CBC's 75th Anniversary : 75 tweets of 75 archival fonds

On November 2, 2011, I decided to try to find 75 archival fonds in the Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections that had some connection to the CBC.  I was inspired by the ongoing efforts of the team researching and promoting the anniversary (@cbc75) and staff at the CBC Archives (@cbc_archives) and the University of Manitoba's archives (@umbarchives) who posted some of their own holdings with a connection to our national broadcaster.

The University of York University has a long history of receiving donations from journalists, film makers, broadcasters, writers, art administrators, politicians, producers and artists who have worked for the broadcasting company as a freelancer, employee or contributor.

I didn't find 75 archival fonds (although 48 is nothing to sneeze at!) and some figures warranted more than 140 characters to elaborate on their contributions to the CBC.  I also expanded the parameters to include digitized material and some published materials in our special collections with a CBC connection.

What follows is a list of the tweets with links to the archival finding aids, catalogue records and links to online content hosted by our institutional repository: YorkSpace.

#1. The 1980 Applebaum-Hébert Report had a big impact on #CBC. We have the Louis Applebaum archives. http://bit.ly/tS4h28.

#2. We have the records of Theresa Burke, a producer on the CBC's "Fifth Estate" http://bit.ly/hl9DTo

#3. YorkU faculty and frequent contributor to #CBC Radio's "Ideas" Seth Feldman has some great radio scripts in his fonds. http://bit.ly/g5XIxM

#4. Marion Andre (b.Marian Andrzej Czerniecki) produced plays re. life in Nazi-Occupied Poland for the CBC in the 60s+70s. http://bit.ly/sGHnQD

#5. Knowlton Nash, the face of CBC’s evening news donated his records (including interviews with #CBC staff) to YorkU. http://bit.ly/fRKmOR

#6. *cough* You can see some of Nash's thoughts on the Applebaum-Hebert Report in our blog post on the donation here: http://bit.ly/lmrVRp  

#7. Vincent Vaitiekunas, a Lithuania-born film maker, directed, edited, wrote and produced for the CBC in the 1950s http://bit.ly/vnpniK

#8. John Kastner: child actor, documentarian, producer, writer and director produced many tv documentaries for CBC. http://bit.ly/fWGZDj

#9.  Bernard Zuckerman established his rep. as journalist working at CBC Winnipeg and later as producer of "5th Estate." http://bit.ly/rTfsGu  

#10. - #12. Here's a favourite at the archives: Robert Lawson was a production designer who worked at the #CBC in the 50s+60s http://bit.ly/v3mtJe …He donated over 5000 photos taken during his time at CBC, including candid shots of television and stage artists on set, including...Maureen Forrester, Veronica Tennant, K. Kain, Glenn Gould, Margot Kidder, C. Plummer, & Gordon Pincent! http://bit.ly/v3mtJe

#13. Perennial #CBC Comedian Dave Broadfoot donated his extensive archives of correspondence and monologues in 2008. http://bit.ly/hHy9Pm

#14. We’ve also received the v. large archives of #CBC’s RCAF, but we’re still processing it to make available to researchers. Stay tuned!

#15. The records of the late Rob Forsyth, a script writer for #CBC series “North of 60” was donated in 2008. http://bit.ly/ez4a1B

#16. Barry Callaghan worked as a journalist for #CBC news until he got fired for interviewing Angela Davis in 1971. http://bit.ly/roRx0s

#17. Hilary Armstrong began her career at #CBC as a story editor in '73. By the time she retired in '06 she was a producer. http://bit.ly/rpSqqv

#18. Rex Battle was music director + conductor of #CBC Radio’s “Singing Stars of Tomorrow” from 1943 to 1956. http://bit.ly/tcwebl

#19. Actor, director and theatre instructor Robert Christie worked at the #CBC’s Radio Drama Department after WWII. http://bit.ly/vfu8Qk

#20. Writer Eliza Clark’s “Pride and Joy” was adapted as a radio drama on CBC’s "Morningside." http://bit.ly/tYdJRK

#21. Victor Feldbrill was first violin with CBC Symphony Orchestra from 1952 to 1956. http://bit.ly/rwUKjo

