Network: CBC Television Network
Broadcast Run: 1961 to 1963
Broadcast Medium: Television
The return of W.O. Mitchell’s beloved short stories, first a TV series on CBC from 1961 to 1963, were brought to life in this family series shot in Alberta. Set in a small prairie town of Crocus, Saskatchewan where the community has finally put the scars of World War II behind it, Jake and the Kid depicted life not necessarily as it was but how we all wish it had been. The stories centred around Ben Osbourne (the kid) and Jake, the hired hand. Ben (played by Ben Campbell) was a boy with poetry in his soul that the prairie landscape brought out in him even more. He was passionate about every plant, every animal, the sound of the wind and the colour of the sky. Jake (played by Shaun Johnston) shared Ben’s love of the Prairie land and this profoundly bounded them together. Jake was also exceptionally skilled at a wide variety of trades and was unflagging in his devotion to Ben. Jake was delightfully funny with a flair for language and a unique ability to spin a tale. Also starred Patti Harras, Lorne Cardinal, Brian Taylor and Julie Khaner.
Broadcast: 1995 – 1997, repeated in 2000 in daytime
Time Slot: Saturday 7:00 pm,
Running time: 60 minutes
Written by Joanne Ingrassia – June, 2002