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Bradisgolfing
Reviews
The Littlest Hobo: Portrait of Danger (1980)
Hobo as Moral Compass and Protector
One of the more enjoyable Hobo episodes for me as it brings back memories of my childhood. My dentist had his office in the very strip plaza in which the opening scene takes place. Photographer Kevin Wheeler is taking a shot of Hobo as he passes by when suddenly, a daring daytime bank robbery is taking place in the background. Of course our friend immediately snaps a few pics of the robbers as they exit. One of the knucklehead thieves who took his mask off notices they are being photographed and tries to accost Kevin, but the Hobo and the robber's accomplice intervene, and the bad guys drive off. Kevin develops the photos, but despite Hobo's attempts to get him to turn them into the police, our friend procrastinates, hoping instead to sell his pics for a news story and to advance his career. All the while, the nervous bank thieves are trying to catch up with our photographer friend to retrieve the incriminating photos, keeping Hobo busy protecting Kevin as well. Everything culminates in an action packed finale in which Hobo plays a critical role, of course.
The strip plaza scenes were filmed on Kennedy Rd. just south of Eglinton Rd. in Scarborough, ON. The scenes at Kevin's home were shot at a house on the west side of Fallingbrook Rd. just south of Kingston Rd. in Scarborough. Sadly, the original strip plaza in this episode has been torn down and rebuilt in recent years, giving the location a different look these days.
The Littlest Hobo: The Hero (1981)
Hobo and Learning-Challenged Friend Outsmart Dog-Nappers
I liked this episode for the following reasons:
1. It portrays a learning-challenged man as the main character, and does so in a sympathetic light, showcasing some of the trials, as well as some of the triumphs that represent the everyday experience of people such as Joey.
2. It is a fact that learning-challenged individuals have a connection with animals, so it was nice to see a show that stars a "helpful" dog develop this into a nice story.
3. Let's be frank. It is not the easiest thing for someone to portray a learning-challenged person effectively when they themselves are not. Kudos go out to the late Edward Albert for doing for the most part a very admirable job in doing so.
4. As if the episode didn't tug at the old heart strings enough, they had to go and play that "Young and the Restless"'esque music at the end just to finish you off. :o)
Most of this episode was shot in downtown Uxbridge, Ontario. The building used as the pet store sits on the east side of Main St. at the corner of Brock St. The TD Bank seen in some of the shots looks very much the same today, 32 years later.
The Littlest Hobo: Fast Freddie (1980)
Hobo vs. Small Time Crook
This is one of my favourite Hobo episodes, partly because it was well done, and partly because it was partially filmed in my home town. Hobo catches a small time crook in the act of pick pocketing a small town mayor. The rest of the episode focuses on Hobo's efforts at bringing the crook to justice. The repeated attempts of said crook in his various disguises to rob the town's rich old lady, and the banter between them are quite humorous. She is obviously going senile and keeps mixing up her clichés in speech, much to the crooks frustration. Hobo's efforts are divided between thwarting Fast Freddie and leaving appropriate clues for the authorities to catch on to his scheme.
After a fair bit of sleuthing, I have finally figured out the shooting locations. The small town/main street scenes were filmed on Baldwin St. In Brooklin, ON. That was the easy one to figure out. The church in front of which Freddie parked his RV was Grace Anglican Church in Markham, ON, while the house scenes were filmed right across the street from the church on Orchard St.
The Littlest Hobo: Suspect (1981)
Hobo as Private Investigator
One of the more highly ranked Hobo episodes on my list. Hobo arrives at a cabin by the lake at the same time as one of the owners of same cabin arrives to meet his friend and co-worker. However, the friend is nowhere to be found. What they do find is a lot of strange clues left around which seem to indicate that the friend ran into some trouble. The police are called in to investigate, and of course Hobo helps in uncovering clues in the case. In trying to help his new friend, Hobo unwittingly builds a case against his friend which the police cannot ignore. When company records indicating unscrupulous business transactions is found in the cabin, the owner is taken into custody, while Hobo and his wife continue to investigate clues which the police neglect to look into. Did the cabin owner try to silence his business partner? Will the partner's body be found? One thing's for sure, Hobo won't rest until he gets to the bottom of it.
This episode was shot in and around Stouffville, ON. The Police Station scene was shot at the corner of Main St. And Stewart St. across the road from the CIBC. The cabin by the lake scene was most likely filmed at Musselman Lake or one of the other smaller ponds located just a kilometre or two north of Stouffville.