Canada's "Mr. Showbusiness" was Jack Arthur, whose career had started in vaudeville, who was a violin prodigy, an entertainer on a steamboat, a pit orchestra leader, a theatrical producer, and the producer of the mammoth Grandstand shows at the Canadian National Exhibition. The series, Mr. Showbusiness, had run on radio in the 1953-54 season, and was adapted a year later as a television variety show, broadcast live from Toronto's Studio Four.

The series was cancelled after one season and replaced by the Jackie Rae Show.