Wojeck

Wojeck is a Canadian dramatic television series, which aired on CBC Television from 1966 to 1968. It was arguably the first successful drama series on English Canadian television.

Plot

Steve Wojeck is a crusading big city coroner who regularly fights moral injustices raised by the deaths he investigated. He often tackles tough and controversial issues. The first episode of the series examines the role of racism in the suicide of a young Ojibwe man.

Main cast

• John Vernon as Steve Wojeck
• Patricia Collins as Marty Wojeck
• Ted Follows as Crown Attorney Arnold (Arnie) Bateman
• Carl Banas as Sgt. Bryon James

Jennifer Dale played Wojeck's daughter in the 1992 TV movie.

Production

The show was inspired by the career of Dr. Morton Shulman.^[1][2]

Although it was one of the highest-rated shows on Canadian television in its time, only 20 episodes of the series were made, because Vernon was lured to Hollywood by the promise of more money than the CBC could offer. He only returned to the role once, for a TV movie Wojeck: Out of the Fire (1992). The first season (1966-67) was filmed in black and white, while season two (1967–68) was shot in colour.

Themes

The use of forensic pathology in the investigation of crime has been the central theme of several TV mystery-suspense dramas, including:

• Quincy, M.E., US (NBC), 1976
• Silent Witness, UK (BBC), 1996
• Da Vinci's Inquest, Canada (CBC), 1998
• Waking The Dead, UK (BBC), 2000
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, U.S. (CBS), 2000
• Crossing Jordan, U.S. (NBC), 2001
• CSI: Miami, U.S. (CBS), 2002
• CSI: NY, U.S. (CBS), 2004
• Bones, U.S. (Fox), 2005
• RIS Delitti Imperfetti, Italy (Canale 5), 2005
• R.I.S, police scientifique, France (TF1), 2006
• Post Mortem, Germany (RTL), 2007
• R. I. S. – Die Sprache der Toten, Germany (Sat.1), 2007
• Rizzoli & Isles, U.S. (TNT), 2010
• Body of Proof, U.S. (ABC), 2011

Episodes

1. "The Last Man in the World"
2. "Tell Them the Streets Are Dancing"

This episode starred Bruno Gerussi (later of CBC's The Beachcombers) as a construction worker whose crew were forced to work in underground tunnels where some of them contracted caisson disease. This episode was picked up by Bob Hope's Chrysler Theater and shown in the US.

1. "Another Wonderful Day"
2. "After All, Who's Art Morrison?"
3. "Listen, An Old Man Is Speaking"
4. "Fair Egypt"
5. "Thy Mother A Lady, Lovely and Bright"
6. "Does Anybody Remember the Victim's Name?"
7. "A Dime Harry Doesn't Need"
8. "Pick A Time...Any Time"
9. "All Aboard For Candyland"
10. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" (Two-parter, guest starring Michael Learned, later of The Waltons)
11. "You've Been Very Kind"
12. "Another Dawn, Another Sunrise, Another Day"
13. "Give Until It Hurts...And Then Some"
14. "The Cold Smile of Friends" (Two-Parter)
15. "Name of the Games People Play"
16. "Chocolate Fudge With Walnuts"

Awards

In 2002, Wojeck became a MasterWorks honouree by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada.

References

External links

• Queen's University Directory of CBC Television Series: Wojeck (text link)
• Museum of Broadcast Communications
• Wojeck at the Internet Movie Database
• Wojeck: Out of the Fire at the Internet Movie Database
• AVTrust.ca - Wojeck, MasterWorks 2002 (video clip)