Norman Kenneth Campbell

Norman Kenneth Campbell, composer, television producer and director (b at Los Angeles, Calif 4 Feb 1924, d Toronto 12 Apr 2004). Campbell, who originally planned a career in meteorology after his graduation from the University of British Columbia, composed several songs that brought him to the attention of the CBC while he was learning to be a weatherman on Sable Island, Nova Scotia. He became a music producer for radio in Vancouver in 1948 and moved to Toronto in 1952 to work in television. He went on to produce some of CBC television's first broadcasts.

Long a champion for the presentation of classical ballet on TV, Campbell produced CBC's first full-length ballet, Swan Lake, in 1956. In 1966 he won the Prix René Barthélemy for his production of Romeo and Juliet, and his later productions of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty earned him Emmy Awards in 1970 and 1972, respectively. Campbell also produced the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's The Nutcracker in 1975, the National Ballet's production of Giselle in 1976 and The Mikado in 1963 for the STRATFORD FESTIVAL.

Campbell composed the music and collaborated with Donald HARRON in writing the lyrics for the musical version of L.M. Montgomery's ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, which opened at the Charlottetown Festival in 1965 and had a successful run in England between 1969 and 1970. Campbell worked with the Shiki Theatrical Company in Tokyo on a production that opened there in 1980 and was remounted several times, most recently in 1995.

In 1972 he composed the music and his wife Elaine wrote the lyrics for The Wonder of It All, a musical drama based on the life of Emily CARR. He also produced Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and opera for television. His opera productions include Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel with Maureen FORRESTER in 1970 and Puccini's La Rondine with Teresa STRATAS in 1972. Music East, Music West, Campbell's filmed account of the Toronto Symphony's historic tour through China, was honoured by the Canadian Music Council in 1978. In 1986 he won a Gemini for his 1985 CBC-TV version of the Stratford Festival's Pirates of Penzance. Also in 1986 he produced and directed the CBC's version of the Canadian Opera Company's Onegin and the COC's Dialogue of the Carmelites.

Campbell also worked in the US, directing TV specials for Diana Ross, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams as well as episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and All in the Family.

Norman Campbell was made a member of the ROYAL CANADIAN ACADEMY in 1975 and appointed an Officer of the ORDER OF CANADA in 1978.

Author JAMES DEFELICE

Links to Other Sites
The History of Canadian Broadcasting
This site is dedicated to the visionary pioneers who created Canada’s broadcasting industry. Features profiles of members of the CAB Hall of Fame and much more. From the Canadian Communications Foundation.

CBC: Norman Campbell
Norman Campbell reminisces about his prolific career in music and television in this 1982 audio clip from CBC Radio's "Variety Tonight."

Anne of Green Gables
A brief article about the many theatrical versions of Lucy Maude Montgomery's book “Anne of Green Gables.” From the “Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.”

Beyond Green Gables: The Life of Lucy Maud Montgomery
Watch video clips the from the CBC Archives that focus on the life and literary legacy of author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Includes a CBC documentary clip about the creation of "Anne of Green Gables: The Musical" by Don Harron and Norman Campbell.