On the Spot (Canadian TV series) explained

Runtime:13-30 minutes
Creator:Bernard Devlin
Presenter:Fred Davis
Robert Anderson
Lloyd Bochner
Austin Willis
Country:Canada
Company:National Film Board of Canada
Network:CBC
Num Seasons:3
Num Episodes:66
Executive Producer:Robert Anderson
Related:Perspective

On the Spot was the first television series made specifically for TV by the National Film Board of Canada, and aired on CBC Television from 1953 to 1955.[1] Each episode reported on a different aspect of life in Canada and was introduced with the line "The National Film Board’s up-to-the-minute report of what’s happening somewhere in Canada”.[2] The series was originated by Bernard Devlin, with Robert Anderson as executive producer.[3]

The series debuted on October 6, 1953, at 7:45 pm and ran until June 30, 1955, for a total of 66 episodes. Episodes were from 13 to 30 minutes, with the CBC running one or two in one time slot. The series changed time slots frequently, playing as late as 11:45 pm on Monday nights before going to Sundays at 4:30 pm. The second season aired on Sundays at 10 pm. Cancelled after the 15th episode of the third season, On the Spot was replaced by Perspective, a 30-minute show that mixed documentary reports and dramatizations on contemporary Canadian issues.[4]

Episodes included Survival in the Bush, with producer Robert Anderson, acting as host, apparently dropped off in northern Quebec armed with just an axe; The Dresden Story, looking at racism in a small Ontario town, where the town's white and black populations insisted on being filmed separately; and Artist in Montreal, written and directed by Jean Palardy, looking at the Automatistes movement.[4] [5]

Transpacific Flight involved an account of a flight across the Pacific Ocean in 1953, based on first-person interviews of the flight crew by Fred Davis.[6] Another aviation-themed episode was Radar Station (1953). The documentary involved an account of a visit to a radar station while it was involved in a simulated air attack and was based on first-person interviews, by RCAF Squadron Leader Bill Lee, of the station's staff.[7]

One episode that was cancelled was Backstage at Parliament, on the workings of the Canadian Parliament, with a mock session with actual members of Parliament. When the film was shown to the Prime Minister's Office, there were complaints about showing a session of Parliament without including the PM and the NFB was forced to shelve the episode.[4]

The episode Alcoholism won the Frigon Trophy for Best Canadian Television Programme on Film at the 1957 Gala Radiomonde et Télémonde.[8]

Regards sur le Canada

Three On the Spot episodes were produced in French: Alcoholism (L'alcoolisme, est-ce une maladie?), Artists in Montreal (Artiste à Montréal) and Better Business Bureau. Devlin and Anderson then produced a French series for Quebec, Regards sur le Canada.[9] Thirty-nine 30-minute episodes of Regards sur le Canada aired on Radio-Canada from late 1953 through 1955. It was not new programming; this series was a combination of previously-released, market-appropriate documentaries and episodes of Eye Witness.

Episodes

(Air dates are unavailable)[10]

1953

TitleDirectorProducerLength
The Winnipeg StoryBernard DevlinBernard Devlin14:34 min.
Winnipeg BalletBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
OilBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
Transpacific FlightBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
It's Raining Soldiers!Bernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
Football StoryBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
Hotel StoryBernard DevlinBernard Devlin13 min.
The Zoo in Stanley ParkBernard DevlinBernard Devlin14:47 min.
The Mounties' Crime LabBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
Saskatchewan Farm MuseumBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
Radar StationAllen StarkAllen Stark15 min.