#22. Donna Davey, a writer, director and producer started her career in 1970 as a field producer and director with #CBC http://bit.ly/rujmqA

#23. Graphic designer Allan Fleming collaborated on the re-branding of the CBC in 1973-1974. http://bit.ly/dMLNfb

#24. Gladys Forrester choreographed much of the broadcasting during the early years of the #CBC (there more dancing then). http://bit.ly/tsXDCZ

#25 and #26.  Sig Gerber, a film editor and producer at #CBC, produced over 50 docs from '70 to '76 on such programs as “Man Alive.” Gerber also worked on “For the Record”, “Take 30”, “Marketplace”, “Fifth Estate”, “Witness”, “Life & Times” & “Venture” http://bit.ly/t2PZ3C

#27. Lawyer Aubrey Golden represented the Canadian Media Guild, which grew into a union to represent all employees of CBC. http://bit.ly/tWd9Kp

#28. Mira Friedlander was a theatre critic who reported for #CBC Radio http://bit.ly/uAZgna

#29. Jack Kane performed with #CBC orchestras after WWII. In 1950 he became the chief arranger for CBC Radio’s “Startime.” http://bit.ly/vbRCkb

#30. Jack Granatstein sat on the Senate Sub-committee on Veteran’s Affairs (re. CBC’s "The Valour and the Horror") in '92. http://bit.ly/dGGpce

#31. Norman Campbell was a composer, director and producer at #CBC, credited with CBC's 1st broadcast in '52: “Let’s See”. http://bit.ly/gUPtpW

#32. Harry Boyle joined #CBC as a farm commentator in 1942. We have his radio transcripts from 1968 to 1973. http://bit.ly/uP2kCj

#33. Investigative journalist Stevie Cameron worked as a political commentator on #CBC radio + tv in the '80s. http://bit.ly/eW6h9l

#34. Screenwriter Keith Ross Leckie’s work, such as “Where The Spirit Lives” was broadcast on #CBC. http://bit.ly/fk7WGF

#35. Linda McQuaig worked as a producer for CBC Radio. http://bit.ly/hZLOmt

#34. Mary Young Leckie, film producer, worked on #CBC's “Gzowski in Conversation” + “Shattered City:The Halifax Explosion.” http://bit.ly/fpEP3N

#35. Here's a portrait of Ian and Sylvia in #CBC's Studio 7 in 1964 http://pi.library.yorku.ca/dspace/handle/10315/5849

#36. Here's a a picture from 1941 of a minesweeper receiving an award at the CNE (#CBC Radio was there) http://pi.library.yorku.ca/dspace/handle/10315/1997

#37. Another shot of that 1941 event only with #CBC technician in headphones (and lab coat!?) http://pi.library.yorku.ca/dspace/handle/10315/2294

#38. A chimpanzee visits #CBC in 1968. http://pi.library.yorku.ca/dspace/handle/10315/7242

#39. After serving in Intelligence during WWII, actor, writer + critic Mavor Moore worked @ #CBCRadio's Internat. Service. http://bit.ly/sfJPVN

#40. Mavor Moore was the first chief producer at CBC Television in 1950. http://bit.ly/sfJPVN

#41. Distance ed. pioneer Margaret Norquay worked as a researcher, writer and broadcaster from '63 2 '67 @ #CBC's "Take 30" http://bit.ly/uNzo9n

#42. Steve Paikin is the face of TVO's Agenda but he is also a former host of #CBC Newsworld. http://bit.ly/vPOT51

#43. Alison Pick won the 2005 #CBC Literary Award for Poetry http://bit.ly/qdcHJi

#44. Filmmaker Harry Rasky was producer on "CBC Newsmagazine" which ran from '52 to '69 and '73 to '81. http://bit.ly/tLUe8L

#45. Don Rubin, a theatre historian and critic was a regular theatre critic on #CBC Radio. http://bit.ly/vail5n

#46. Rick Salutin, a playwright and journalist was a media analyst for the #CBC. http://bit.ly/ii5y2L

#47. Scriptwriter Jason Sherman has written scripts for the #CBC's radio drama "Afganada". http://bit.ly/sqlaP9.

