Remembrance Day documentaries on TVO

 

TVO will be showing an evening of documentaries telling stories from the two world wars, and the period in between the wars, on Sunday, November 11, 2012.

 

8:00 pm  The Last Day of World War One

The explosive and emotional story of one of the most important days in history: over 11,000 casualties occurred during the final hours of the First World War – many after the Armistice had actually been  signed. Travelling to the battlefields in  France and Belgium, Michael Palin visits the places where American, British, French, Canadian and German troops were fighting as the war came to an end.

9:00 pm  The Great Escape: The Reckoning

On the evening of March 24, 1944, 76 airmen broke out of a German prison camp in a dramatic bid for freedom.  Over the next few days, 50 were recaptured and murdered by the Gestapo on the orders of a vengeful Adolf Hitler.  This is the untold story of the postwar investigation to hunt down the Gestapo officers responsible.

10:00 pm  Paris 1919

For six months, Paris was the capital of the world. The last shots had just been fired in the most devastating war of all time, and the old global order lay in tatters. Delegations from over 30 nations descended upon Paris for the most ambitious peace talks in history. Inspired by Margaret Macmillan’s book,  Paris 1919 captures the atmosphere, characters and the dramatic cut-and-thrust of diplomacy and territorial ambition as political leaders
redraw the map of the world after the First World War.

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The night before Remembrance Day, TVO is showing the Hollywood version of the Great Escape story as part of Saturday Night at the Movies:

Saturday November 10th, 2012

8:00 pm

The Great Escape (1963)

Based on a true story, the film follows the remarkable escape of Allied POWs from a German Nazi prison camp during World War II. Directed by John Sturges, the all-star cast includes James Garner, Richard Attenborough and Steve McQueen.

 

 

 

"The Jackson" - Made in St. George!

The Museum recently fielded a query from Mary at the St. Mary's Museum.  They have a photograph in their collection of young children on a wagon loaded with pumpkins.  On the side of the wagon, prominently, it says "The Jackson." 

The photo can be viewed online at: http://images.ourontario.ca/stmarys/57253/data?n=6.  

Mary wanted to know if this was a Jackson wagon made in St. George or an American model made in Jackson, Michigan....

Our trusted President, Cliff Jones, came to the rescue and produced a scan of the Jackson Wagon Company catalogue, circa 1924, "ST. GEORGE, ONT.,"which has a drawing of a similar wagon with the same prominent wording on the side.

Case closed!

Great job, Cliff - and thanks to Christine MacArthur at the County of Brant Public Library for passing along the query to us.

WAR OF 1812 EXPLORED ON CBC TONIGHT (REPEATING OCT 13th)

The War of 1812: Been There, Won That

Thursday October 4, 2012 AT 8:00 PM on CBC-TV
*Please note special start time
Repeating Saturday October 13 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC News Network

 
On the bicentennial of the War of 1812 the CBC presents a two hour documentary special, The War of 1812: Been There, Won That – a modern look at a 200 year old war hosted by one of Canada’s most accomplished and funniest actors, Peter Keleghan.

We’ll explore the myths and mysteries, mayhem and marvels of this “forgotten” war. We’ll follow the twists and turns of this strange conflict, its rogues and rascals, heroes and martyrs and uncover stories of humour and horror, heroism and hubris. And we’ll meet colourful characters – from corporate lawyers to debutantes to Ursuline nuns -- who 200 years later still remember and celebrate the war in unexpected ways.

Finally, we’ll set the record straight on the burning question that still divides us from our former enemies (now our best pals and good neighbours) to the south: Who really did win the war of 1812?

This war has been called a lot of names - a strange war, a senseless war, even a silly war. But it changed the course of our history and helped create Canada. If we had lost, we would probably all be Americans. It is an epic conflict that determined the fate of a continent and the tragic destiny of its first peoples.

The stories in Been There, Won That include:

The tale of the timid American general who turned over three states to the Canadian side without firing a shot. Did we cheat, as some Americans claim? You be the judge.

The mystery of the last words of British general and Canadian hero Sir Isaac Brock. Were they a shout out to gallant Canadian militiamen, or did he whisper the name of his secret love? What does the evidence of the bullet hole in the General’s coat tell us?

When the Americans torched Toronto’s parliament buildings during the war, they claimed the action was provoked by finding a scalp hanging by the speaker’s chair. A shocking story that the American media loved, but was it true?

We will tell the story of Tecumseh, one of the greatest leaders and visionaries of North American First Peoples, whose death on a battlefield in southwestern Ontario ended the dream of an indigenous confederacy and a first peoples’ homeland. We explore his legacy and the unsolved mystery that surrounds his final resting place.

War of 1812: Been There, Won That is a funny and poignant documentary that will engage, enlighten and entertain audiences of all ages, and turn a forgotten war into an unforgettable one.

Peter Keleghan has starred in Canadian comedy classics like The Newsroom, the Red Green Show, 18 to Life and Made in Canada, as well as roles in Slings and Arrows, Murdoch Mysteries and Saving Hope.