Your Pet Juliette and the Good Company

There were plenty of all-star variety TV shows on back in the day. Depending on your personal tastes, you could watch variety shows from established masters of ceremonies like Ed Sullivan; or you could enjoy comedy / musical stylings from Sonny & Cher, Tony Orlando & Dawn, the Captain & Tennille, Donny & Marie, Lawrence & Welk … 😀

That being said, I’m going to open your eyes to a 1960’s-era variety show that, for lack of a better term, is sanitized to the point of near farce.

First off, let’s meet the hostess. Her name was Juliette, or as some would call her, “Your Pet Juliette.” She was the compere of this nationally-aired Canadian variety show, and with her were about 25 singers and dancers who were colloquially called The Good Company.

There isn’t much footage that has survived – The Good Company only aired for about two years, and unless you could pick up Canadian television broadcasts, you wouldn’t have known it existed.

But check out this short clip of a typical The Good Company episode. Complete with a Beatles cover of “I’ve Just Seen Her Face.”

Wow. Look at all those fresh faces and ear-to-ear smiles. It’s like watching an episode of Laugh-In without any of the biting satire and triple the garish-colored leisure suits and go-go boots.

Now on this particular episode of The Good Company, the musical guest was the Guess Who, and at the time, the Guess Who were a few years past their Beatleesque track “Shakin’ All Over,” and a year or two away from hits like “These Eyes” and “American Woman.” So we get this from them.

The Good Company is a bit of a curiosity, for sure. These kids are dancing like there’s no tomorrow, and Juliette seems just happy to be there and to absorb all their youthful made-for-homogenized-TV energy.

Definitely an interesting curio from up north. 😀