Quentin Durgens, M.P.

Quentin Durgens, M.P. is 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]

Quentin Durgens, M.P.
StarringGordon Pinsent
Country of originCanada
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes41
Production
ProducersDavid Gardner
Kirk Jones
John Trent
Ron Weyman
Running time60 minutes
Release
Original networkCBC
Original releaseOctober 7, 1965 (1965-10-07) –
February 4, 1969 (1969-02-04)

Set in Ottawa, Ontario and the fictional community of Moose Falls,[lower-alpha 1] 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 House of Commons of Canada, 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]

Notes
  1. whose scenes were filmed in Georgetown, Ontario[5]

References
  1. Quentin Durgens, M.P. at the Museum of Broadcast Communications.
  2. "Writer created TV series Quentin Durgens M.P.". The Globe and Mail, November 11, 2000.
  3. "Durgens, TV MP". The Globe and Mail, October 6, 1965.
  4. "QUENTIN DURGENS MP". The Globe and Mail, December 3, 1966.
  5. "Announce Viewing Dates for Durgens Shows Filmed Here". Georgetown Herald. September 19, 1968. p. 10.


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