Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story is a historical and biographical drama which premiered on Canadian television (CBC) in 2006. It is a miniseries with two episodes.
The main character is the Canadian politician Tommy Douglas who was the seventh premier of Saskatchewan for more than fifteen years (1944-1961).
His government introduced the first single-payer, universal health care program in the American continent, which was later expanded to cover all Canadian provinces.
This drama covers his life and career from the time when he was a Baptist priest in a small town to the time when he served as the premier of Saskatchewan.
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** Director: John N. Smith
** Writer: Bruce Smith
** Producer: Kevin DeWalt
** Run time: 177 minutes
The cast includes the following:
** Michael Therriault as Tommy Douglas (1904-1986) – a Canadian politician
** Kristin Booth as Irma Douglas (1910-1995) – wife of Tommy – they were married 1930-1986
** Aidan Devine as M. J. Coldwell (1888-1974) – a Canadian politician
** Paul Gross as John Diefenbaker (1895-1979) – prime minister of Canada 1957-1963
** Andy Jones as Mackenzie King (1874-1950) – prime minister of Canada three timers: 1921-1926, 1926-1930, and 1935-1948
** Brian Markinson as James Garfield Gardiner (1883-1962) – premier of Saskatchewan two times: 1926-1929 and 1934-1935
** Don McKeller as Clarence Fines (1905-1993) – a Canadian politician
** Ian Tracy as Charlie Lawson
** Shannon Jardine as Lally Lawson
What do reviewers say about this historical drama?
Here are some results:
On IMDb it has a rating of 80 percent. Ten user reviews of this film are posted on IMDb. Here are the headlines and the ratings offered:
20 = People need to get their facts straight
60 = Good for what it was
60 = Good try… but marred by serious historical errors
80 = The CBC needs to do more of these
80 = Excellent movie and pretty good commentary
90 = A very good film about a great Canadian
90 = Superb
90 = Who would have thought this would be so good?
100 = A legend as big as the prairie skies
100 = No words can describe Tommy Douglas
On Amazon there are at the moment 38 ratings of this film; 34 with reviews.
The average rating is 4.4 stars which corresponds to a rating of 88 percent. Here are the details:
5 stars = 71 percent
4 stars = 09 percent
3 stars = 09 percent
2 stars = 11 percent
1 star = zero
The CBC announced this drama as “a real story about real people,” but many Canadian observers posted critical comments about it, as soon as it had been aired on Canadian television.
They claimed the drama was flawed by serious historical errors, in particular the presentation of Tommy Douglas and James Garfield Gardiner.
Political columnist Randy Burton wrote:
“It was wonderful television but abysmal history… On almost every score, scriptwriter Bruce Smith got Gardiner wrong.”
Political columnist Murray Mandryk wrote:
“… a project like this has to be some level of historical accuracy and it is in the script itself where the movie fails.
“The most egregious example of this was clearly the Estevan riot…
“Gardiner was not the premier of the day and he didn’t give a province-wide radio address attacking the strikers as communists and undesirable immigrants.”
According to Murray Mandryk, Tommy Douglas was not a saint, and James Garfield Gardiner was not the epitome of evil.
Journalist Douglas Fisher later described the drama as “A shoddy portrait of another Prairie Giant.”
Responding the negative reviews, a CBC executive issued a statement in which he admitted that the drama was flawed. He regretted the flaws which the critics had pointed out.
The CBC decided that this historical drama would not be be aired by CBC again, because it did not live up to the high standards which were expected from this channel.
As you can see, the reviews are mixed. They range from a low point of one star (20 percent) to a high point of five stars (100 percent).
What about the negative comments? Are they right? Is this drama a case of historical fiction?
The answer is yes and no.
Let me explain:
One of the errors mentioned concerns the Estevan Riot. What happened?
The Estevan Riot, also known as the Black Tuesday Riot, was a violent confrontation between the Canadian police (RMCP) and striking coal miners from nearby Bienfait, Saskatchewan, which took place in Estevan, Saskatchewan, on 29 September 1931.
When the riot is depicted in the drama, Tommy Douglas is portrayed as present. But this is not true. He was not there when the riot took place.
In addition, James Garfield Gardiner is portrayed as being the premier of Saskatchewan at that time, but this is not true.
He was the premier shortly before the riot (1926-1929) and shortly after the riot (1934-1935). But he was not the premier in 1931, when the riot took place.
While the depiction in the drama is wrong, it is true that striking workers were shot and killed by the police while they were marching with their families.
Three people were killed on that day.
The Estavan Riot is a dark episode in Canadian history which deserves to be remembered.
It is a shame this episode is misrepresented when it was included in this drama.
The life and career of Tommy Douglas are covered in great detail in this drama. But one significant detail has been omitted.
Why?
Perhaps because if this detail was mentioned, it would place the main character in a negative light.
What is it?
What is omitted?
Tommy Douglas – the father of universal health care in Canada and one of the country’s most beloved figures – once supported eugenic policies!
In 1933, he wrote a dissertation about the problems of the subnormal family. In
this dissertation, he recommends several eugenic policies.
His position was not unique. Other intellectuals in Canada and in the USA supported such policies around that time.
But in 1944, when Douglas became the premier of Saskatchewan, he had already abandoned his support for such ideas.
His brief support of eugenics is never mentioned in this drama. We can understand why it was omitted. But the omission is a flaw, because it means the drama does not offer an honest and comprehensive portrait of the famous politician.
As you can see, there are flaws which cannot be ignored. This film is not as great as some reviewers say. On the other hand, it is not as bad as some critics claim.
This drama goes a long way to explain why Tommy
Douglas was such an influential and successful politician for so many years. The main character is very charismatic.
The story of his life and career is an important chapter of Canadian history. This chapter deserves to be told. But in this drama, it is not told in a good way.
As you can see, there are some flaws and a significant aspect of his personality has been omitted.
This is why I cannot go all the way to the top. On the other hand, I am not prepared to go all the way to the bottom.
I want to find a position in the middle. I think this drama deserves a rating of three stars (60 percent).
REFERENCES
# 1. Books
Tommy Douglas
By Doris Shackleton
(1975)
T. C. Douglas:
The Making of a Socialist
Edited by L. H. Thomas
(1982)
Tommy Douglas:
The Road to Jerusalem
By Thomas H. McLeod and Ian McLeod
(1987)
The Life and Political Times of Tommy Douglas
By Walter Stewart
(2003)
# 2. Items available online
Alvin Finkel
Estevan Coal Miners’ Strike 1931
The Canadian Encyclopedia
Published 07 February 2006
Last edited 15 December 2013
Estevan Riot 29 September 1931: Striking workers shot and killed while marching with their families
Canadian Labour Congress
29 September 2018
Tabitha de Bruin
Tommy Douglas and Eugenics
The Canadian Encyclopedia
Published 07 June 2019
*****
The famous Canadian politician
Tommy Douglas
(1904-1986)
Premier of Saskatchewan
for more than fifteen years
(1944-1961)
*****
