According to the website www.harleminhavana.com, The Harlem in Havana revue was the largest touring attraction in Royal American Shows’ North American traveling carnival exhibition from 1936 to 1967. Amateur and professional performers from Harlem's Cotton Club and Havana's Tropicana Nightclub performed comedy, dance, music, and theatre routines as part of the revue.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a band and dance troop. Centre stage are a couple dressed in white.
Notes
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness, Premier’s Office, Parliament Building, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, from Harry B. Julius, Tampa, Florida. Photographs possibly sent to McGuinness for consideration for entertainment for the Saskatchewan Golden Jubilee.
According to the website www.harleminhavana.com, The Harlem in Havana revue was the largest touring attraction in Royal American Shows’ North American traveling carnival exhibition from 1936 to 1967. Amateur and professional performers from Harlem's Cotton Club and Havana's Tropicana Nightclub performed comedy, dance, music, and theatre routines as part of the revue.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows the Harlem in Havana band performing behind a pair of dancers.
Notes
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness, Premier’s Office, Parliament Building, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, from Harry B. Julius, Tampa, Florida. Photographs possibly sent to McGuinness for consideration for entertainment for the Saskatchewan Golden Jubilee.
According to the website www.harleminhavana.com, The Harlem in Havana revue was the largest touring attraction in Royal American Shows’ North American traveling carnival exhibition from 1936 to 1967. Amateur and professional performers from Harlem's Cotton Club and Havana's Tropicana Nightclub performed comedy, dance, music, and theatre routines as part of the revue.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows the Harlem in Havana band performing behind a pair of dancers. A man leaps over his female dance partner who is partially seated in the splits.
Notes
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness, Premier’s Office, Parliament Building, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, from Harry B. Julius, Tampa, Florida. Photographs possibly sent to McGuinness for consideration for entertainment for the Saskatchewan Golden Jubilee.
According to the website www.harleminhavana.com, The Harlem in Havana revue was the largest touring attraction in Royal American Shows’ North American traveling carnival exhibition from 1936 to 1967. Amateur and professional performers from Harlem's Cotton Club and Havana's Tropicana Nightclub performed comedy, dance, music, and theatre routines as part of the revue.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows the Harlem in Havana band and dance troop. A pair of drummers are featured at centre stage.
Notes
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness, Premier’s Office, Parliament Building, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, from Harry B. Julius, Tampa, Florida. Photographs possibly sent to McGuinness for consideration for entertainment for the Saskatchewan Golden Jubilee.
According to the website www.harleminhavana.com, The Harlem in Havana revue was the largest touring attraction in Royal American Shows’ North American traveling carnival exhibition from 1936 to 1967. Amateur and professional performers from Harlem's Cotton Club and Havana's Tropicana Nightclub performed comedy, dance, music, and theatre routines as part of the revue.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows the Harlem in Havana band backing up a male soloist wearing tattered clothes.
Notes
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness, Premier’s Office, Parliament Building, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, from Harry B. Julius, Tampa, Florida. Photographs possibly sent to McGuinness for consideration for entertainment for the Saskatchewan Golden Jubilee.
According to the website www.harleminhavana.com, The Harlem in Havana revue was the largest touring attraction in Royal American Shows’ North American traveling carnival exhibition from 1936 to 1967. Amateur and professional performers from Harlem's Cotton Club and Havana's Tropicana Nightclub performed comedy, dance, music, and theatre routines as part of the revue.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a musician at a keyboard while a female dancer sits atop the piano. The Harlem in Havana band is in the background.
Notes
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness, Premier’s Office, Parliament Building, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, from Harry B. Julius, Tampa, Florida. Photographs possibly sent to McGuinness for consideration for entertainment for the Saskatchewan Golden Jubilee.
According to the website www.harleminhavana.com, The Harlem in Havana revue was the largest touring attraction in Royal American Shows’ North American traveling carnival exhibition from 1936 to 1967. Amateur and professional performers from Harlem's Cotton Club and Havana's Tropicana Nightclub performed comedy, dance, music, and theatre routines as part of the revue.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a trio of dancers at centre stage. The Harlem in Havana band is in the background.
