The Whiteoaks of Jalna
Encyclopedia
The Whiteoaks of Jalna was a 1972 Canadian television drama miniseries
, based on the novel by Mazo de la Roche
. At CAD
2 million, it set a record expense at the time for a Canadian television miniseries. The series was exported internationally including the United Kingdom
and France
. Scriptwriting was led by Timothy Findley
, supported by Claude Harz and Graeme Woods.
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
, based on the novel by Mazo de la Roche
Mazo de la Roche
Mazo de la Roche , born Mazo Louise Roche in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, was the author of the Jalna novels, one of the most popular series of books of her time.-Early life:...
. At CAD
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
2 million, it set a record expense at the time for a Canadian television miniseries. The series was exported internationally including 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 France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Scriptwriting was led by Timothy Findley
Timothy Findley
Timothy Irving Frederick Findley, OC, O.Ont was a Canadian novelist and playwright. He was also informally known by the nickname Tiff or Tiffy, an acronym of his initials.-Biography:...
, supported by Claude Harz and Graeme Woods.
Trivia
- Due to the convoluted nature of the storyline, which jumped back and forth between the 1850s to the 1970s, CBC published a family tree of the characters in the miniseries, so viewers could follow the story.
- The miniseries was originally planned to extend beyond 13 episodes, but production was curtailed by the CBC technicians' strike that year.
- Despite this being a CBC production, the original run of the mini-series was blacked outBlackout (broadcasting)Blackout usually relates to the broadcasting of sports events, television programming, that is prohibited in a certain media market.The purpose is theoretically to generate more revenue by obliging certain actions from fans, either by making them buy tickets or watch other games on TV...
on CKLW-TVCBETCBET, channel 9, is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's owned-and-operated television station in Windsor, Ontario. The station's signal also covers the Detroit, Michigan area across the international border in the United States, and is counted as a Detroit station for the purposes of...
in Windsor, OntarioWindsor, OntarioWindsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
(then partially owned by the CBC), as the CBC originally planned to sell the series to an American network or syndicator. Such a sale did not materialize. - The miniseries was rebroadcast in 1974, but was re-edited with extra footage added and some scenes (especially those taking place in the modern day) cut.
Source
- TV North: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Canadian Television, by Peter Kenter and Martin Levin
External links
- Queen's University Directory of CBC Television Series: The Whiteoaks of Jalna, accessed 10 September 2006