McQueen (TV series)

Last updated
McQueen
Genredrama
Created byGeorge Salverson
Written byBryan Barney
John Fisher
Jack Gray
Donald Jack
Leslie MacFarlane
Ian Ross
George Salverson
Directed byRené Bonnière
Peter Carter
Kirk Jones
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
Production
Executive producerRonald Weyman
Original release
Network CBC Television
Release23 September 1969 (1969-09-23) 
18 September 1970 (1970-09-18)

McQueen was a Canadian drama television series which aired on CBC Television from 1969 to 1970.

Contents

Premise

The plot features newspaper columnist McQueen (Ted Follows) whose The Actioneer feature exposed fraud artists and dubious businesses. He was assisted by Denise (Daphne Gibson) and Natasha (Jan Goldin).

The pilot episode, "There's a Car Upside-Down on My Lawn", concerned the disposition of an abandoned vehicle. The episode won two Canadian Film Awards in 1969, for Best Director (Francis Chapman) and Best Actress in a Non-Feature (Josephine Barrington).

Jenny (Margot Kidder) was featured in two episodes as an employee of McQueen's newspaper. In one episode, she helped expose a scam at a talent agency while in the other she sought McQueen's help for a Vietnam draft evader she was dating.

The series was inspired by Frank Drea's Action Line column of the Toronto Telegram , whose newsroom was used to film scenes for the series. [1]

Guest actors during the series included Ruth Springford, Austin Willis and Louis Zorich.

Scheduling

McQueen was broadcast on Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern) from 23 September 1969 until 18 September 1970. The show was not well-received; by January, the newly installed head of CBC Entertainment was quoted in the Toronto Star as saying: "Everybody knows it's a failure now, but unfortunately we're stuck with it for the rest of the season."

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"You'll Never Be Lonely"UnknownUnknown23 September 1969 (1969-09-23)
McQueen rescues a victim from a social club with an outrageous contract, but discovers that some other members don't want to be rescued.
2"Mr. Flim-Flam"UnknownUnknown30 September 1969 (1969-09-30)
McQueen confronts a discount vacuum salesman, whose $10 vacuums are worthless.
3"Faith Healer"UnknownUnknown7 October 1969 (1969-10-07)
McQueen sets out to expose a faith healer as a confidence trickster, but the reality is more complex.
4"How Could You Use A Poor Maiden So?"UnknownUnknown14 October 1969 (1969-10-14)
A North Bay motel owner asks McQueen to write about an expensive cigarette lighter left behind in a room -- which leads to a revelation of infidelity.
5"All The World's A Stage"UnknownUnknown21 October 1969 (1969-10-21)
McQueen goes up against an acting agency that rakes in money from would-be actors, but doesn't deliver employment.
6"The Elevator"UnknownUnknown28 October 1969 (1969-10-28)
McQueen fights on behalf of tenants who are facing an arbitrary and unreasonable building manager.
7"Brotherly Love"UnknownUnknown4 November 1969 (1969-11-04)
McQueen and Denise try to outwit a couple of con artists raising money for a non-existent orphanage.
8"There's A Car Upside-Down On My Lawn"UnknownUnknown11 November 1969 (1969-11-11)
McQueen struggles with one bureaucratic nightmare after another, as he tries to help a couple get rid of an abandoned car on their property.
9"Home Is Where The Draft Ain't"UnknownUnknown18 November 1969 (1969-11-18)
A young woman in McQueen's office is in love with a draft dodger, working in Canada illegally.
10"Vanity, Vanity"UnknownUnknown25 November 1969 (1969-11-25)
A would-be novelist gets suckered into investing his life savings into a vanity publishing scam.
11"The Man With The Green Head"UnknownUnknown2 December 1969 (1969-12-02)
McQueen tries to get a refund for a man who fell for a phony hair restoration scheme.
12"The Book"UnknownUnknown9 December 1969 (1969-12-09)
McQueen and Denise find a valuable rare book donated to a newspaper-sponsored book drive.
13"T Is For Teacher"UnknownUnknown16 December 1969 (1969-12-16)
McQueen champions the reinstatement of a teacher fired for her political beliefs.
14"When You Have Lived Too Long"UnknownUnknown23 December 1969 (1969-12-23)
McQueen tries to secure a job for a lonely 70-year-old.
15"A Small Deposit"UnknownUnknown30 December 1969 (1969-12-30)
McQueen goes undercover to get a young woman her deposit back on some unwanted furniture.
16"The Skirt"UnknownUnknown6 January 1970 (1970-01-06)
McQueen faces off against a teacher who has banned skirts and sideburns in his class.
17"The Delightful Monster"UnknownUnknown13 January 1970 (1970-01-13)
A woman begs McQueen to help her get a passport, which the authorities have denied her.
18"Walk, Don't Run"UnknownUnknown27 January 1970 (1970-01-27)
McQueen defends a young man mistakenly arrested for shoplifting.
19"Jerry and Jan"UnknownUnknown3 February 1970 (1970-02-03)
McQueen is called on to intervene when a couple of Nova Scotia drifters stay with relatives for weeks, running up outrageous bills.
20"Carnival"UnknownUnknown10 February 1970 (1970-02-10)
McQueen helps a woman get a refund on a cancelled flight to Jamaica, but discovers others may be in danger of getting ripped off.
21"Five Hectic Hours"UnknownUnknown17 February 1970 (1970-02-17)
McQueen and Denise try to help a young couple get married.
22"Bombs Don't Need A Fuse"UnknownUnknown24 February 1970 (1970-02-24)
McQueen goes after used-car dealers selling "bombs" -- cars they know to have serious, life-threatening defects.
23"The Last Of The Medicine Man"UnknownUnknown10 March 1970 (1970-03-10)
McQueen and Denise go after an old-fashioned pitchman, selling worthless bric-a-brac at wildly inflated prices.
24"Who Only Stand And Wait"UnknownUnknown17 March 1970 (1970-03-17)
McQueen becomes involved with two lonely people (an artist and a poet) who may be perfect for each other.
25"Emma Doesn't Live Here Anymore"UnknownUnknown24 March 1970 (1970-03-24)
McQueen investigates the disappearance of an elderly woman from her home. With Cathleen Nesbitt.
26"Rewrite Column Four"UnknownUnknown31 March 1970 (1970-03-31)
A friend on a rival newspaper is fired, and McQueen thinks it night be because the publisher is trying to cover up a scandal about an unsafe building.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Jewison</span> Canadian filmmaker (1926–2024)

