Monsieur Tranquille

Monsieur Tranquille is a character in the Canadian children's television series Patof voyage. He is well known for the 1977 disco hit Ma'm Thibault. He was portrayed by actor-comedian Roger Giguère.

Children's TV shows
Mr. Tranquille is first mentioned in the television series Patof raconte (CFTM-TV, 1975). Played by the soundman Roger Giguère, he is an invisible character who interacts with the clown Patof through sound and music effects. It is only in the series Patof voyage (CFTM-TV, 1976) that Roger Giguère embodies him as a puppet.

Lesley Tranquille (a play on words meaning "leave him alone") quickly captures the hearts of children. In January 1977, a single titled Madame Thibault becomes a number one hit in Quebec. A disco version of the song, mostly instrumental except for the phrase "Ma'm Thibault," is created and becomes a club hit. The single is even released in France and Australia, where it gains immense popularity. The song is credited to "Tranquille" to differentiate it from the TV character and is also included on a K-tel double-LP compilation called Disco Fever (1978).

In September 1977, Mr. Tranquille received his own television series called Monsieur Tranquille (CFTM-TV, 1977). To enhance the character's popularity, two LPs, several coloring books and posters, as well as a series of eight comic books illustrated by Henri Desclez, were published.

The following season, a new series titled Le monde de Monsieur Tranquille (CFTM-TV, 1978) was created with a more educational focus. However, the series was canceled midway through the season, largely due to competition with the highly popular Bobino on rival Ici Radio-Canada Télé, which aired in the same timeslot.

Despite having a short career, Mr. Tranquille captured the imagination of a generation of Québécois. Songs such Faut pas me chercher (a duet with Patof, 1976), Madame Thibault (1977), Ça va pas dans l'soulier? (1977), Les monstres (1977), Farnande (1977) and Pepperoni are among his greatest hits.

Television series

 * 1975-1976 Patof raconte
 * 1976-1977 Patof voyage
 * 1977-1978 Monsieur Tranquille
 * 1978 Le monde de Monsieur Tranquille

DVD

 * 2011 Bonjour Patof (Musicor Produits Spéciaux)

Songs
Title / Date / Best rank / Weeks on chart
 * 1977 Madame Thibault / 1977-01-29 / #1 / 19 weeks on chart
 * 1978 Pepperoni / 1978-02-18 / #21 / 3 weeks on chart

Albums
Title / Date / Best rank / Weeks on Top 30
 * 1977 Monsieur Tranquille – Faut pas m'chercher / 1977-03-05 / #3 / 12 weeks in Top 30

Comics

 * 1977 Monsieur Tranquille – N° 1 (illustrated by Henri Desclez; text by Claude Leclerc), Éditions Héritage
 * 1977 Monsieur Tranquille – N° 2 (illustrated by Henri Desclez; text by Claude Leclerc), Éditions Héritage
 * 1977 Monsieur Tranquille – N° 3 : Super-diva (illustrated by Henri Desclez; text by Claude Leclerc), Éditions Héritage
 * 1977 Monsieur Tranquille – N° 4 : Un numéro super explosif! (avec Junior Tranquille et Minibus) (illustrated by Henri Desclez; text by Claude Leclerc), Éditions Héritage
 * 1977 Monsieur Tranquille – N° 5 : Un numéro spatial (avec Junior Tranquille et Minibus) (illustrated by Henri Desclez; text by Claude Leclerc), Éditions Héritage
 * 1977 Monsieur Tranquille – N° 6 : Un numéro fumeux!... (11 pages de jeux et d'activités) (illustrated by Henri Desclez; text by Claude Leclerc), Éditions Héritage
 * 1978 Monsieur Tranquille – N° 7 (illustrated by Henri Desclez; text by Claude Leclerc), Éditions Héritage
 * 1978 Monsieur Tranquille – N° 8 (illustrated by Henri Desclez; text by Claude Leclerc), Éditions Héritage

Awards and Recognitions

 * 1977 Golden record for the single Madame Thibault