Chez Hélène

Chez Hélène is a children's television series produced by and broadcast on CBC Television. The 15-minute weekday program was broadcast on the English television network to provide viewers with exposure to the French language. The program was produced at CBC's Montreal studios. It began its 14-season run on 26 October 1959, with the final program airing 25 May 1973. Hélène Baillargeon portrayed the title role. Other cast members were Madeleine Kronby who portrayed the bilingual Louise, and a mouse puppet named Suzie who generally spoke English. In terms of children's series, the program remained popular in its final season, with a reported 437 000 viewers recorded by BBM in November 1972. But CBC executives cancelled the series claiming that the series had run its course, and that the network's broadcasts of Sesame Street would incorporate five minutes of French-language segments per episode.