Notes
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness, Premier’s Office, Parliament Building, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, from Harry B. Julius, Tampa, Florida. Photographs possibly sent to McGuinness for consideration for entertainment for the Saskatchewan Golden Jubilee.
Photograph shows 15 dancers wearing elaborate headdresses, bikini tops, and long skirts.
Notes
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness, Premier’s Office, Parliament Building, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, from Harry B. Julius, Tampa, Florida. Photographs possibly sent to McGuinness for consideration for entertainment for the Saskatchewan Golden Jubilee.
Photograph shows 15 dancers wearing elaborate headdresses, bikini tops, and long skirts.
Notes
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness, Premier’s Office, Parliament Building, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, from Harry B. Julius, Tampa, Florida. Photographs possibly sent to McGuinness for consideration for entertainment for the Saskatchewan Golden Jubilee.
Photograph was sent to Fred McGuinness from Shirley
Scope and Content
Photograph shows Fred McGuinness seated in a recording room with a female colleague. Microphones and recording equipment can be seen on a desk behind the pair.
Photograph was given to Fred McGuinness by Linda Bilkoski (nee Lepard) of Lac du Bonnet, MB.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a group of young students holding violins standing on the steps in front of Earl Haig School.
Notes
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: Edith (Harden) Lepard, Russell Scott, Phyllis Howick, Miss Brown (conductor), Orville Studen, Pete Teresko, Beth McLean, and Andy Teva. "Earl Haig Orchestra" 1930.
Photograph was given to Fred McGuinness by Linda Bilkoski (nee Lepard) of Lac du Bonnet, MB.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a group of young students holding violins standing on the lawn in front of Earl Haig School. One musician holds a trophy or plaque.
Notes
Students in this photograph are consistent with another in this collection (1-2015.71), Edith (Harden) Lepard, Russell Scott, Phyllis Howick, Orville Studen, Pete Teresko, Beth McLean, and Andy Teva.
After the cancellation of McGuinness’ CBC Radio broadcast “Neighborly News from the Prairies” that he hosted from 1980 to 1983, McGuinness continued working with the CBC. He was popularly known for his work as the prairie essayist for CBC Radio’s Morningside with Peter Gzowski, a position he held for 17 years.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows Fred McGuinness (left) and Peter Gzowki (right) having coffee in a restaurant.
Notes
Writing on the back of the postcard reads: Baron! Dear Fred - okay, okay so the photos aren't great...these are your copies anyways! How you are well - Love Shelley (the Countess)
Photograph shows a promotional shot of CBC Radio host Peter Gzowki for CBC Radio One.
Notes
Writing on the back of the postcard reads: Baron! Dear Fred - okay, okay so the photos aren't great...these are your copies anyways! How you are well - Love Shelley (the Countess)
According to the Canadian Old-time Radio Alliance website, the Happy Gang radio show was established by Bert Pearl for the CBC in 1937. The show remained on the air until 1959. Colgate Palmolive was the radio show's first sponsor. Other sponsors included Carnation Milk, Mills' Flower, and Red Rose.
Custodial History
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness from Lillie S. Wilkins of Killarney, MB
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a group portrait of the "The Happy Gang" family. The promotional photograph was produced for the 143rd anniversary of the Colgate-Palmolive company.
Notes
Members of the Happy Gang are identified on the back of the photograph along with "a message" from Bert Pearl, the M.C. for the Happy Gang. Date of photograph determined from Colgate-Palmolive company history.
Fred McGuinness’ broadcasting career began when he enrolled at St. Paul’s College, an affiliate of the University of Manitoba. In 1945, he became chairman of the Radio Subcommittee working as the Director of the University Radio Series where he was responsible (i.e., writing, casting, directing) for a half-hour Saturday afternoon radio programme.
