CBC Television has cracked open its Beachcombers vaults. Last week, the public broadcaster released four episodes of the iconic Canadian television series on its CBC Gem streaming service.
The Beachcombers TV series originally ran for 19 seasons, from October 1972 to December 1990.
The program chronicled the fictional adventures of Nick Adonidas, a log salvager, and his business partner Jesse Jim (played by Bruno Gerussi and Pat John respectively). Together with the parsimonious humbug Relic (Robert Clothier) and an affable RCMP officer, John Constable (Jackson Davies), the show introduced worldwide audiences to its Coast setting.
“In recognition of the 50th anniversary of The Beachcombers, CBC has worked to make a small selection of episodes available to stream on CBC Gem,” said Simon Bassett, a public relations manager for CBC’s marketing and communications department. “Various rights for the series were negotiated decades ago with the actors, writers, musicians and creators, who own these rights, and the cost to make more episodes available would be prohibitive as a result.”
The long-awaited release was discussed during an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of The Beachcombers, held at Molly’s Reach in Gibsons last September.
“We are pleased to be able to offer these episodes to celebrate the legacy of The Beachcombers and hope audiences in Canada enjoy revisiting this iconic show,” added Bassett.
Episodes of the long-running program are famously inaccessible. Although some overseas broadcasters still run the program in syndication, in Canada only a limited number of half-hour shows have been recently available on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.
The earliest episode released by CBC, the series’ original broadcaster, is from three years into The Beachcombers’ run. The Hexman originally aired on Novmber 16, 1975. Both it and Wolf Song (from November 1977) include elements of Indigenous culture.
An episode from September 1979 features Québécois singer René Simard, who was awarded the Order of Canada in 2014. The final broadcast, from December 12, 1990 and titled Sunset, is also included in the selection of episodes.
CBC has added a content warning to the four shows. “The following program is presented as originally created,” intones the clip. “Please be advised that it contains language, attitudes and cultural depictions that are offensive and disturbing,” the message continues. The Beachcombers originally aired at the family-friendly Sunday evening slot of 7:30 p.m.
Actor Jackson Davies offered his perspective in an online discussion forum dedicated to Beachcombers fans. "I want to acknowledge all the work CBC has put into streaming the four episodes," Davies said. "It hasn't been easy, but we got four, so let's stream the hell out of it. The quality is fabulous. I wish I looked that good at 50! Kudos to the restoration team at the CBC."
The free CBC Gem streaming service with the newly-released Beachcombers episodes is available by browsing to gem.cbc.ca.
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