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The Classic TV Archive - Canadian  Series
The Collaborators (1973-74)    Sidestreet (1975-78)
The Collaborators (1973-74)
Episode Guide compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by:
Alan Leventhall (alanleventhall@hotmail.com)
references:
Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://imdb.com)
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THE COLLABORATORS
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Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
Created by Richard Gilbert
Executive Producer Richard Gilbert (l973-74) (season 1)

Executive Producer Brian Walker (fall l974) (season 2)
Produced by Rene Bonniere (fall 1974) (season 2)

Canadian Crime drama series 1973-74    2 seasons 20 episodes x 60 min color
starring
Michael Kane as Det. Sgt. Jim Brewer (season 1 + 3 eps in season 2)
Donald Pilon as Det. Sgt. Richard Tremblay (season 2 ep 4 onward)
Paul Harding as Dr. Charles Erickson (season 1)
Toby Tarnow as Liz Roman, Dr. Erickson's assisant
with
Lawrence Benedict as Detective David Quinn
Leslie Carlson as Detective George Kaminski

CBC air dates:
Season 1: (10 episodes)
Sun 9:00-10:00 p.m., 16 Dec 1973-17 Feb 1974 (Original Run)
Fri 10:00-11:00 p.m., 26 Apr-28 Jun 1974 (Re-run)
Season 2: (10 episodes)
Sun 9:00-10:00 p.m., 29 Sep-1 Dec 1974 (Original Run)
Sat 9:00-10:00 p.m., 23 Aug-30 Aug 1975 (Re-run)

############# The Collaborators ##############
################## (pilot) ##################
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0.00 [--] The Collaborators: A MATTER OF FACT  (Pilot)
Airdate not known - possibly 1972 or 1973

############# The Collaborators ##############
############## season 1 1973-74 ##############
##############################################
CBC Sundays 9:00 pm
10 episodes 16Dec73-17Feb74
Executive Producer Richard Gilbert

1.01 [--] The Collaborators: LUCK ... WITHOUT IT, YOU'RE NOWHERE
(Series Premiere)
16Dec73 CBC Sunday 9:00pm (original airdate)
Produced by Richard Gilbert
Written by Grahame Woods
Directed by Peter Carter
Regular Cast:
Paul Harding, Michael Kane, Toby Tarnow, Lawrence Benedict,
Leslie Carlson,
Guest Cast:
Donnelly Rhodes (as Santos), Carl Gall (as Boyer),
Rita Floren (as Louisa), Wendy Thatcher (as Julia),
Richard Davidson (as Drew)
Synopsis:
The story of this debut series involves the killing of a police
officer, interwoven with the murder of an illegal Portuguese
immigrant. Brewer and Erickson clash as the police press for
results from the forensic lab. From seemingly impossible dead ends, Erickson and
 Liz Roman make the breakthrough that enables Brewer to trap the killer.

1.02 [--] The Collaborators: FOUR INTO THREE WON'T GO
23Dec73 CBC original airdate
Written by Grahame Woods
Regular Cast:
Michael Kane, Paul Harding, Toby Tarnow, Lawrence Benedict,
Leslie Carlson,
Guest Cast:
Franz Russel, David Bolt, Jean Brousseau, Larry Reynolds,
Lillian Lewis.
Synopsis:
A group of men arrive in town to plan a jewelry store robbery.
After the successful robbery, the plan starts to disintegrate,
resulting in the murder of two of the thiefs. Brewer carries out
the investigation and with the help of the forensic lab group solves the crime.

1.03 [--] The Collaborators: TELL THEM WHAT YOU KNOW
30Dec73 CBC original airdate
Written by Grahame Woods.
Regular Cast:
Michael Kane, Paul Harding, Toby Tarnow
Guest Cast:
(no guest cast details)
Synopsis:
A country western singing star is discovered dead in a car crash.
Brewer interviews his widow and finds that all is not well with
the marriage and that the man lived with his mistress. Erickson
performs the autopsy and his findings set in motion a series of inquiries.
Synopsis from UK:
13Feb76 [uk] Fri ATV Midlands?
A Country and Western star is discovered dead in a car crash.
Erikson performs the post mortem and his findings start a series of enquiries.

1.04 [--] The Collaborators: ALL MY LOVE JENNIE
6Jan74 CBC original airdate
Written by Grahame Woods.
Regular Cast:
Michael Kane, Paul Harding, Toby Tarnow, Lawrence Benedict,
Guest Cast:
Winnifred Springett, Lynne Griffin, Cec Linder, Robert Warner,
Jack Mather, Leslie Yeo, Sydney Brown, Laurence Ray, Carl Gall,
Richard Allen and Mark Wikor.
Synopsis:
Dr. Erikson and Detective Brewer are called in to investigate a
skeleton discovered at a construction site that turns out to be
that of a male, killed 50 years previously. The story looks at
the events leading up to the murder. A subpolt is also developed
(which becomes the basis of the next episode), one of the victims
of a plane crash is discovered to have traces of poison in his body.

1.05 [--] The Collaborators: WINNER LOSE ALL
13Jan74 CBC original airdate
Written by Grahame Woods.
Regular Cast:
Michael Kane, Paul Harding, Toby Tarnow, Lawrence Benedict, Leslie Carlson
Guest Cast:
Cec Linder, Dawn Greenhalgh, Susan Mitchell, Suzanne Levesque,
Elizabeth Shepherd, Pail Craig, Richard Alden, Mark Walker,
James Blendick.
Synopsis
A sequel to "All My Love, Jennie" (6Jan74). This episode deals
with intrigue in the business world. In tracking down the suspected
murder of Grant Adams, who died in a plane crash, Detective Brewer
becomes involved with Adam's scheming wife and his business
associates. During this episode, a sub plot develops which becomes
the basis for the following episode.

