Quentin Durgens, M.P.
| Quentin Durgens, M.P. | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Gordon Pinsent |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 41 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBC |
| Original release | October 7, 1965 – February 4, 1969 |
Quentin Durgens, M.P. was 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 and the fictional community of Moose Falls, 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 Canadian House of Commons, 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]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 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.
- 1 2 3 4 "Durgens, TV MP". The Globe and Mail, October 6, 1965.
- 1 2 3 "QUENTIN DURGENS MP". The Globe and Mail, December 3, 1966.