The French Chef
The French Chef is a television cooking show created and hosted by Julia Child,[1] produced and broadcast by WGBH, the public television station in Boston, Massachusetts, from February 2, 1963 to January 14, 1973. It was one of the first cooking shows on American television.
| The French Chef | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Julia Child |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 28 minutes 46 seconds |
| Release | |
| Original network | WGBH (producer) NET (1963-1966) PBS (1970-1973) |
| Original release | February 2, 1963 – January 14, 1973 |
The show grew out of a special presentation Child gave on WGBH based on the book Mastering the Art of French Cooking which she co-authored. The French Chef was produced from 1963 to 1973 by WGBH for National Educational Television (and later for PBS). Reruns continued on PBS until 1989, and were airing on Cooking Channel as of 2010. As of September 2016, episodes were being rerun on the new Canadian cooking channel Gusto. As recently as March 2017, reruns of the show were also seen on the American Public Television Create channel.
The original episodes were available on the PBS streaming service as of 2020.
Format
The French Chef introduced French cooking to the United States at a time when it was considered expensive restaurant fare, not suitable for home cooking. Child emphasized fresh and, at the time, unusual ingredients. All of the recipes used on The French Chef had originally appeared in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but for the show, Child chose mostly the more domestic recipes from the book, although such showpieces as Beef Wellington, various sorts of soufflé, and some ambitious pastries also made it into the mix if they seemed within the reach of a home cook without staff.
The show was done live-to-videotape from start to finish, leaving little room for mistakes. The resulting occasional accidents became a popular trademark of Child's on air presence, used as "teachable moments" to encourage viewers to relax about the task's demands.
Certain elements became motifs: Julia's fondness for wine; her distinctive voice; her staunch defense of the use of butter (with margarine invariably referred to as "that other spread") and cream; her standard issue "impeccably clean towel"; and her closing line at the end of every show: "This is Julia Child, Bon appétit!"
History
So good is she that men who have not the slightest intention of going to the kitchen for anything but ice cubes watch her for pure enjoyment.
Child's first appearance cooking on TV had been by happenstance: a guest for another show on WGBH had cancelled their appearance, as did the backup guest. Child was invited to do a cooking demonstration, which received positive feedback and prompted executives to order a pilot.[3]
When the show began, the budget was so low that "volunteers had to be recruited to wash dishes, and the food sometimes had to be auctioned to the audience afterwards to cover expenses."[2]
In 1964 Child received a Peabody Award, crediting her for doing "more than show us how good cooking is achieved; by her delightful demonstrations she has brought the pleasures of good living into many American homes."[4] In May 1966, her show won a Primetime Emmy Award for Achievements in Educational Television – Individuals.[5]
The August 27, 1968 episode of The French Chef (rerun from an episode sometime in 1965) ended with the unexpected collapse of an Apple Charlotte.
The October 31, 1971 episode of The French Chef (on its ninth anniversary) was the first U.S. television show to be captioned for deaf viewers.[6]
The show was produced by Ruth Lockwood and directed by Russell Morash, Russell Fortier, David Griffiths and David B. Atwood.[7] Film composer John Morris wrote the 2nd theme song of The French Chef.
The show eventually became so popular that Child's use of a particular ingredient each week would sometimes cause a surge in demand and lead to grocery stores across the country temporarily selling out of it.[3]
Legacy
As part of its growing Twitch Creative content, Twitch streamed every episode of The French Chef over a four-day period starting on March 15, 2016, to launch its new food channel.[8][9] Twitch reported that almost a million viewers watched the marathon.[10]
List of episodes
Pilots (1962)
The three pilot episodes were subsequently taped over by the studio, a common practice at the time. No copies are known to exist today.
| Episode | Subject | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | The French Omelet | July 28, 1962 [11] |
| Pilot | Coq au Vin | July 1962 [12] |
| Pilot | Onion Soup | July 1962 [13] |
Season 1 (1963)
Child wrote that the first 13 episodes were lost at one point, but then 7 were found; if so, this would add an additional 6 episodes between episode 7 "Fruit Tarts" and what is listed here as episode 8 "Chicken Breasts and Rice" (which would have actually been episode 14).
