The Cabin in the Clearing

I remember watching this series avidly as a schoolboy and I was saddened to learn no copy of it remains. Although filmed entirely in the studio the story line about a group of settlers defending their home in 18th century Canada was so good that the wobbly trees and fake log cabin were easily ignored after all we had much less sophisticated tastes compared to the youngsters of today. We loved the musket flashes and the smoke and the tomahawks and bows and arrows, all brilliant stuff for us boys. Filmed and broadcast in black and white to our twelve inch, 405 line televisions the visual quality was not good but we could forgive all that back in the fifties. TV for the masses had yet to arrive in the UK and my Mum often gave "tea" to friends who had no television of their own and who came to our house to watch. Great stuff and a shame no copy survives.

I also remember watching and enjoying the series as a young boy and apart form the three comments above I have never come across anyone else who remembers it. I have recently conducted a little research on-line and it appears the series consisting of 5 episodes, was originally shown LIVE at 5.pm on a Tuesday evening between 14th February and 16th March 1954. It was later filmed (partly with the same cast) and broadcast on a Sunday evening between 4th January and 1st February 1959. Times varied between 5.35pm and 5.40pm. I was born in June 1951 and have no doubt it was the filmed 1959 version I remember. Most of this information I found by visiting and clicking on Issues whereby you can see scans of archived copies of The Radio Times. The 1954 entries give content details of the individual programmes.

Listening, as I am this evening, to a BBC 'Prom' concert in England, I am reminded of the thrills 'The cabin in the clearing" gave me as a small child, inspired by the use of Dvorak's 9th symphony ('From the New World') throughout the series (as best I remember).

I think I must have seen the series as a repeat, as I think a 2-year-old just wouldn't have related to it. I think I saw it sometime after 1957. I found it all tremendously exciting and am quite surprised to learn, from this site, that it comprised only five episodes. It seemed to me to fill a whole winter of Saturday (or perhaps Sunday) evenings.

Yes, I don't doubt the production was pretty feeble by today's standards, but I was riveted by the action.

But mainly, thanks to the Dvorak, it set me on a lifelong love affair with classical music. And the sign of great music, is that this piece - not my favourite by any means - is as fresh today as over 50 years ago. Thank you, BBC.

I was about six when this series was on.It scared the living daylights out of me.I have read since it was a cheap production,shaking walls etc.😊

I, like the only other reviewer of this programme, regret that no copy exists of those priceless BBC children's hour 1950s serial drama recordings.All I can now remember seeing on our one channel 1954 (BBC) Murphy TV set was seeing the actor Euen Solon dressed as a native north American Indian laying siege to a settlers' log cabin.As this 68 year old looks back, I realise the BBC 1950s children's drama hour output was very literate and I can still remember seeing "The Railway Children", "The Secret Garden", "Peter Simple", "The Gordon Honour", & other children's classics from 5p.m. on a weekday.When we visited my cousin they had from 1955 a set with the ITV (commercial network), so I was able to see "The Adventures of Robin Hood" starring Richard Greene!