The Beachcombers
The Beachcombers is a Canadian comedy drama television series that ran on CBC Television from October 1, 1972, to December 12, 1990. With over 350 episodes, it is one of the longest-running dramatic series ever made for Canadian English-language television.[1][2]
This article is about the Canadian TV series. For the similarly titled British-produced series of the early 1960s, see The Beachcomber (TV series). For other uses, see Beachcomber (disambiguation).The Beachcombers
Marc Strange
Lynn Susan Strange
Philip Keatley
Bruno Gerussi
Robert Clothier
Rae Brown
Pat John
Jackson Davies
Charlene Aleck
Joe Austin
Dion Luther
Canada
19
387
30 min.
October 1, 1972 –
December 12, 1990
Multicultural[edit]
The show was an active window into Canada's multicultural heritage. Gerussi's character, Nick Adonidas was a Greek and one storyline in a later season chronicled Nick's return to his homeland, while Clothier's character, Relic, was of Welsh ancestry.
Pat John, who played Jessie Jim, was a member of the shíshálh First Nation.[6] Other Indigenous cast members were Charlene Aleck as Jessie’s sister Sara,[7] Marianne Jones as Jessie’s wife Laurel,[8] and Chief Dan George as Chief Moses Charlie.
Spin-off series, TV movies, reboot series[edit]
A short lived spin-off television show called Constable Constable ran in 1985. The show was based on Jackson Davies's Beachcombers character Constable John Constable. The series was filmed in Vancouver and starred Jackson Davies and Walter Learning.[9]
Jackson Davies, Pat John and Charlene Aleck were the only original cast members who had speaking parts in the show's follow up television movie The New Beachcombers, produced in 2002, a pilot for a revived series that ran for two years. Bob Park (Hugh) and Dion Luther (Pat) appeared in cameo roles. By this time, Gerussi, Clothier, and Brown all had died, so new characters were introduced played by (among others) Dave Thomas, Graham Greene, Cameron Bancroft, and Deanna Milligan. A sequel, A Beachcombers Christmas, was also produced, though this too failed to spark a new series.
A documentary about the show called Welcome Back to Molly's Reach aired in 2002. On July 27–29, 2007, former cast and crew gathered in Gibsons, British Columbia, for the show's 35th anniversary.
A best selling book, Bruno and The Beach: The Beachcombers at 40 celebrating its 40th anniversary was released in December 2012. It was co-written by Marc Strange, co-creator of the series, and Jackson Davies, who starred in the series as Constable John Constable.
In October 2022, it was announced that The Beachcombers will be remade as an animated series that was slated to air in Spring 2023 but is currently delayed.[10][11]
Filming locations[edit]
The series was filmed on location in Gibsons, British Columbia, and the surrounding area. The café featured in the show was built as a hardware store in 1934 and served various retail functions until rented as a film set for the series, used mainly for exterior shots and storage.[12] The building only became a café after the series ended. After The Beachcombers was cancelled in 1991, the building sat vacant for a time with an uncertain future. Eventually, private investors converted it into a functioning restaurant under the television-inspired name "Molly's Reach". As of August 2023, the restaurant is closed and the property is available for lease.
Persephone, the boat used by Nick Adonidas during filming, was a tug and work boat named John Henry built in 1965. The tug was chartered during series production from Harry Smith, who donated it to the town of Gibsons in 1991. The vessel sat outside at a town works department gravel pit where it deteriorated quite badly until it was restored by the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives. Persephone was installed in a small park near Molly's Reach in 2007.
There were two jet boats used by the character Relic. The one most fans remember was called Hi Baller II and was used from the second season until the end. The first craft, Hi Baller I, was used for just the first season. She was slightly smaller than her successor and had more square windows. She did reappear for an episode called "Jet Boat Gemini" in 1974. Both boats were seen together as the man in the second craft was impersonating Relic. He was stealing logs and hassling local residents until Relic saved the day at the end in a duel of jet boats.
International broadcasts[edit]
The series was syndicated around the world and was shown by ITV in the United Kingdom, SCTV in Indonesia and on PBS (as well as in syndication on commercial stations) in the United States. It has also been shown in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, South Africa, Ireland, Greece, Italy, Kuwait, Seychelles, Malaysia, Brunei and Egypt. The West German television station ZDF also broadcast the series, as Strandpiraten ("Beach Pirates").
The show was seen in reruns on Vision TV and the pre-news channel version of Sun TV in Canada as well as the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) in Canada and ALN in the United States.