| Episode | Subject | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| E01 | Boeuf Bourguignon | February 2, 1963 |
| E02 | French Onion Soup | February 9, 1963 |
| E03 | Casserole Roast Chicken | February 16, 1963 |
| E04 | The French Omelette | February 23, 1963 |
| E05 | Scallops | March 2, 1963 |
| E06 | Quiche Lorraine | March 9, 1963 |
| E07 | Fruit Tarts | March 16, 1963 |
| E08 | Chicken Breasts and Rice | March 23, 1963 |
| E09 | Vegetables à la Française | March 30, 1963 |
| E10 | Veal Scallops | April 6, 1963 |
| E11 | French Salads- Mayonnaise | April 13, 1963 |
| E12 | Chicken Livers à la Française | April 20, 1963 |
| E13 | Roast Duck à l'Orange | April 27, 1963 |
| E14 | Chocolate Mousse and Caramel Custard | May 4, 1963 |
| E15 | Pâtés | May 11, 1963 |
| E16 | Aspics | May 18, 1963 |
| E17 | Bouillabaise | May 25, 1963 |
| E18 | Lobster à l'Américaine | June 1, 1963 |
| E19 | French Crêpes | June 8, 1963 |
| E20 | French Crêpes II - Suzette | June 15, 1963 |
| E21 | Steaks and Hamburgers | June 22, 1963 |
| E22 | The Potato Show | June 29, 1963 |
| E23 | Soufflé on a Platter | July 6, 1963 |
| E24 | Dinner in a Pot | July 13, 1963 |
| E25 | Pâte à Choux | July 20, 1963 |
Season 2 (1963-1964)
| Episode | Subject | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| E01 | Caramel Desserts | November 30, 1963 |
| E02 | Cooking Your Goose | December 7, 1963 |
| E03 | Chestnut Cookery | December 14, 1963 |
| E04 | Bringing in the New Year | December 21, 1963 |
| E05 | Coq au Vin | January 1, 1964 |
| E06 | Cassoulet | January 8, 1964 |
| E07 | Vegetable Adventures | January 15, 1964 |
| E08 | Puff Pastry | January 22, 1964 |
| E09 | More about Puff Pastry | January 29, 1964 |
| E10 | Fish Mousselines | February 5, 1964 |
| E11 | Cake for Company | February 12, 1964 |
| E12 | Artichokes from Top to Bottom | February 19, 1964 |
| E13 | Elegance with Eggs | February 26, 1964 |
| E14 | Cold Soufflés and Bavarian Cream | March 4, 1964 |
| E15 | Case for Salmon | March 11, 1964 |
| E16 | Broccoli and Cauliflower | March 18, 1964 |
| E17 | Veal for a King | March 25, 1964 |
| E18 | The Soup Show | April 1, 1964 |
| E19 | Flaming Soufflé | April 8, 1964 |
| E20 | Small Roast Birds | April 15, 1964 |
Season 3 (1964-1965)
| Episode | Subject | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| E01 | Timbales | April 22, 1964 |
| E02 | Fish Filets Sylvestre | October 28, 1964 |
| E03 | Babas au Rhum | November 4, 1964 |
| E04 | Chicken Dinner in Half an Hour | November 11, 1964 |
| E05 | Rognons Sautés and Flambés | December 2, 1964 |
| E06 | The Mushroom Show | December 9, 1964 |
| E07 | Veal Dinner in Half an Hour | December 16, 1964 |
| E08 | Broiled Chicken Plain and Saucy | December 23, 1964 |
| E09 | Lamb Stew is French, Too | January 6, 1965 |
| E10 | Introducing Charlotte Malakoff | January 13, 1965 |
| E11 | Hot Turkey Ballotine | January 20, 1965 |
| E12 | Cold Turkey Galantine | January 27, 1965 |
| E13 | Le Marquis au Chocolate | February 3, 1965 |
| E14 | Vegetables for the Birds | February 10, 1965 |
| E15 | French Tarts, Apple Style | February 17, 1965 |
| E16 | French Jelly Roll | February 24, 1965 |
| E17 | Bûche de Noël | March 3, 1965 |
| E18 | Beef Gets Stewed Two Ways | March 10, 1965 |
| E19 | Ham Dinner in Half an Hour | March 17, 1965 |
