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| Durham County | Judith Klassen
Movie Entertainment
July 2010
Remember when you were stuffing your backpack to travel abroad and your mom sewed a Maple Leaf on it to let foreign folks know you were a Canadian so that they would treat you with kindness? Back in the day, people the world over ingested our humble TV fare and imagined we were the Littlest Hobo rescuing those in trouble for a scratch behind the ears; salt-of-the-earth beachcombers; angsty but über-real teens (Degrassi); or sexy, dorky Mounties (Due South). And, hey, just maybe we had resourceful relatives back home who looked just like Paul Gross.
The Beachcombers, a Canuck TV phenomenon, ran from 1972 to 1990, but more impressive was the fact that the small show, set on boats, along sparse beachfront and in a quaint café called Molly’s Reach, had a wide international audience. Yes, Molly’s reach extended far beyond the tranquil shores of Gibsons, B.C. The adventures of the Greek-Canadian log salvager (Bruno Gerussi) played out on TV screens in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa and Egypt.
The Beachcombers was also a huge hit in West Germany, and reception (via antenna) was even possible in large parts of then-communist East Germany. Imaginewhat that must that have been like for the people trapped behind those guarded walls; cagey characters like Relic (Robert Clothier) probably rang true: “Why, he’s just like my cousin Werner who works with the Stasi!” Meanwhile, the sumptuous West Coast scenery, and sympathetic Molly (Rae Brown) rustling up pies and breakfast, must have seemed like a beautiful dream.
In the ’80s, Seeing Things, a comedic mystery series about a journalist (Louis Del Grande) who solves murders using his ability to see visions (think Medium starring a Catholic Mr. Kotter), was watched in Europe, Singapore, South Africa, Australia and the U.S. In the ’90s, the Paul Haggis creation Due South was sold all over the world. The quirky series, the first Canuck-made show to hit American prime time, toyed brilliantly with a Canadian stereotype: the uptight polite guy. Due South takes a Mountie and drops him on the streets of Chicago where he uses his dog, agility and human decency to solve crimes. If we hadn’t completely charmed the world with our feel-good Beachcombers, we hooked them with this. We don’t need guns to solve crimes, just subtle superpowers, good manners and snug jodhpurs.
Possibly the Canadian TV series that has had the most profound impact on the rest of the world is our heartfelt homegrown teen drama, Degrassi. Unlike its American counterpart, 90210, which had glossy, bratty 20-somethings portraying high school students, Degrassi had a cast of authentic, awkward teens. The fantastically popular, set-in- Toronto series was reinvented to address modern times, so Degrassi: The Next Generation now takes on edgier topics like school shootings, rape, gangs and self-harm.
Now that we’re exporting hard-edged fare like Degrassi: The Next Generation, taking out snipers on Flashpoint, shaking down perps on The Border and fighting serial killers and child murderers in Durham County, perhaps our television shows are adding to the perception that we’re becoming a colder and nastier land. Have we lost our perceived innocence? Have we become The Ugly Canadian? It might be time to rip the Maple Leaf patch off our backpacks, or at the very least click our heels together and admit we’re not in Kitchener anymore.
What I’ve Learned About our Canadian TV Personality
We are a diverse people with a penchant for coroners, political comedy, remote locations, homespun singers and quirky kids’ shows. Here’s an abbreviated list of the Canuck shows and/or performers shouted out to me by the good people of Facebook.
Try singing this to the tune of, “I’ve Been Everywhere, Man …”
We’re SCTV, The Newsroom, Wojeck, Corner Gas, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Tommy Hunter, Da Vinci’s Inquest, Traders, The Kids in the Hall, Romper Room, This Hour Has Seven Days, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Front Page Challenge,Royal Canadian Air Farce, Rick Mercer,Codco, Trailer Park Boys, Don Messer,Rita MacNeil, Wayne and Shuster, Rent-a-Goalie, Hinterland Who’s Who, ZOS: Zone of Separation, Durham County,Blood Ties, ReGenesis, Due South,King of Kensington, Mr. Dressup, The Friendly Giant … we’ve been everywhere!
Judith Klassen is a Toronto writer.
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