Courtesy of the Family, the first CBC variety show that went on air in 1952. She went on to perform in a number of programs, especially, where she deadpanned as a Spanish dancer and in other comic routines. Andy Body, who danced with Ms. Thomson as early as 1950 remembers how she was totally focused when she danced.
There were musical evenings with the neighbours, with grandfather Will playing the fiddle and grandmother Flora on the piano. Ms. Thomson was a natural dancer. Her grandfather in Saskatchewan sent her money to take lessons. By the time she was 16, she was performing in the chorus line at the Canadian National Exhibition. In 1949 her mother moved to Biloxi, Miss., and at 17, she was on her own. She had a number of jobs, but in 1949 she danced for two weeks at the CNE, and that paid her $800, enough to cover her expenses for six months. Soon she was part of a chorus line called The Canadettes.
The people Ms. Thomson lined up for the program were so interesting that she suggested the CBC set up another program to interview them while they were in the studio. The new show was called"Much to our delight, we had over a million viewers on the first run. We made over 65 shows over 18 years." Ms. Thomson was also on the board of the Canadian Mental Health Association and was in charge of its fundraising campaign. In 1989 she was asked to join the Immigration Refugee Board to judge refugees’ claims. “When I was in high school I wanted to be a lawyer, so I went straight to judging rather than pausing to be a lawyer,” she said.
She was so much more than a dancer. R.I.P.
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