| E20 | Croissants | March 24, 1965 |
Season 4 (1965)
| Episode | Subject | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| E01 | Chocolate Souffle | March 31, 1965 |
| E02 | Four in Hand Chicken | April 7, 1965 |
| E03 | Brioches | April 14, 1965 |
| E04 | Veal Prince Orloff | April 21, 1965 |
| E05 | Great Beginnings | April 28, 1965 |
| E06 | Turban of Sole | May 5, 1965 |
| E07 | Strawberry Tarts | May 12, 1965 |
| E08 | The Shrimp Show | May 19, 1965 |
| E09 | Salad Fixings | May 26, 1965 |
| E10 | Non-collapsible Cheese Soufflé | June 2, 1965 |
| E11 | Quiches | June 9, 1965 |
| E12 | Fish Dinner in Half an Hour | June 16, 1965 |
| E13 | French Veal Stew | June 23, 1965 |
| E14 | Improvisation | June 30, 1965 |
| E15 | The Empress's Rice | July 7, 1965 |
| E16 | Coquilles St. Jacques | July 14, 1965 |
| E17 | More about Steaks | July 21, 1965 |
| E18 | To Poach a Salmon | July 28, 1965 |
| E19 | Invitation To Lunch | August 4, 1965 |
| E20 | Beef in Red Wine | November 17, 1965 |
Season 5 (1965-1966)
| Episode | Subject | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| E01 | Your Own French Onion Soup | November 24, 1965 |
| E02 | Chicken in Cocotte | December 11, 1965 |
| E03 | Queen of Sheba Cake (black & white) | December 18, 1965 |
| E04 | New Year | January 1, 1966 |
| E05 | To Poach Sole Filets | January 8, 1966 |
| E06 | Chop Dinner in Half an Hour | January 15, 1966 |
| E07 | Filet of Beef Wellington | January 22, 1966 |
| E08 | Apple Charlotte | January 29, 1966 |
| E09 | More Great Beginnings | February 5, 1966 |
| E10 | Roast Suckling Pig | February 12, 1966 |
| E11 | More about Potatoes | February 19, 1966 |
| E12 | Steak Dinner in Half an Hour | February 26, 1966 |
| E13 | The Endive Show | March 5, 1966 |
| E14 | Saddle of Lamb | March 12, 1966 |
| E15 | Napoleons | March 19, 1966 |
| E16 | Paella à l'Américaine | March 26, 1966 |
| E17 | Dinner Party First Course | April 6, 1966 |
| E18 | Dinner Party Main Course | April 13, 1966 |
| E19 | Dinner Party Meringue Dessert | April 20, 1966 |
| E20 | Soupe au Pistou | April 27, 1966 |
| E21 | Quenelles | May 4, 1966 |
Season 6 (1966)
| Episode | Subject | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| E01 | Génoise Cake | May 11, 1966 |
| E02 | Petits Fours | May 18, 1966 |
| E03 | The Mayonnaise Show | May 25, 1966 |
| E04 | Swordfish Dinner in a Half Hour | June 1, 1966 |
| E05 | Ossobuco | June 8, 1966 |
| E06 | Sweetbreads and Brains | June 15, 1966 |
| E07 | Asparagus from Tip to Butt | June 22, 1966 |
| E08 | Operation Chicken | June 29, 1966 |
| E09 | To Poach a Chicken | July 6, 1966 |
| E10 | Mousses, Bombes and Parfaits | July 13, 1966 |
| E11 | Bourride and Aïoli | July 20, 1966 |
| E12 | To Poach an Egg | July 27, 1966 |
| E13 | Roast Leg of Lamb | August 3, 1966 |
| E14 | Lobster Thermidor | August 10, 1966 |
| E15 | Speaking of Tongues | August 17, 1966 |
| E16 | Pipérade for Lunch | August 24, 1966 |
| E17 | Turban of Sole | August 31, 1966 |
Season 7 (1970-1971)
| Episode | Subject | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| E01 | Bouillabaisse à la Marseillaise (color) | October 7, 1970 |
| E02 | Napoleon's Chicken | October 14, 1970 |
| E03 | Spinach Twins | October 21, 1970 |
| E04 | Cake with a Halo | October 28, 1970 |