#48 and #49. Film director John N. Smith made his first film in 1967 for #CBC. He also worked as a researcher for the company. http://bit.ly/fiZeFF . Smith's film "The Boys of St. Vincent" was banned from airing in Ont. in '92. Series re. #CBC's efforts to fight ban. http://bit.ly/scgwQZ

#50. Former evangelist, broadcaster Charles Templeton was a frequent moderator on #CBC in the '50s and '60s. http://bit.ly/w547Ws

#51. Gordon Vogt worked as a freelance journalist before becoming a regular theatre critic on #CBC's "Stereo Morning". http://bit.ly/tIWIfY

#52. Peter Wildeblood was a writer and producer @ #CBC.See scripts for "I Married the Klondike" based on L.B. Berton's book. http://bit.ly/szHRHW

#53. Last but not least Larry Zolf was a commentator and host of "This Hour Has Seven Days" on #CBCTelevision. http://bit.ly/unwz5T

(Pamphlets, reports and publications about the CBC held in Special Collections)

#54. Here are handbooks from 1941 and 1946 for #CBC radio announcers. http://bit.ly/rVU4AJ and http://bit.ly/uHyTML

#55. A pamphlet on the #CBC "From need to necessity" was written by then-president Pierre Juneau in 1988.  http://bit.ly/urbnse

#56. A policy manual re. #CBC presented to HoC Special Committee on Radio Broadcasting in 1946. http://bit.ly/v2ZhUZ

#57. Here's a concert program for a performance by the #CBC Symphony Orchestra of work by modern Canadian composers in 1961. http://bit.ly/u9Ej0L

#58. A brief submitted by the #CBC to Legislative Committee re. Bill C-136 in 1988.  http://bit.ly/sXaxJu

#59. "This is Your CBC"... in 1946. http://bit.ly/sEBpL9

#60. More pamphlets by Pierre Juneau in 1988. http://bit.ly/swmhw7 and http://bit.ly/vRz1ug

#61. More broadcast regulations for #CBC stations in the 1940s based on The Canadian Broadcasting Act of 1936. http://bit.ly/tb1QAg

#62. A pamphlet on a radio series on atomic energy broadcast on #CBC radio in 1947. http://bit.ly/sJGWak

#63. "The moral ambiguity of America" Massey Lecture by Paul Goodman broadcast on #CBC in 1966 http://bit.ly/tn23E7.

#64."We Have Been There", a pamphlet from '42 of "authoritative reports by qualified observers" returning from war zones. http://bit.ly/tqGCPS

#65. 10th anniversary pamphlet from the CBC's radio college in Montreal in 1950. http://bit.ly/rXJAw1

#66. #CBC radio lecture from 1948 on Sam Langford, Nova Scotian boxer. http://bit.ly/ulscNP

#67. "Old Country Mail" a selection of Richard S. Lambert's #CBC radio broadcasts during WWII http://bit.ly/uK14sl

#68. A selection of Arthur Phelps' #CBC broadcasts from 1940. http://bit.ly/sATdZZ His archives are at @umarchives http://bit.ly/sC0Nr7

#69. C.P. Crowley's lecture series "The human edge" was broadcast on #CBC in 1960. http://bit.ly/uDFKxg

#70. A.W. Johnson's #CBC lecture from 1980: "The New Communications Technology: Magic or Menace" http://bit.ly/vUfmLc

#71. CBC's Task Force on the Status of Women's report of 1975. http://bit.ly/u9zd24

#72. Laurier Lapierre's radio lectures from '66: "Genesis of a nation : British North America, 1776-1867" http://bit.ly/w1HR9S.

#73. A nine-part lecture series on cooperation in Canada from 1940. http://bit.ly/rGXIwq

#74. Harold Kaplan's "The regional city: politics and planning in metropolitan areas" from '65 http://bit.ly/uWYvYU.

#75. "Cue the elephant!" Knowlton Nash's history of the early years of #CBC. http://bit.ly/veVU6l . York also has original transcripts, oral histories.

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