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.

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.

There is not a Canadian over the age of 25 that is not familiar with Nick and his life in Gibson's Landing as portrayed on The Beachcombers. To me, there is no CBC series that has become an icon as The Beachcombers have. The strongest was the first 5 season, 1971-1976, before the show lost Hughie and Jesse. Of course, as any long running series (Canada's longest), many original cast members left and in the end, it was only Nick and Relic. A bit hokey, but that was the CBC back then. Filmed on location on the British Columbian coast.

This show is dated but it's still a Canadian classic. And who would have believed it would have stayed on anywhere near as long as it did? It's like Coronation Street but just about these people gathering wood on beaches and the adventures they fall into. Crazy.

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.