Quentin Durgens, M.P.: Difference between revisions
A retrospective assessment of the series Tag: Reverted |
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The cast also included Suzanne Lévesque, Budd Knapp, [[Cec Linder]], [[Ovila Légaré]] and [[Chris Wiggins]].<ref name=mbc/> |
The cast also included Suzanne Lévesque, Budd Knapp, [[Cec Linder]], [[Ovila Légaré]] and [[Chris Wiggins]].<ref name=mbc/> |
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==Retrospective Assessment== |
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''Quentin Durgens, M.P.'' provided a forum for discussing important policy issues at the time (French-English relations, immigration policy, policy towards indigenous Canadians) as well as issues of parliamentary governance (powers of committees). It was not a popular success because it was competing with the CBC's ''Wojeck,'' a series about an activist coroner, modeled on Ontario's Morton Shulman, and because of the limitations of its narrative arc. Durgens remains a maverick and single backbencher to the end of the series, neither achieving higher office nor moving on in his personal life. The fictional Durgens was eclipsed by Pierre Trudeau, who moved from the backbenches to Prime Minister. Unfortunately, episodes, some on tape, are available only at the CBC Archives in downtown Toronto. The CBC is digitizing its archive and hopefully that initiative will make this pioneering and thought-provoking television series readily available online. <ref>http://www.sandfordborins.com/2020/08/06/precursors-without-successors/</ref> |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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Revision as of 22:48, 2 December 2020
| Quentin Durgens, M.P. | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Gordon Pinsent |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 41 |
| Production | |
| Producers | David Gardner Kirk Jones John Trent Ron Weyman |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBC |
| Release | October 7, 1965 – February 4, 1969 |
Quentin Durgens, M.P. is a Canadian dramatic television series, which aired on CBC Television from 1965 to 1969.[1] It was one of the first hour-long drama series produced by the CBC, and helped to establish Gordon Pinsent as a major star in Canada.[1] Created by George Robertson,[2] the series first aired in 1965 under the title Mr. Member of Parliament, as a short-run series within the CBC's drama anthology The Serial.[3] It was spun off into a standalone series and retitled Quentin Durgens, M.P. in its second season.[4]
Set in Ottawa, Ontario and the fictional community of Moose Falls,[a] the series starred Pinsent as Quentin Durgens, an idealistic young lawyer who wins election as a Member of Parliament, succeeding his father in a by-election after his father's death in office.[3] Durgens was a backbench member of the governing party in the House of Commons,[4] but had a maverick streak and aspired to do the right thing even if it wasn't politically expedient.[4] Some of the storylines within the series were fictionalized depictions of real-life events in Canadian politics,[1] and the series incorporated some documentary filmmaking techniques inspired by the National Film Board.[1] Alan Macnaughton, the retiring Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, and David Vivian Currie, the incumbent Sergeant-at-Arms, served as script consultants to ensure that Canadian political process was accurately depicted.[3]
The series was frequently compared in the Canadian press to Slattery's People, an American series about a state legislator which aired on CBS in the 1964–65 season.[3]
The cast also included Suzanne Lévesque, Budd Knapp, Cec Linder, Ovila Légaré and Chris Wiggins.[1]
Notes
- ^ whose scenes were filmed in Georgetown, Ontario[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e Quentin Durgens, M.P. at the Museum of Broadcast Communications.
- ^ "Writer created TV series Quentin Durgens M.P.". The Globe and Mail, November 11, 2000.
- ^ a b c d "Durgens, TV MP". The Globe and Mail, October 6, 1965.
- ^ a b c "QUENTIN DURGENS MP". The Globe and Mail, December 3, 1966.
- ^ "Announce Viewing Dates for Durgens Shows Filmed Here". Georgetown Herald. September 19, 1968. p. 10.
External links
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