Pelletier, OC was a Canadian actress.- Early life :Denise Pelletier was born on May 22, 1923 was born in Saint-Jovite, Quebec to father Albert Pelletier, a literary critic, and mother Marie-Reine Vaugeois. Her mother was very cultured and helped Denise's love of theatre flourish...
- Gédéon Plouffe - Doris LussierDoris LussierDoris Lussier was a comedian and actor, political scientist and activist. He was for many years the personal secretary of Georges-Henri Lévesque, but became famous as a comedian with the character of Père Gédéon, which was later included in the Les Plouffes television series...
- Démérise Plouffe - Nana de Varennes
- Onéisme Ménard - Rolland Bédard
- Rita Toulouse - Lise Roy, Jeannine Mignolet
- Blanche Toulouse - Lucie Poitras
- Jeanne Labrie - Thérèse Cadorette
- Stan Labrie - Jean DuceppeJean DuceppeJean Hotte-Duceppe, CQ was a stage and television actor from Montreal, Quebec. He founded the Compagnie de théâtre Jean Duceppe in 1973....
- Père Alexandre - Guy ProvostGuy ProvostGuy Provost, OC, CQ 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, [he] is also a model for the new generation of actors". In 2003, he was made a Knight of the...
- Martine Plouffe - Margot Campbell
- Aimé Plouffe - Jean CoutuJean Coutu (actor)Jean Coutu was a Canadian actor. Born in Montreal, his career included many movies and TV series in Quebec, including episodes of La famille Plouffe in 1953. He also played in a Disney production Niki The Wild Dog of the North, becoming one of the few Quebeckers of his era to have appeared in...
- Flora Plouffe - Ginette Letondal
- Agathe Plouffe - Clémence Desrochers
- Rosaire Joyeux - Camille Ducharme
- Jacqueline Sévigny - Amulette Garneau
- Alain Richard - Guy Godin
- Hélène Giguère - Françoise Graton
- Alphonse Tremblay - Ernest Guimond
External links
- The Family Plouffe/La Famille Plouffe, Museum of Broadcast Communications