McGuinness sold his first manuscript to the CBC in 1947, recording a 14-minute broadcast titled the “Class A Circuit” about the Royal American tour. The script was based on work McGuinness had done as a Director of Publicity and Exploitation (1947 to 1952) for the Royal American Shows while the show toured with the fairs on the Canadian prairies.
McGuinness began developing broadcast scripts in earnest for the CBC when he returned to Manitoba in 1966. By the 1970s, McGuinness was writing copy for CBC’s Radio Noon and Information Radio, as well as producing Ashgrove Farm, a CBC radio drama.
By 1980, McGuinness was hosting the CBC Radio broadcast Neighborly News from the Prairies. The radio program was cancelled by the CBC in 1983 after much outcry, but was resurrected with Altona broadcaster CFAM later that year with McGuinness at the helm. The radio show concluded its run in the summer of 1987.
In 1985, McGuinness returned to broadcast with the CBC and is popularly known for his “Manitoba Reports” that he delivered on CBC Radio’s Morningside with Peter Gzowski. He held his position as the prairie correspondent for 12 years. In the final three to four years of the Morningside show, McGuinness was asked to write non-political essays for broadcast. These “Letters Assignments” would be later published in 1999 by Great Plains Publishing as Letters from Section 17: A Collection of Morningside Essays.
Custodial History
Accession 1-2015 contains records created and collected over the course of McGuinness’ career as a radio broadcaster, newspaper journalist and freelance writer. The Estate of Fred McGuinness donated the materials to the SJ McKee Archives circa 2011. The Archives accessioned the records in 2015.
Scope and Content
Fred McGuinness was involved in a number of radio broadcasts in his life. The records in this subseries are the result of that work. The subseries contains drafts of possible broadcast scripts dating to the 1950s and early 1960s, drafts of CBC broadcast scripts for CBC’s Radio Noon, Information Radio, Ashgrove Farms radio drama, and Neighborly News from the Prairies. McGuinness appears to have annotated his scripts to reflect breathing, pauses, and other factors that could impact the delivery of his script on air.
The S.J. McKee Archives does not appear to have broadcast scripts pertaining to McGuinness’ CBC Morningside years.
Notes
Information for the history/biography was obtained from documents in the Radio broadcast script subseries (McG 6.1), McGuinness’ book Letters from Section 17 (published by Great Plains Publications in 1999), and his column “A Mourning Sigh for National Institution, “ Brandon Sun, May 29, 1997
Accruals
Closed
Finding Aid
A file level inventory is available
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Related Material
Fred McGuinness would write/publish about a topic in a number of forums. Therefore, it is possible materials pertaining to his broadcast career may be found in other series of the Fred McGuinness collection. McGuinness’ UofM student radio club certificates can be found in his scrapbook (McG 1.4). A sound recording of one of McGuinness’ UofM broadcasts can be found in McG 7
CBC Radio Archives - Morningside
Trent University, Peter Gzowski fonds (99-015)
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives. Subseries has been re-arranged according to publication period
Following the Second World War, Canada assisted with the resettlement of Europe's homeless. Orders in Council were passed between July 1947 and October 1948 that permitted the entry of 45,000 "displaced persons," who were referred to as "New Canadians" upon their arrival. (Source: Government of Canada (01 July 2006), "Forging Our Legacy: Canadian Citizenship and Immigration, 1900-1977," accessed on-line at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/legacy/chap-5a.asp)
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a young Fred McGuinness holding a microphone in front of a woman. A crowd of people surrounds the pair.
Notes
Writing on back of photograph reads: On duty Calgary Stampede, introducing story of displaced persons being brought to Canada, 1947
Postcard is an advertisement for the Brandon Winter Fair. Image is of two dogs, with a caption below them.
Notes
Writing on the front of the postcard reads: "If you expect to be among those present, Florine, you'll have to have yours bobbed"/ Fools may rush in where Angles fear to tread./ The Winter Fair, Brandon, March 13 - March 17, 1933 / is good for either, yet is really better for the pople who are / neither, but, like ourselves, are somewhere between the two.
