The Beachcombers

My public school days come flooding back to me all over again. Every Sunday night, I would watch this show religiously when I was a little kid. I used to call it "The Boat Show" before I ever knew what the name of it was. I thought it was so cool to see these guys ride around in their little boats and collect logs, then go drink coffee at Molly's Reach. Instead of Canadians portraying themselves as hard-drinking hosers, this show was a positive role model for our country. These life-loving vital people have a lot of humour and really share the expansive land. Man, they don't make them like this anymore. Too bad. Its simple love of life and people is totally endearing; it still towers above most of the crapola that crowds most of the tube today. Every Sunday night after I watched this, I would go take a bath, and play with my boats in the tub. Sometimes art and life are connected more closely than we think.

I grew up in the Muskoka area in Ontario and remember watching The Beachcombers every Sunday evening. It was one of the last shows of the evening we were allowed to stay up and watch before bed time. It really is hard to believe "Nick" and "Relic" are both gone. They will be forever remembered with a fondness that a lot of Canadians felt for the show. So many of our Canadian icons have fallen the last few years that it serves to remind us how quickly time passes. Nick, Relic, Mr. Dressup, Friendly Giant all legends in their own right to a generation of thankful youngsters who are quickly entering into the final leg of their own journey through life. Let the younger "Boomers" reflect on their own childhood and bring The Beachcombers back to Mollys Reach and Edmonton and Bracebridge and Halifax...

I grew up watching the tv series. I used to go down to Lower Gibsons and watch them film some of the episodes when I was a kid. Now that I have moved to Ontario, I try to watch it whenever the reruns are on and even the tv movie "The New Beachcombers" I wish they would start up a new series like the old one.....I miss it so.

Sunday nights in Canada were never complete until "The Beachcombers" were over. Now, one can watch the show in all it's glory on TV Land Canada, Thank God for the CRTC and their Canadian Content rules or this could be a lost gem. While a graduate student in the US, I was surprised at the number of American students who were close to the border and fell in love with "The Beachcombers", I even remember the commercials that Bruno Gerussi used to do for McCain's back then. It is indeed sad that Nick, Molly, and Relic are no longer with us as that would have made for a better TV reunion movie. Thanks again to TV Land Canada, your continued support of "The Beachcombers" is graciously appreciated by the fans.

The Beachcombers was broadcast on UK children's television in the mid-1970's and I grew to be quite fond of it. Even then I thought Bruno Gerussi seemed a bit long in the tooth to play an action-based role, but there seemed to be good chemistry between him and Pat John as his boat hand, Jesse. Seeing a few episodes which have been posted on the internet recently I find the performances quite wooden, and the character of Relic is such a caricature he's embarrassing. One particular episode I remember had Jesse saving all his money for a potlatch (a Native American ceremony where every guest much receive a gift, however small), then giving it away to someone down on their luck. Chief Dan George (who was the go-to actor for wise Native American elders after his role in "Little Big Man") turned up to say maybe this was a new way of potlatching, giving all you could for your friends. Thanks for the memories Beachcombers, but I think I will let you stay a fond memory.