Julia Child
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Here's Julia describing her first television show: "There was this woman tossing French omelettes, splashing eggs about the place, brandishing big knives, panting heavily as she careened about the stove". "If you're afraid of butter, as many people are nowadays," she said in one of her last television shows, "just put in cream!" she proclaimed, with a twinkle in her eye. "Never be afraid to experiment in the kitchen, if it doesn't quite work out, just add more wine".
Julia was also known for her opposition to anti-epicurean busy-bodies and scolds. "Because of media hype and woefully inadequate information, too many people nowadays are deathly afraid of their food, and what does fear of food do to the digestive system?", she noted; "I, for one, would much rather swoon over a few thin slices of prime beefsteak, or one small serving of chocolate mousse, or a sliver of foie gras than indulge to the full on such nonentities as fat-free gelatin puddings." Me too.
"Red meat and gin" was her rallying cry when the food world's puritans dared to promise long life through nervous nutrition; she scorned grilled vegetables as "burnt and undercooked at the same time". When asked to describe her guilty pleasures [...] she was sure to respond with her usual cheerful defiance, "I have no guilt".
"The pleasures of the table ~ that lovely old-fashioned phrase ~ depicts food as an art form, as a delightful part of civilized life. In spite of food fads, fitness programs, and health concerns, we must never lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal", said Julia; "Life is to be joyous, and joy comes from sensory pleasures shared with others".
The main body of the following archive consists of a collection of over 80 of Julia's French Chef shows and of her later shows in which she usually featured a guest chef. Before getting to that, though, here are a few interesting other items that I've found, which don't fit into the main collections.
- Here's an episode of Julia Child & Company from 1978.
- Here are two episodes from Julia's More Company show (1979): Butterflied Pork, II, & III, and Pissaladiere & II.
- Here's an episode of Dinner at Julia's & II from 1983.
- In 1993, Julia first collaborated with Jacques Pépin in a special Cooking in Concert performance, in which they prepared Stuffed Turkey Roulade, Ossobuco, Filet of Salmon in Potato Crust, and Apple Charlotte. The playful dynamic between Julia and Jacques in this 80-minute show is, I think, delightful.
- Here's Julia's Interview for The Archive of America Television, II, III, IV, V, & VI, recorded in 1999. This interview runs about three hours, and provides a fine auto- biographical summary of her history & philosophy.
Because The French Chef was live to videotape without editing, and because Julia keeps operating sharp implements pointed at her hand, there's a certain edginess of expectation that disaster is always just around the corner, and relief that thankfully it never comes, often due to Julia's magnificent "saves".
The French Chef is a great drinking game too; for example, every time Julia throws something over her shoulder, or stops what she's doing, looks right at the camera, smiles for a couple of seconds, and then goes back to what she was doing, or re-arranges all the items on the counter top and then re-re-arranges them back to where they were, to no seeming effect: those are take-a-drink moments !-)
So, without further ado, here are the episodes of Julia Child's The French Chef, from 1963 through 1973, that I have been able to find on the Internet.
In addition, here are a number of Julia's later shows, listed in order of her guest chef's name, from her Cooking with Master Chefs, In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs, and Baking With Julia shows, in the '90s. These tend to be quite lovely shows, very relaxing.
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