Quentin Durgens, M.P.

One of the blessings of growing up on the border between the United States and Canada was that one got to see some very interesting television programs on the CBC, most of which are virtually unknown in this country. interestingly, one of the best was apparently inspired by a little remembered, but highly regarded, American TV show about politics. In the mid sixties, Richard Crenna starred in a short -lived, but highly praised, television drama on CBS called " Slattery's People". It focused on an state legislator in a nameless southwestern state,and his often eccentric constituents. As soon as the show was canceled, The Canadians came up with a similar show, starring Gordon Pinsent as an idealistic M.P. from rural Ontario. It lasted four seasons and helped make Pinsent a national celebrity in Canada. It was one of the first, if not the first, hour-long TV shows in Canadian history. I saw one episode when I was younger. It has never been rerun, even in Canada.