| E05 | Hamburger Dinner | November 4, 1970 |
| E06 | Salade Niçoise | November 11, 1970 |
| E07 | Turkey Breast Braised | November 18, 1970 |
| E08 | Lasagne à la Française | November 25, 1970 |
| E09 | Waiting for Gigot | December 2, 1970 |
| E10 | How about Lentils | December 9, 1970 |
| E11 | Fish in Monk's Clothing | December 16, 1970 |
| E12 | Gâteau in a Cage | December 23, 1970 |
| E13 | Cheese and Wine Party | December 30, 1970 |
| E14 | Curry Dinner | January 6, 1971 |
| E15 | Apple Desserts | January 13, 1971 |
| E16 | Meat Loaf Masquerade | January 20, 1971 |
| E17 | To Roast a Chicken | January 27, 1971 |
| E18 | Hard Boiled Eggs | February 3, 1971 |
| E19 | Boeuf Bourguignon | February 10, 1971 |
| E20 | Strawberry Soufflé | February 17, 1971 |
| E21 | Spaghetti Flambé | February 24, 1971 |
| E22 | French Bread | March 3, 1971 |
| E23 | More about French Bread | March 10, 1971 |
Season 8 (1971)
| Episode | Subject | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| E01 | Vegetable for all Occasions | March 17, 1971 |
| E02 | Pot au Feu | March 24, 1971 |
| E03 | Pizza Variations | March 31, 1971 |
| E04 | Begin with Shrimp | April 7, 1971 |
| E05 | Chocolate Cake | April 14, 1971 |
| E06 | Working with Chocolate | April 21, 1971 |
| E07 | To Press a Duck | April 28, 1971 |
| E08 | Flaky Pastry | May 5, 1971 |
| E09 | Glamour Pudding | May 12, 1971 |
| E10 | The Whole Fish Story | May 19, 1971 |
| E11 | VIP Veal: Poitrine Farcie | May 26, 1971 |
| E12 | Brochettes, Kebabs and Skewers | June 2, 1971 |
| E13 | Rye Bread | June 6, 1971 |
| E14 | Flaming Fish | June 13, 1971 |
| E15 | Summer Salads | June 20, 1971 |
| E16 | Lobster Show | June 27, 1971 |
| E17 | Coq au Vin Alias Chicken Fricassee | July 7, 1971 |
| E18 | Mousse au Chocolat | July 14, 1971 |
| E19 | Quiche Lorraine and Company | July 21, 1971 |
| E20 | To Stuff a Sausage | July 28, 1971 |
Season 9 (1971-1972)
| Episode | Subject | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| E01 | The Artichoke | November 3, 1971 |
| E02 | Tartes aux Fruits (Fruit Tarts) | November 10, 1971 |
| E03 | To Roast a Turkey | November 17, 1971 |
| E04 | French Croissants | November 24, 1971 |
| E05 | Soup du Jour | December 1, 1971 |
| E06 | Terrines and Pâtés | December 8, 1971 |
| E07 | Madeleines and Génoise Jelly Roll | December 15, 1971 |
| E08 | To Make a Bûche | December 22, 1971 |
| E09 | Le Cocktail | December 29, 1971 |
| E10 | Gallic Pot Roast | January 2, 1972 |
| E11 | Cheese Soufflé | January 9, 1972 |
| E12 | The Good Loaf | January 16, 1972 |
| E13 | The Hollandaise Family | January 23, 1972 |
| E14 | Tripes à la Mode | January 30, 1972 |
| E15 | Sole Bonne Femme | February 6, 1972 |
| E16 | Orange Bavarian Cream | February 13, 1972 |
| E17 | To Stuff a Cabbage | February 20, 1972 |
| E18 | The Omelette Show | February 27, 1972 |
| E19 | Elegance with Aspic | March 5, 1972 |
| E20 | French Fries | March 12, 1972 |
| E21 | Ham Transformation | March 19, 1972 |
| E22 | Ice Cream | March 26, 1972 |
Season 10 (1972-1973)
| Episode | Subject | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| E01 | For Working Guys and Gals | October 1, 1972 |
| E02 | Small Kitchen, Big Ideas | October 8, 1972 |
| E03 | Coffee and Brioche | October 15, 1972 |
| E04 | Brunch for a Bunch | October 22, 1972 |
