Bordertown (1989 TV series)
Bordertown is a western drama television series that aired from 1989 to 1991. It depicts the town formerly known as Pemmican that was later renamed Bordertown when the western border between the United States and Canada was surveyed in 1880, dividing the town.
| Bordertown | |
|---|---|
 Complete series DVD cover | |
| Starring |
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| Country of origin |
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| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 78 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Robert Lantos |
| Producer(s) |
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| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production company(s) | I.T.I./TéléImages Alliance Entertainment La Cinq (1991) |
| Release | |
| Original network | |
| Original release | January 7, 1989 – March 17, 1991 |
The theme song is an adaptation of the first movement of Jean Sibelius's Third Symphony.
Premise
Pemmican is a town in the western plains of North America near the 49th parallel (the U.S.-Canada border at 49° north latitude). In 1880 the border was surveyed in the Pemmican area, revealing that the town straddled the border between Montana and Saskatchewan. The border also divides the local law enforcement office. In order to have proper and legal law enforcement, both North-West Mounted Police Corporal Clive Bennett (John H. Brennan) and U.S. Marshal Jack Craddock (Richard Comar) are stationed in the town. Clive was formerly stationed in Toronto. Jack is a former Texas Ranger, and a veteran of the Confederate States of America army. Each of these law officers is courting Marie Dumont (Sophie Barjac).
Marie and her physician husband were originally from Paris. Now widowed, Marie has taken over as town doctor and as proprietor of the local general store. Marie has adopted Lucy, a girl whose parents died.
Joanna Radway (Donna Carroll White) is a widow, owner of a local ranch and head of the local Women for Temperance Committee.
Zack Denny (Duncan Fraser), an American Southerner, is the proprietor of the local saloon and roadhouse. His wife, Diane, was once a Black slave.
Sally Duffield (Beverley Elliott) is proprietor of the local boarding house and an employee at Marie's general store.
Wendell MacWherter (Paul Batten) is the local banker (managing a branch of the bank headquartered in Helena) and owner of the livery stable. He is also courting Sally Duffield.
Otto Danzinger is the worker of the Livery and blacksmith. Bruno Danzinger is the brother of Otto Danzinger who helps in the livery.
Willie Haddon is a local kid in town that spends much time with Marshal Craddock and has a liking for Lucy.
Some episodes even featured real-life historical figures. The episode titled "Four Eyes", which originally aired on March 2, 1990, featured a young Theodore Roosevelt. "Killer With a Smile", which originally aired on March 30, 1990, featured a visit to Bordertown by President of the United States James Garfield.
Production information
The show was filmed on location at Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, Canada. The French title is Les Deux font la loi.
Bordertown was syndicated in the 1990s, airing on Western International Communications stations during the overnight hours in Canada.
Episodes
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 26 | January 7, 1989 | July 1, 1989 | ||
| 2 | 26 | January 5, 1990 | June 29, 1990 | ||
| 3 | 26 | September 14, 1990 | March 17, 1991 | ||
Season 1 (1989)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Civilization" | TBA | TBA | January 7, 1989 | 903 |
| 2 | 2 | "Runners" | Stuart Gillard | Larry Gaynor | January 14, 1989 | 901 |
| 3 | 3 | "Medicine Woman" | TBA | TBA | January 21, 1989 | 902 |
| 4 | 4 | "Blindside" | TBA | TBA | January 28, 1989 | TBA |
| 5 | 5 | "The Man They Couldn't Hang" | TBA | TBA | February 4, 1989 | 905 |
| 6 | 6 | "A Model Citizen" | TBA | TBA | February 11, 1989 | 906 |
| 7 | 7 | "Over the Line" | Brad Turner | Michael Mercer | February 18, 1989 | 909 |
| 8 | 8 | "Blood Fury" | TBA | TBA | February 25, 1989 | 908 |
| 9 | 9 | "The Reaper" | TBA | TBA | March 4, 1989 | 907 |
| 10 | 10 | "The Killing" | TBA | TBA | March 11, 1989 | 910 |
| 11 | 11 | "The Gunfighter" | Stuart Gillard | Peter Mohan | March 18, 1989 | 911 |
| 12 | 12 | "Trapped" | TBA | TBA | March 25, 1989 | 912 |
| 13 | 13 | "Slave" | TBA | TBA | April 1, 1989 | 913 |
| 14 | 14 | "One of the Boys" | TBA | TBA | April 8, 1989 | 914 |
