On February 2, 1963, Julia Child began regularly entering American homes with her television program The French Chef. The show was filmed live-to-tape, leaving little room for error, resulting in occasional accidents that became a trademark. A 1964 Saturday Evening Post article noted: "She may lose the butter or even drop the turkey in the sink, but Julia Child has won a devoted TV following by combining classic cookery with comedy." The show ran nationally for ten years and won Peabody and Emmy Awards, including the first Emmy award for an educational program.
In 1961 Julia Child introduced the United States to French Cooking with her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The book was an immediate success and revolutionized home cooking in an age when meatloaf reined supreme. Child believed that French cooking is "neither so long, so rich nor so complicated" that it cannot be accomplished by anybody.
This year we celebrate the show's 55th anniversary, and what better way than to revisit some of the classic episodes as well as her cookbooks. To learn more about Julia check out Dearie
Or the PBS documentary Julia Child!
You can also see some of Child's other shows on the PBS website, opens a new window.
In celebration of the 55th anniversary of Julia Child's seminal television show, The French Chef, check out one of her cookbooks.
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