1954

TitleDirectorProducerLength
School for CharmBernard DevlinAllen Stark30 min.
Dresden StoryJulian BiggsGrant McLean
Julian Biggs
Gordon Burwash		30 min.
Story of a NewspaperJulian BiggsBernard Devlin14:12 min.
Laurentian SkiingAllen Stark Bernard Devlin15 min.
Test PilotAllen Stark Bernard Devlin15 min.
The Strong Man Bernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
Threshermen’s ReunionRollo GambleRobert Anderson30 min.
Survival in the BushBernard DevlinRobert Anderson30 min.
The Traffic CopJack OlsenBernard Devlin15 min.
Javanese DancingBernard DevlinJulian Biggs15 min.
On Leave in TokyoBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
Police Club for BoysAllen Stark Bernard Devlin15 min.
Artist in MontrealJean PalardyRobert Anderson30 min.
Hidden PowerJohn FeeneyAllen Stark30 min.
Movies in the MillAllen StarkBernard Devlin15 min.
Judo - JinksBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
Chinese CanadiansAllen StarkRobert Anderson30 min.
Food and Drug PatrolAllen StarkAllen Stark30 min.
Korea, After the WarBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
Aviation MedicineBernard Devlin15 min.
End of TourBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
Auto ProductionAllen Stark15 min.
Chosen ChildrenBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
Workshop for ScienceGordon Burwash
Grant McLean		Gordon Burwash
Grant McLean		30 min.
Better Business BureauBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
Camera MenAllen Stark Bernard Devlin15 min.
The MagnificentJulian BiggsRobert Anderson30 min.
How to Climb a MountainWalford HewitsonRobert Anderson30 min.
The Doll FactoryJulian BiggsBernard Devlin15 min.
Deep SleepJack OlsenBernard Devlin15 min.
The Car MartWalford HewitsonBernard Devlin15 min.
Cancer ClinicAllen StarkBernard Devlin15 min.
Bureau of Missing PersonsBernard DevlinAllen Stark30 min.
Curtain Time in Ottawa Bernard DevlinBernard Devlin14:21 min.
Harness RacingBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
French CuisineBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
The Magic MenJack Olsen Bernard Devlin15 min.
Micro MoviesBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.
Montreal Fire DepartmentAllen Stark Allen Stark 15 min.
Vancouver's ChinatownBernard DevlinBernard Devlin15 min.

1955

TitleDirectorProducerLength
Christmas Comes TwiceGordon Burwash
Grant McLean		Gordon Burwash
Grant McLean		30 min.
Routine FlightGordon Burwash
Grant McLean		Gordon Burwash
Grant McLean		30 min.
Trends in TextilesRollo GambleAllen Stark30 min.
Vertical FlightGrant McLeanGrant McLean30 min.
Two Countries, One StreetRobert Anderson30 min.
Maritime MontageJulian Biggs
Rollo Gamble 		Robert Anderson30 min.
Lunenburg - Home of the BluenoseErnest Reid Robert Anderson30 min.
Gold Rush LandAllen StarkRobert Anderson30 min.
Food FactsJohn FeeneyAllen Stark30 min.
Prairie UniversityJohn FeeneyRobert Anderson30 min.
Forest WardensAllen StarkAllen Stark30 min.
Backstage at ParliamentDon HaldaneAllen Stark30 min.
Child Guidance ClinicDon HaldaneAllen Stark30 min.
AlcoholismDon HaldaneAllen Stark30 min.
Career CollegeRollo GambleAllen Stark30 min.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Series - On the Spot . onf-nfb.gc.ca . National Film Board of Canada . 19 February 2023.
  2. Web site: On the Spot . nfb.ca . National Film Board of Canada . 15 April 2023.
  3. Allan, Blaine. "CBC Television Series, 1952-1982." Queen's Film and Media: Queen's University. Retrieved: January 21, 2016.
  4. Ohayon, Albert. "On the Spot: The NFB in the early days of television." National Film Board of Canada (NFB.ca), April 14, 2010. Retrieved: January 21, 2016.
  5. Book: Robertson. Clive. Policy Matters: Administrations of Art and Culture. 2006. YYZ Books. 9780920397367. 166. 6 June 2017. en.
  6. Weldon, Carolyne. "Jets, Floatplanes and Bombers: 15 NFB Films about Planes." National Film Board of Canada, June 12, 2012. Retrieved: January 12, 2016.
  7. Armbruster, Fred. "National Film Board Videos: Radar Station". Canadian Civil Defence Museum Association. 2012. Retrieved: January 20, 2016.
  8. Web site: Alcoholism . onf-nfb.gc.ca . National Film Board of Canada . 15 April 2023.
  9. Web site: Regards Sur le Canada . onf-nfb.gc.ca . National Film Board of Canada . 15 April 2023.
  10. Web site: On the Spot . onf-nfb.gc.ca . National Film Board of Canada . 15 April 2023.

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