R.C.M.P. was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 television drama series about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...

. The series ran a single season (1959-60), consisting of 39 weekly half-hour episodes. It starred French-Canadian actor Gilles Pelletier

Gilles Pelletier

Gilles Pelletier, OC is a Canadian actor. He is probably best known for his portrayal as Corporal Jacques Gagnier in the police drama R.C.M.P.. In 1964, he founded the Nouvelle Compagnie théâtrale, a live theatre for youths and served as director for fifteen years...

 as Corporal Jacques Gagnier and English-Canadian actor Don Francks

Don Francks

Donald Harvey Francks or Iron Buffalo is a Canadian actor, vocalist and jazz musician.- Life and work :Francks was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is a drummer, poet, native nations champion, motorcyclist, author and peace activist...

 as Constable Bill Mitchell.

The series was created by Canadian film-maker Frank "Budge" Crawley

F. R. Crawley

Frank Radford "Budge" Crawley, OC was an Academy Award winning film producer from Canada.-Career:Crawley was known for making avant-garde films with his wife Judith Crawley...

 in collaboration with Crawley Films, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...

, the BBC in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and Australian Broadcasting Commission

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...

.

Unapologetically cold, grainy, and raw, the show was very realistic and stood up well against other crime dramas on TV of the day. Crawley created the series in an attempt to fulfill his dream of sharing "the Canadian way" with the rest of the world. While not a fan of American-style cinema, Crawley wished R.C.M.P. to sign with a U.S. television network. American networks at that time demanded full control over any shows they broadcast and R.C.M.P. ended up with only a paltry take in American syndication.

External links

• R.C.M.P. at the Classic TV Archive
• Chartrand, Harvey: Remembering the R.C.M.P. Tv Series, Ottawa Life Magazine, September 2001.