Norman Frederick Jewison was a Canadian filmmaker. He was known for directing films which addressed topical social and political issues, often making controversial or complicated subjects accessible to mainstream audiences. Among numerous other accolades, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director three times in three separate decades, for In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), and Moonstruck (1987). He was nominated for an additional four Oscars, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award, and won a BAFTA Award. He received the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences's Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorne Greene</span> Canadian actor (1915–1987)

Lorne Hyman Greene was a Canadian actor, musician, singer and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western Bonanza and Commander Adama in the original science-fiction television series Battlestar Galactica and Galactica 1980. He also worked on the Canadian television nature documentary series Lorne Greene's New Wilderness and in television commercials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Mochrie</span> Canadian comedic actor

Colin Andrew Mochrie is a Scottish-born Canadian actor, writer, producer and improvisational comedian, best known for his appearances on the British and American versions of the improvisational TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Walsh (actress)</span> Canadian actress, comedian, and writer (born 1952)

Mary Cynthia Walsh is a Canadian actress, comedian, and writer. She is known for her work on CODCO and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

<i>Mr. Dressup</i> Canadian childrens television series

Mr. Dressup is a Canadian children's television series, starring Ernie Coombs, a former understudy of Fred Rogers, in the title role. It ran on CBC from 1967 to 1996, soon becoming an iconic presence in Canadian media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Burroughs</span> Canadian actress (1939–2010)

Jacqueline Burroughs was a British-born Canadian actress. Burroughs starred in over 100 films and television shows over her career, including Heavy Metal, The Care Bears Movie, The Grey Fox, and Anne of Green Gables, and was best known for her role as Hetty King in the TV series Road to Avonlea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Polley</span> Canadian actress, film director and screenwriter