| E05 | VIP Cake [Le Brantome] | October 29, 1972 |
| E06 | To Ragoût a Goose | November 5, 1972 |
| E07 | Sudden Company | November 12, 1972 |
| E08 | First Course Sit Down Dinner | November 19, 1972 |
| E09 | Main Course Sit Down Dinner | November 26, 1972 |
| E10 | Grand Finale Sit Down Dinner | December 3, 1972 |
| E11 | Kids Want to Cook | December 10, 1972 |
| E12 | Two-Dollar Banquet | January 7, 1973 |
| E13 | Puff Pastry to Go | January 14, 1973 |
Companion books
Two companion cookbooks were written along with the show. The French Chef Cookbook was a show-by-show breakdown of the black and white series,[14] while From Julia Child's Kitchen was a somewhat more ambitious work that was based on the color series but also added considerable extra material.[15]
DVD releases
- Julia Child's Kitchen Wisdom (2000)
- Julia and Jacques: Cooking at Home (2003)
- Julia Child: America's Favorite Chef (2004)
- The French Chef: Volume One (2005)
- The French Chef: Volume Two (2005)
- The French Chef with Julia Child (As Seen on Public Television). WGBH 2005 3 DVDs, runtime 432 min. (2005)
- Julia Child! The French Chef (2006)
- The French Chef: Julia Child's French Classics (2012)[16]
References
- J.C. Maçek III (August 13, 2012). "Bless This Mess: Sweeping the Kitchen with Julia Child". PopMatters.
- "Food: Everyone's in the Kitchen". Time. November 25, 1966. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
- Temple, Joseph (September 19, 2014). "8 Facts about Julia Child and The French Chef that may surprise you". The International Wine & Food Society. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
- "Personal Award for The French Chef". Peabody Award. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
- "Personal Award for The French Chef". Primetime Emmy Award. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
- "A Brief History of Captioned Television". National Captioning Institute. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
While the closed captioning service was being developed, there were some programs with "open" captions airing on PBS. In 1972, The French Chef became the very first television program that was accessible to deaf and hard of hearing viewers.
- http://www.worldcat.org/title/french-chef-with-julia-child/oclc/59134316?page=citation
- "Julia Child Marathon: Introducing the Official Food Channel with The French Chef!". Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- "Julia Child is the next PBS star to get a Twitch marathon". Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- "Food Channel Continues with 24/7 Cooking Programming". Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- Riley Fitch, Noel (1997). Appetite for Life: The Biography of Julia Child (p. 279). ISBN 9780307948380.
- "Julia Child Foundation". Julia Child Foundation. March 7, 2019.
- "Julia Child Foundation". Julia Child Foundation. March 7, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- Julia Child (1963). The French Chef Cookbook. Alfred A. Knopf. p. 424.
- Julia Child (1970). From Julia Child's Kitchen. Alfred A. Knopf. p. 687.
- Lambert, David (August 15, 2012). "The French Chef – Press Release: 'Julia Child's French Classics' DVD, On Her 100th Birthday". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2012.