"Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story" (2006) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

John N. Smith

Writer:

Bruce M. Smith (writer)

Release Date:

12 March 2006 (Canada)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

A mini-series based on the work of Canadian political icon Tommy Douglas.

Plot Keywords:

Small Town | Canada | Socialist | Pastor | Boxing

Awards:

1 win & 9 nominations

Cast

Michael Therriault	...	Tommy Douglas (2006)
Kristin Booth	...	Irma Douglas
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Alexander	...	Legislative Guard
Ryland Alexander	...	Mike Luschenko
Kent Allen	...	Speaker of the House
Wendy Anderson	...	KDD Lady #1
Sharon Bakker	...	Anne Douglas
Graham Bell	...	Mr. Fortier
Tammy Rae Beltrami	...	Miner Woman
Robert Benz	...	RCMP officer
Ian Black	...	Tommy Douglas Sr.
Mackenzie Blaisdell	...	Shirley - Age 10
Lee Boyes	...	SGI Agent
Kathryn Bracht	...	Lloyd's Secretary
Matt Burgess	...	Young Doctor
Nicholas Campbell
Brent Carver	...	Secretary Balsam
Cavan Cunningham	...	50th Anniversery Announcer
Derrick Davidson	...	William Patterson
Aidan Devine	...	MJ Coldwell
Camille Devine	...	Lucille
Madison Dewalt	...	Jessica
Kim Ehman	...	Mrs. Fortier
Kimberly Elek	...	Young Church Girl
Jean Freeman	...	Tommy's Neighbour
Brad Grass	...	TV Anchor
George Grassick	...	Manure Dumping Farmer
Paul Gross	...	John Diefenbaker
Kelly Handerek	...	Gardiner's Aide
Larry Heisler	...	Cameraman for Press
Kristina Hughes	...	Farm Wife
Lindsay Ruth Hunt	...	Eleanor
Cheryl Jack	...	Female Doctor
Shannon Jardine	...	Lally Lawson
Andy Jones	...	Mackenzie King
Trenna Keating	...	KOD Lady #2
Daniel MacDonald	...	War Medical Doctor
Christine MacInnis	...	Adult Shirley
Ian MacLean	...	Mine Owner
Brian Markinson	...	Jimmie Gardiner
Tatiana Maslany	...	Tommy's Doctor's Receptionist
Amy Matysio	...	BienFait Woman
Don McKellar	...	Clarence Fines (Treasurer)
Andrea Menard	...	Lead Reporter
Marion Mills	...	Woman Park Commerical
Walter Mills	...	JS Woodsworth
Robert Moloney	...	Woodrow Lloyd
Mike O'Brien	...	Deacon Marks
Tom O'Hara	...	Capitalist
Shannon Ozimy	...	Screaming Woman
Jane Redlyon	...	Mrs. Babitch
Rob Roy	...	Moderator Weyburn Arena
Winston Schroeder	...	Unemployed Mike
Troy Skog	...	Means Inspector / Sheriff
Ruth Smilie	...	KOD Lady #3
R.H. Thomson	...	Dr. Moulds
Ian Tracey	...	Charlie Lawson
Matthew Walker	...	Banker McCarthy
Kent Wolkowski	...	Danny Reeves
Henry Woolf	...	Jack Corman

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Filming Locations:

Claybanks, Saskatchewan, Canada

Company:

Minds Eye Entertainment

Trivia:

The wolf from Paul Gross's series Due South, Diefenbaker, was named after John G. Diefenbaker, who was Canada's 13th Prime Minister, which is the role played here by Gross.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the scene where Tommy Douglas is convincing Clarence Fines to handle his campaign for the CCF (which dates the scene to around 1943 or 1944), China is labelled a "Communist country" on the blackboard in Fines's classroom. The revolution that established the Communist Party as the government of China wasn't until 1949.

Quotes:

Tommy Douglas: My friends, watch out for the little fellow with an idea.

Good for what it was

This film was OK, but took too many liberties for my liking. Parliamentary debates are not as they were portrayed in the first segment and one quotation attributed to Douglas was actually said by Ontario Premier Mitch Hepburn about a decade earlier.

I was disappointed that the second part glossed over Tommy's years as leader of the New Democratic Party. We see him defeated in 1962 and then suddenly it's 1983.

That being said, I was glad to see the emphasis on Irma Douglas's role behind the scenes. The NDP was in many ways a family affair, with wives just a vital an influence as their more famous husbands.

And anything would beat another show with Ben Mulroney or another episode of Falcon Beach!