Sarah Ellen Polley is a Canadian filmmaker, writer, political activist and retired actress. She first garnered attention as a child actress for her role as Ramona Quimby in the television series Ramona, based on Beverly Cleary's books. This subsequently led to her role as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series Road to Avonlea (1990–1996). She has starred in many feature films, including The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Exotica (1994), The Sweet Hereafter (1997), Guinevere (1999), Go (1999), The Weight of Water (2000), No Such Thing (2001), My Life Without Me (2003), Dawn of the Dead (2004), Splice (2009), and Mr. Nobody (2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief Dan George</span> Chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, actor (1899–1981)

Chief Dan George was a chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, a Coast Salish band whose Indian reserve is located on Burrard Inlet in the southeast area of the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He also was an actor, musician, poet and author. The Chief's best-known written work is My Heart Soars. As an actor, he is best remembered for portraying Old Lodge Skins opposite Dustin Hoffman in Little Big Man (1970), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and for his role in The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), as Lone Watie, opposite Clint Eastwood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jully Black</span> Canadian singer, songwriter and actress

Jully Black is a Canadian singer, songwriter and actress. She has released 4 studio albums, and 2 remix EPs. She has collaborated and written for many artists, including Nas, Saukrates, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Destiny's Child, and Sean Paul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Harron</span> Canadian actor and comedian

Donald Hugh Harron, was a Canadian comedian, actor, director, journalist, author, playwright, and composer. Harron is best remembered by American audiences as a member of the cast of the long-running country music series Hee Haw, on which he played his signature character of Charlie Farquharson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Rozema</span> Canadian film director, writer and producer

Patricia Rozema is a Canadian film director, writer and producer. She was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debra McGrath</span> Canadian actress

Debra McGrath is a Canadian actress and comedian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Shebib</span> Canadian film director (1938–2023)

Donald Everett Shebib was a Canadian film and television director. Shebib was a central figure in the development of English Canadian cinema who made several short documentaries for the National Film Board of Canada and CBC Television in the 1960s before turning to feature films, beginning with the influential Goin' Down the Road (1970) and what many call his masterpiece, Between Friends (1973). He soon became frustrated by the bureaucratic process of film funding in Canada and chronic problems with distribution as well as a string of box office disappointments. After Heartaches (1981), he made fewer films for theatrical release and worked more in television.

<i>Life with Derek</i> Canadian sitcom

Life with Derek is a Canadian television teen sitcom that aired on Family Channel (English) and VRAK.TV (French) in Canada and on Disney Channel in the United States. The series premiered on Family on September 18, 2005, and ran for four seasons, ending its run on March 25, 2009. Reruns currently air on Family Channel and previously aired on multiplex sister channel Family Chrgd. The series stars Michael Seater as the titular character and Ashley Leggat as his step-sister Casey. These are the two oldest children in a stepfamily.

<i>Murdoch Mysteries</i> Canadian television series

Murdoch Mysteries is a Canadian television drama series that premiered on Citytv on January 20, 2008, and currently airs on CBC. The series is based on characters from the Detective Murdoch novels by Maureen Jennings and stars Yannick Bisson as William Murdoch, a police detective working in Toronto, Ontario in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The series was titled The Artful Detective on the Ovation cable TV network in the United States, until season twelve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semi Chellas</span> American screenwriter

Semi Chellas is a director, writer, producer who has written for film, television and magazines. She was born in Palo Alto, California and grew up in Calgary, Alberta. She is known for her work on the television series Mad Men and her film adaptation of American Woman based on Susan Choi's novel of the same name.

<i>Death or Canada</i> Canadian–Irish television docudrama

Death or Canada is a two-part Canadian–Irish docudrama which was broadcast in Ireland on RTÉ One in November/December 2008. In the UK on The History Channel UK in January and February 2009 as Fleeing The Famine. The film was also featured as part of the celebrations for Toronto's 175th anniversary.

Corwin was a Canadian drama television series which aired on CBC Television from 1969 to 1971.

Program X is a Canadian anthology television series which aired on CBC Television from 1970 to 1973.

The Weaker(?) Sex is a Canadian talk show television series which aired on CBC Television from 1968 to 1969.

References

  1. Corcelli, John (August 2005). "McQueen". Canadian Communications Foundation. Retrieved 7 May 2010.