Proud young Aboriginal man John Gawa (Buckley Petawabano) refuses the recommendation of young doctor Janet Rhodes (Margot Kidder) that he take his sick baby sister Winona to the hospital. He remains focused on winning a marathon race in town so that he can use the prize money to help his family.
Former Hollywood studio contract player Lois Maxwell best known as the original Miss Moneypenny in the EON series of James Bond movies was from Kitchener, Ontario. She often returned to Canada but only worked here in this TV series at the end of the 1960s and a few productions near the end of her career. Her role here represents one of few in which the Canadian TV & Film industry benefited from her star power.
Margot Kidder who guest stars here used to be Canadian and certainly was when this episode was shot. She became an international star within ten years portraying Lois Lane in the Christopher Reeve Superman movies. She began winning roles in Hollywood almost immediately after her appearance on this series.
Noted Quebec actor Albert Millaire also appeared here as Roger Lemieux and adorable Susan Conway who played Hannah Williams - Billy's sister on this show had starred as Kathy on the landmark Canadian series the Forest Rangers.
But this episode, like many, focused on the Billy Williams character as portrayed by Stephen Cottier (the kid with the Rhodesian accent who probably made a generation of Americans think Canadians talk like that) and the John Gawa character as portrayed by Buckley Petawabano - two utterly horrendous young actors portraying insipid characters. The result is very nearly unwatchable.
The viewer can see what our domestic entertainment industry looked like at the time - amateurish, inept and nearly completely devoid of imagination. The pieces are certainly here to create something entertaining but the concept appears to have been another in a long line Canadian shows focused upon the beauty of Canada's terrain rather than the character of its people. This is a tourism ad instead of tele-play.
The level of disappointment I had as a kid watching this shown in reruns was huge beginning with this episode - the first one I saw. You have this rousing opening titles theme and sequence then Lois Lane and Moneypenny on the same show and the focus is on laboured interplay between Cottier and Petawabano - the brat heroes of the show.
Former Hollywood studio contract player Lois Maxwell best known as the original Miss Moneypenny in the EON series of James Bond movies was from Kitchener, Ontario. She often returned to Canada but only worked here in this TV series at the end of the 1960s and a few productions near the end of her career. Her role here represents one of few in which the Canadian TV & Film industry benefited from her star power.
Margot Kidder who guest stars here used to be Canadian and certainly was when this episode was shot. She became an international star within ten years portraying Lois Lane in the Christopher Reeve Superman movies. She began winning roles in Hollywood almost immediately after her appearance on this series.
Noted Quebec actor Albert Millaire also appeared here as Roger Lemieux and adorable Susan Conway who played Hannah Williams - Billy's sister on this show had starred as Kathy on the landmark Canadian series the Forest Rangers.
But this episode, like many, focused on the Billy Williams character as portrayed by Stephen Cottier (the kid with the Rhodesian accent who probably made a generation of Americans think Canadians talk like that) and the John Gawa character as portrayed by Buckley Petawabano - two utterly horrendous young actors portraying insipid characters. The result is very nearly unwatchable.
The viewer can see what our domestic entertainment industry looked like at the time - amateurish, inept and nearly completely devoid of imagination. The pieces are certainly here to create something entertaining but the concept appears to have been another in a long line Canadian shows focused upon the beauty of Canada's terrain rather than the character of its people. This is a tourism ad instead of tele-play.
The level of disappointment I had as a kid watching this shown in reruns was huge beginning with this episode - the first one I saw. You have this rousing opening titles theme and sequence then Lois Lane and Moneypenny on the same show and the focus is on laboured interplay between Cottier and Petawabano - the brat heroes of the show.
