To the Wild Country is a Canadian nature television miniseries which aired on CBC Television from 1972 to 1975.

To the Wild Country
Genrenature
Presented byLorne Greene
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producerRalph C. Ellis
ProducersJohn Foster
Janet Foster
Dan Gibson
Gerald S. Kedey
Running time60 minutes
Production companyKEG Productions
Original release
NetworkCBC Television
Release19 November 1972 (1972-11-19) –
2 February 1975 (1975-02-02)

Premise

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Lorne Greene narrated and hosted this series of occasional specials which featured nature photographers John and Janet Foster in their exploration of the Canadian wilderness.[1][2] Canada Trust was the primary series sponsor.[3]

Reception

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The series attracted average ratings of 2.5 million viewers, reaching 3.5 million on one occasion.[3]

The series required substantial financial support due to the remote location filming. Canada Trust cancelled its sponsorship after the 1974–75 season.[3]

Scheduling

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This hour-long series was broadcast intermittently as follows (times in Eastern):

Day Time Title Notes
19 November 1972 9:00 p.m. "Kluane" Set in the Yukon, at the National Park.[2]
10 December 1972 8:00 p.m. "Return of the Giants" Features footage of the Canada Goose, recorded near Guelph, Ontario at Kortright Waterfowl Park
28 January 1973 7:00 p.m. "The Other Newfoundland" [4]
11 March 1973 8:00 p.m. "A Wild Lens in Algonquin" Filmed at Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario.
11 April 1973 8:00 p.m. "Winter is a Way of Life" Winter scenes filmed in northern Ontario and near Jasper, Alberta.[5]
18 November 1973 9:00 p.m. "The Wild Pacific Shore" Filmed at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
9 December 1973 8:00 p.m. "Winter is a Way of Life" repeat[5]
27 January 1974 7:30 p.m. "Land Of The Big Ice" Set in Baffin Island National Park.[6]
24 February 1974 7:00 p.m. "The Great Canadian Southwest" Set in the Cypress Hills region of Alberta and Saskatchewan.[7]
31 March 1974 7:00 p.m. "The Other Newfoundland" repeat[8]
8 December 1974 7:00 p.m. "The Great Gulf – The St. Lawrence" Filmed in the region east of Quebec City along the north shore the St. Lawrence River, to its gulf[9]
6 January 1975 9:00 p.m. "The Wild Pacific Shore" repeat[10]
2 February 1975 7:00 p.m. "The Wild Corners Of The Great Lakes" Exploration of the land around Lake Superior.[11]
24 February 1975 9:00 p.m. repeat, "Land Of The Big Ice" [12]

Further reading

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  • Foster, John; Foster, Janet (1975). To the Wild Country. Van Nostrand Reinhold. ISBN 0-442-29947-8.

References

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  1. ^ Corcelli, John (April 2002). "To the Wild Country". Canadian Communications Foundation. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  2. ^ a b "To the Wild Country – Kluane". Windsor Star. TVTimes. 18 November 1972. p. 88. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023. 9:00 | 9 10 | To the Wild Country – Kluane.
  3. ^ a b c Musselwhite, Bill (5 November 1975). "Wild Country hosts turn new leaf". Calgary Herald. p. 49. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  4. ^ "This evening". Windsor Star. 27 January 1973. p. 43. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  5. ^ a b "To the Wild Country – Winter is a Way of Life". Windsor Star. TVTimes. 8 December 1973. p. 86. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2023. 8:00 | 9 10 | To the Wild Country – One-hour special.
  6. ^ "To the Wild Country – Land Of The Big Ice". Windsor Star. TVTimes. 26 January 1974. p. 60. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2023. 8:00 | 9 | To the Wild Country – Land Of The Big Ice.
  7. ^ "To the Wild Country – The Great Southwest". Windsor Star. TVTimes. 23 February 1974. p. 58. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2023. 8:00 | 9 | To the Wild Country – The Great Southwest.
  8. ^ "To the Wild Country – The Other Newfoundland". Windsor Star. TVTimes. 30 March 1974. p. 69. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2023. 8:00 | 9 | To the Wild Country – The Other Newfoundland.
  9. ^ "Sunday listings". Windsor Star. 7 December 1974. p. 51. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  10. ^ "Television tonight". Windsor Star. 6 January 1975. p. 11. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  11. ^ "Weekend TV listings". LeaderPost. 1 February 1975. p. 18. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  12. ^ "Television tonight". Windsor Star. 24 February 1975. p. 23. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
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