What were comedy and variety shows like in Montreal in 1964? We could see Les Cyniques, Clémence DesRochers, Gratien Gélinas and Dominique Michel performing as well as singers Fernand Gignac, Pierre Lalonde, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole and Charles Aznavour.
60 years ago, shows in Montreal were mainly presented in cabarets and song clubs. There were dozens of these relatively intimate places all over the island and surrounding areas.
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The cabaret par excellence in the metropolis was undoubtedly Casa Loma. Located on rue Sainte-Catherine, not far from boulevard Saint-Laurent, the two-story establishment, which nicknamed itself “The cabaret of Canadian stars”, notably presented in 1963 and 1964 the revue by Dominique Michel and Denise Filiatrault, Zero driving.
Poster for the magazine Zéro de conduct, with Dominique Michel, Denise Filiatrault, Jacques Desrosiers and Donald Lautrec, at Casa Loma, in 1963 and 1964.
Courtesy
On the second floor, from 1963 to 1965, Casa Loma was also transformed into a jazz club, welcoming Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Duke Ellington.
The beginnings of Place des Arts
In the song boxes, in addition to musicians like Fernand Gignac, Claude Léveillée and Les Baronnets, we could also see comedians, among others Clémence DesRochers, Les Jérolas and Les Cyniques. That year, Clémence opened her own establishment, La Boîte à Clémence, in Longueuil. She also wrote the text for the musical The pink flight of the Flamingowhich included Olivier Guimond and Janine Sutto.
The Cynics.
THE ARCHIVES / THE MONTREAL JOURNAL
In the larger format rooms, there was of course the Forum, which in 1964 hosted the Beatles and Louis Armstrong. And for several months, a whole new place could welcome artists from here and elsewhere: Place des Arts. It’s in the Great Hall [qui allait être renommée Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier quelques années plus tard] what Nat King Cole played in 1964 [six concerts en juin]Peter, Paul and Mary, Nina Simone and Charles Aznavour [deux spectacles la même journée, en avril].
Nat King Cole at Place des Arts, in 1964.
Archives Journal de Montréal
