Lorraine Thomson facts for kids

Lorraine Thomson (born July 12, 1931 – died August 13, 2020) was a talented Canadian dancer, TV host, and producer. She helped start the ACTRA Awards with Pierre Berton. Lorraine was the first dancer hired by the CBC for their very first TV variety show, The Big Revue. She often appeared as a dancer and actor on many TV shows in the early days of Canadian broadcasting. Later, she became a radio host in the 1960s and a TV host for CBC in the 1970s. She was also one of the first women to produce variety shows for CBC. For 18 years, she was the program coordinator for Front Page Challenge. Lorraine was nominated for several national awards for her amazing work both on screen and behind the scenes.

Becoming a Dancer

Lorraine Thomson was born in Regina, Saskatchewan. Her family moved to Toronto in 1945. After a childhood illness, she started dancing to help her get better. She studied many types of dance. Soon, she focused on ballet with famous teachers like Boris Volkoff and Betty Oliphant. She also took summer classes in New York City.

In 1951, while in New York, she got offers to join the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes and a touring show called Kiss Me Kate. But she decided to return to Toronto. There, she got married and danced in outdoor shows. She also taught ballet at the Canadian School of Ballet.

Dancing on Early TV Shows

In 1952, the new TV department at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) was getting ready to broadcast. They were launching Canada's first live TV variety show, The Big Revue. Lorraine auditioned with 110 other dancers. She was the very first dancer hired for the show's three-person dance line.

Live television had many challenges and funny moments. Once, a microphone hit Lorraine's head just before she went on camera. She finished her dance but couldn't remember it afterward! On another show, she had to walk down stairs in a feathered costume. She was also trying to hold two pigeons that wanted to fly away.

During the first ten years of Canadian television, Lorraine performed regularly. She appeared on shows like Wayne & Shuster, The Barris Beat, and Hit Parade (Canadian TV series). She also acted in live dramas. She met famous people like Duke Ellington and future stars like Norman Jewison. She also met singer Robert Goulet and a young folk singer named Gordon Lightfoot.

In 1958, Lorraine was chosen to be on the board of ACTRA. ACTRA is a union for performers. She continued to work with ACTRA for over 40 years. In 1975, she became a vice-president.

From Dancer to Host

As her career grew, Lorraine moved from dancing to hosting current events shows. On the lifestyle show Open House (1960–62), she showed exercises. She interviewed people on shows like Tabloid and Seven-O-One. She was also a frequent guest on Front Page Challenge.

In 1963, Lorraine was the choreographer for the TV show Juliette. But she also started hosting the CBC radio program Audio. When she hosted Four for Forty, she became the first woman to host a radio game show.

In 1969, Lorraine returned to TV as the host of The Weaker (?) Sex. She also appeared as an actor in the detective series McQueen.

Behind the Scenes and Hosting V.I.P.

In 1970, Lorraine also took on a role behind the scenes. She became the program coordinator for Front Page Challenge. She held this job for 18 years. Her tasks included booking mystery guests, doing research, and interviewing guests before the show.

Front Page Challenge was only 30 minutes long. The show's panel had to guess who the mystery guest was. This left little time for an interview. Some viewers felt the interviews were too short. They wanted guests to have more time to tell their stories.

This led to a new show in 1973 called V.I.P.. Lorraine Thomson hosted this national TV program. She re-interviewed the special guests from Front Page Challenge in more detail. Her guests included Lord Thomson of Fleet and Martha Mitchell. Martha Mitchell even asked Lorraine to check her hotel room for spies! Other guests included Buzz Aldrin and Lorne Greene. In its first year, V.I.P. had over a million viewers each week. The show aired for ten years. In 1981, Lorraine was a finalist for an ACTRA award for Best Host Television for her work on V.I.P..

Founding the ACTRA Awards

In 1970, Lorraine shared a taxi with actor Bruno Gerussi. They came up with the idea for an awards show to honor Canadian radio and television. Two years later, she and author Pierre Berton co-founded the ACTRA Awards. For the next 8 years, Lorraine continued to help organize these awards with ACTRA and CBC Television.

In 1974, Lorraine was on the board of the Canadian Mental Health Association. She created and hosted a panel show called The Naked Mind. This show explored topics about mental health. Experts discussed issues, and famous Canadian actors performed scenes from plays to illustrate them.

Lorraine was one of the first women to produce special variety shows for CBC Television. These included Juliette’s Favourite Things. In 1988, she was a finalist for a Gemini award as a producer. This was for her work on Gordon Pinsent Sings Those Hollywood Songs.

In 1989, she stopped working in broadcasting. She accepted a new job at the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board.

Personal Life

Lorraine Thomson had two children from her first marriage. Her second marriage was to CBC journalist Knowlton Nash in 1982. They remained married until Nash's death in 2014.