Fred Penner's Place facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fred Penner's Place |
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| Genre | Children Musical |
| Created by | Fred Penner |
| Written by | Nancy Trites-Botkin Pat Patterson |
| Starring | Fred Penner |
| Theme music composer | Fred Penner |
| Composer(s) | David Jandrisch |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 900 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Randy Roberts (1985-1992) Lesley Oswald |
| Producer(s) | Nancy Trites-Botkin |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Oak Street Music |
| Distributor | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Nickelodeon |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBC |
| Original release | 1985–1997 |
Fred Penner's Place was a popular Canadian children's TV show. It aired on CBC Television from 1985 to 1997. The show starred Fred Penner as himself. It also featured many puppets, fun songs, and sometimes special guests.
The show was also seen in the United States. It aired on Nickelodeon starting in 1989. Later, it was shown on the Odyssey Network. People really liked the show. It won or was nominated for several awards. These included a Juno Award in 1989 and a Gemini Award in 1994. Even after the show ended, Fred Penner kept performing. Many adults who watched the show as kids still love his music. He has performed for them at universities and pubs.
About Fred Penner's Place
The TV show was created in the mid-1980s. It was named after its star, Fred Penner. The series helped teach children about different subjects. This included learning some French, which is one of Canada's official languages.
The show was very musical. Fred Penner played his acoustic guitar in most episodes. Besides the puppets, many special guests appeared. One guest was Holly Larocque. She played a character from Under the Umbrella Tree. That was another CBC children's show from the 1990s.
Fred Penner's Place was known for its special opening. It featured a theme song written and sung by Fred Penner. The opening showed Penner walking on a beach. Then he went into a forest. He saw different wild animals. Finally, he crawled into a hollow log. He came out the other side to greet the viewers.
The Show's Music
Music was a very important part of Fred Penner's Place. Fred Penner's songs were a main feature of the show. Music director Dave Jandrisch worked closely with Penner. Jandrisch would arrange the songs. Penner often wrote them the night before filming. Sometimes he wrote them on his way to the studio. Jazz musicians like Reg Kelln and Ron Halldorson also helped with the music.
In the 1980s, the show covered many older songs. Penner said that because it was a children's show, they did not worry about royalties. Royalties are payments to artists for using their music. The idea was that kids would grow up and appreciate the songs. However, by the 1990s, Penner wrote more original songs. This was because of new concerns about music royalties.
Why the Show Ended
Fred Penner's Place was canceled suddenly in 1997. This happened after changes in management at CBC Television. The CBC could have shown reruns for three more years without paying. But they chose not to. Reruns of the show aired until 2000. The series has never been officially released on DVDs or other home media.