| 15 | 15 | "When Dreams Die" | TBA | TBA | April 15, 1989 | 915 |
| 16 | 16 | "The Lady and the Corpse" | TBA | TBA | April 22, 1989 | 916 |
| 17 | 17 | "The Fur Trader" | TBA | TBA | April 29, 1989 | 917 |
| 18 | 18 | "Ties That Bind" | TBA | TBA | May 6, 1989 | 918 |
| 19 | 19 | "The Bounty Hunter" | TBA | TBA | May 13, 1989 | 919 |
| 20 | 20 | "Pretty Shadows (a.k.a. Legacy)" | TBA | TBA | May 20, 1989 | 920 |
| 21 | 21 | "Bad Memories" | TBA | TBA | May 27, 1989 | 921 |
| 22 | 22 | "Craddock vs. Bennett" | TBA | TBA | June 3, 1989 | 922 |
| 23 | 23 | "Nahanni" | TBA | TBA | June 10, 1989 | 923 |
| 24 | 24 | "Vigilante" | TBA | TBA | June 17, 1989 | 924 |
| 25 | 25 | "Gold and Lead" | TBA | TBA | June 24, 1989 | TBA |
| 26 | 26 | "Keenan's Raiders" | TBA | TBA | July 1, 1989 | 926 |
Season 2 (1990)
| Episode | First airdate | No. | Production No. | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter's Moon | 5 Jan 1990 | 27 | 227 | |
| The Pony Riders | 12 Jan 1990 | 28 | 234 | |
| Hand to Hand | 19 Jan 1990 | 29 | 239 | |
| The Last Shot | 28 Jan 1990 | 30 | 235 | |
| The Convoy | 2 Feb 1990 | 31 | 241 | |
| The Last Fenian Raid | 9 Feb 1990 | 32 | 231 | |
| Letter of the Law | 16 Feb 1990 | 33 | 237 | |
| White Feather | 23 Feb 1990 | 34 | 233 | |
| Four Eyes | 2 Mar 1990 | 35 | 240 | |
| Skirmishes | 9 Mar 1990 | 36 | 230 | |
| Buffalo Woman | 16 Mar 1990 | 37 | 236 | |
| Ancient Claims | 23 Mar 1990 | 38 | 244 | |
| Killer with a Smile | 30 Mar 1990 | 39 | 229 | |
| Straight from the Heart | 6 Apr 1990 | 40 | 232 | |
| Compadres | 13 Apr 1990 | 41 | 228 | |
| When Gold Turns Black | 20 Apr 1990 | 42 | 248 | |
| Gun Down | 27 Apr 1990 | 43 | 243 | |
| Two Moons | 4 May 1990 | 44 | 242 | |
| The Last of the James Gang | 11 May 1990 | 45 | 250 | |
| Snap Shot | 18 May 1990 | 46 | 251 | |
| The Fourth Estate | 25 May 1990 | 47 | 247 | |
| The Heart of Adventure | 1 Jun 1990 | 48 | 245 | |
| A Brand of Justice | 8 Jun 1990 | 49 | 249 | |
| Devil's Right Hand | 15 Jun 1990 | 50 | 246 | |
| Fool's Gold | 22 Jun 1990 | 51 | 238 | |
| All for One | 29 Jun 1990 | 52 | 252 |
Season 3 (1990–91)
| Episode | First airdate | No. | Production No. | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second Chance (1) | 14 Sep 1990 | 53 | 353 | |
| Vengeance Is Mine (2) | 21 Sep 1990 | 54 | 354 | |
| Nebraska Lightning | 28 Sep 1990 | 55 | 356 | |
| Let There Be Light | 5 Oct 1990 | 56 | 358 | |
| Sons of Thunder | 12 Oct 1990 | 57 | 357 | |
| Wild Horses | 19 Oct 1990 | 58 | 363 | |
| Blood | 26 Oct 1990 | 59 | 355 | |
| Sweet Revenge | 2 Nov 1990 | 60 | 362 | |
| Sight Unseen | 9 Nov 1990 | 61 | 359 | |
| The Preacher | 16 Nov 1990 | 62 | 360 | |
| Honour Thy Father | 25 Nov 1990 | 63 | 361 | |
| In Cold Blood | 2 Dec 1990 | 64 | 364 | |
| A Question of Negligence | 9 Dec 1990 | 65 | 365 | |
| Conduct Becoming | 16 Dec 1990 | 66 | 366 | |
| The Bostonian | 23 Dec 1990 | 67 | 367 | |
| Field of Honour | 30 Dec 1990 | 68 | 368 | |
| The New Recruit | 6 Jan 1991 | 69 | 369 | |
| Marshal Law | 13 Jan 1991 | 70 | 370 | |
| Roaring Days | 20 Jan 1991 | 71 | 375 | |
| The Road Chosen | 27 Jan 1991 | 72 | 371 | |
| Hired Hand | 3 Feb 1991 | 73 | 373 | |
| Demon Rum | 10 Feb 1991 | 74 | 372 | |
| Tall in the Saddle | 22 Feb 1991 | 75 | 374 | |
| A Small Kindness | 3 Mar 1991 | 76 | 376 | |
| Frontier Passage | 10 Mar 1991 | 77 | 377 | |
| Under Western Skies | 17 Mar 1991 | 78 | 378 |
DVD releases
Platinum Disc Corporation released 4-volume collections of Bordertown on DVD in Region 1 between 2003-2005. These releases have been discontinued and are now out of print.
On February 1, 2011, Echo Bridge Home Entertainment released 2 volume collections on DVD in Region 1 (US only). These releases contain the same 28 episodes as the previous Platinum Disc releases.
On July 26, 2011, Alliance Home Entertainment released The Best of Bordertown on DVD in Canada only.[1] The set is exactly the same as the 4-disc set released in the US in 2005 and February 2011, even right down to the Platinum Disc Corporation logo appearing as soon as the disc boots up.
On December 12, 2012, Echo Bridge Home Entertainment released Bordertown- The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[2]
Notes
- "Bordertown - Alliance of Canada Brings a 28-Episodes 'Best-Of' Release for the 1989 Program". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-25.
- "Bordertown - 'The Complete Series' Set Brings All 3 Seasons to DVD". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15.
External links
- Bordertown on IMDb
- Bordertown at TV.com