Tramp at the Door

Tramp at the Door is a Canadian television film, directed by Allan Kroeker and broadcast in 1985. Adapted from the Gabrielle Roy short story "Tramp at the Door" ("Un vagabond frappe à notre porte"), the film stars Ed McNamara as Gustave, a Russian vagrant who arrives at the farm of Franco-Manitoban couple Albert (August Schellenberg) and Madeleine (Monique Mercure) Fournier pretending to be a long-lost relative from Quebec.[1]

Tramp at the Door
GenreDrama
Based on"Tramp at the Door" by Gabrielle Roy
Written byAllan Kroeker
Directed byAllan Kroeker
StarringEd McNamara
August Schellenberg
Monique Mercure
Eric Peterson
Theme music composerRandolph Peters
Country of originCanada
Original languagesEnglish
French
Russian
Production
ProducerStan Thomas
CinematographyRon Orieux
EditorLara Mazur
Running time81 minutes
Production companyCanWest Global
Release
Original networkCKND-TV (1985)
CBC Television (1987)
Original release
  • September 14, 1985 (1985-09-14)

The cast also included Joanna Schellenberg, Eric Peterson, Jean-Louis Hébert, Melissa Dixon, Ian Wilson, James Martin, Stan Thomas, Len Klady, Kelly Sisson and Dennis Young.

The film was produced by Winnipeg independent television station CKND under its program of funding Manitoba film productions.[2]

Distribution

Faced with the dilemma that the film would likely need award nominations to secure a sale to the national CBC or CTV networks, but the station would have to accept a 20 per cent reduction in the price the networks were willing to pay if the film had already been broadcast in prime time in a major Canadian television market, station manager Stan Thomas followed the strategy of airing the film on CKND at 4:30 a.m. without promotion, so that it was eligible for ACTRA Award consideration while still having been essentially unseen by an actual television audience so that he could negotiate the maximum price.[3] The film also received a subsequent theatrical screening at the Yorkton Film Festival in October 1985.[4]

The film was acquired by the CBC, which rebroadcast it in 1987 both in English on CBC Television,[1] and in French on the Radio-Canada arts anthology series Les Beaux Dimanches.[5]

Critical response

John Haslett Cuff of The Globe and Mail wrote that "it's all technically well done with scrupulous attention to period detail, including the temporary revival of a vintage steam train, the "Prairie Dog Central." Ron Orieux's cinematography is alternately lush and appropriately moody, imbuing the harsh, dreary Manitoba landscape with a beauty only a photographer could see. The acting, with the notable exception of Eric Peterson, is effortlessly good. Peterson plays a sort of comic detective who seems entirely out of place in the script and his reading is as pallid as his face. Johanna Schellenberg, young as she is, is captivating and has one particularly lovely scene in a schoolroom where she recreates the character of Gustave for her teacher and schoolmates. And McNamara shows precisely why he was given a posthumous Gemini for his body of work as an actor."[1]

Awards

Due to overlapping eligibility periods, the film was eligible for both the final 15th ACTRA Awards and the inaugural 1st Gemini Awards.

Award Date of Ceremony Category Nominees Result Reference
ACTRA Awards 1986 Best Direction in a TV Drama Allan Kroeker Nominated [6]
Best Writing in a TV Drama Nominated
Gemini Awards 1986 Best TV Movie Nominated [7]
Best Direction in a Dramatic Program Allan Kroeker Nominated
Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Single Dramatic Program or Miniseries Ed McNamara Nominated
Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series Ron Orieux Nominated
Best Picture Editing in a Dramatic Program or Series Lara Mazur Nominated

References
  1. John Haslett Cuff, "CBC dramatization of Gabrielle Roy story; Tramp takes the safe route". The Globe and Mail, January 1, 1987.
  2. Stephen Godfrey, "CKND called 'the little engine that could' for its drama role". The Globe and Mail, August 31, 1985.
  3. "A man who knows what he's doing". Winnipeg Sun, September 15, 1985.
  4. Edward Schroeter, "Film Free-for-All: Yorkton offers video blitz, no charge for three days". Regina Leader-Post, October 24, 1985.
  5. Mike Boone, "Tramp at the Door calls on Radio-Canada". Montreal Gazette, December 12, 1987.
  6. "ACTRA nominations for 15th annual Nellie Awards on April 2". Montreal Gazette, March 18, 1986.
  7. Sid Adilman, "Anne leads field in Geminis race". Toronto Star, October 16, 1986.
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