1.06 [--] The Collaborators: BEYOND ALL REASONABLE DOUBT
20Jan74 CBC original airdate
Synopsis from UK:
5Mar76 [uk] Fri ATV Midlands?
A boy stands accused of murdering a young girl in a small
town. When the defense refutes the pathologists findings,
Erikson and Liz find themselves in the witness box.

1.07 [--] The Collaborators: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CANDY
27Jan74 CBC original airdate
Executive Producer Richard Gilbert
Written by Kaino Thomas
Directed by Peter Carter
Director of Photography
Regular Cast:
Michael Kane, Paul Harding, Toby Tarnow, Lawrence Benedict,
Leslie Carlson.
Guest Cast:
Patti Oatman (as Candy), Jack Creley (as Judge Manly)
James Hurdle (as Hall Manly), Robert Warner (as Poulis)
Carl Gall (as Boyer), Stan Grizzle (as Sonny)
Margot Christie (as Hanna), Tom Jones (as Twink)
Synopsis:
Brewer and Erickson becomes involved with Voodooism when they
search for a missing woman in the West Indian community. The
combination of police work and scientific methods bring the story to its conclusion.

1.08 [--] The Collaborators: (episode title not known)
3Feb74 CBC original airdate
Written by Lyal D. Brown
Regular Cast:
Michael Kane, Paul Harding, Toby Tarnow, Lawrence Benedict,
Leslie Carlson
Guest Cast:
Joseph Shaw, Susan Petrie, Doug McGrath, Leo Leyden, Robert Warner,
Steven Sutherland, Lawrence Aubrey.
Synopsis:
Brewer and Erickson become involved in an adventure which includes
a shoot-out at a hotel, a mysterious execution in the woods and
a bomb explosion. The plot becomes more complex when a visiting
scientific salesman and a young woman enter the mystery.

1.09 [--] The Collaborators: THE CONTRACT
10Feb74 CBC original airdate
Produced by Richard Gilbert
Written by Grahame Woods
Directed by Tony Perris
Regular Cast:
Michael Kane, Paul Harding, Toby Tarnow, Lawrence Benedict,
Guest Cast:
Susan Keller (as Andrea), Michael J. Raymond (as Walsh),
Robert Warner (as Poulis), Dale Wilson (as Lloyd),
Roy Frady (as Kidnapper)
Synopsis:
A model is kidnapped for ransom just after she has signs an
exclusive contract. Brewer and Erickson investigate the crime;
the action builds to a shoot-out and a tear gas attack at a farmhouse in the country.

1.10 [--] The Collaborators: NIGHT INTO MOURNING
17Feb74 CBC original airdate
Written by Grahame Woods
Regular Cast:
Michael Kane, Paul, Harding, Toby Tarnow, Lawrence Benedict,
Leslie Carlson,
Guest Cast:
Sam Langevin.
Synopsis
In the last episode of season one, Brewer is called in to
investigate a murder in an auto wrecking yard. He is faced with
a self-confessed murderer whose confession is not credible. Brewer
attempts to reconstruct the crime, but forcing the guilty party to
expose himself. This creates problems for both the police and the forensic lab.

############# The Collaborators ##############
############ season 2 fall 1974 ############
##############################################
CBC Sundays 9:00 pm
10 episodes 29Sep74- 1Dec74
Executive Producer Brian Walker / Produced by Rene Bonniere

2.01 [11] The Collaborators: KISS THE WORLD GOODBYE
29Sep74 CBC original airdate
Written by Lyal D. Brown
Regular Cast:
Michael Kane, Toby Tarnow, Les Carlson, Lawrence Benedict,
Guest Cast:
William Shatner, Joseph Shaw, George Sperdakos, Doug McGrath,
Joanna Noyes
Synopsis:
In the season two debut of the series a bank robbery masterminded
by a dangerous psychopath involves Brewer in a hazardous situation,
with the lives of hostages at stake. Brewer arranges to trade
himself for some of the hostages, and finds himself being escorted
out of town in a truck full of explosives.

2.02 [12] The Collaborators: (A LITTLE) SOMETHING FOR THE OLD AGE
6Oct74 CBC original airdate
Written by Tony Sheer
Regular Cast:
Michael Kane, Lawrence Benedict, Leslie Carlson, Toby Tarnow
Guest Cast:
Sean McCann, Gilda Radner
Synopsis:
Eddie MacAlvenny, an ex-convict, becomes involved with a Montreal
crime syndicate. His efforts in a safe-cracking incident lead to
a murder; the program ends with a chase through the streets of  Toronto.
Synopsis from UK:
7Jun75 [uk] Sat ATV Midlands?
Eddie Macalvenny, an ex-convict and retired safe breaker,
returns once more to crime and becomes involved with a
Montreal crime syndicate. The straight-forward burglary job
turns into a nightmare when an innocent victim is murdered.
When Eddie attempts to get his share of the money, the
syndicate tries to put pressure on him by attempting to kidnap his daughter.

2.03 [13] The Collaborators: FIFTEEN BELOW AND FALLING
13Oct74 CBC original airdate
Written by Grahame Woods
Regular Cast:
Michael Kane, Toby Tarnow, Leslie Carlson, Lawrence Benedict
Guest Cast:
Bernard Behrens, Cedric Smith, Chapelle Jaffe, Diane Douglass.
Synopsis:
Brewer finds a man lying unconscious in a ditch and the frozen
body of his wife nearby when he is called to the scene of a
traffic accident. Later, he establishes a friendly relationship
with the man and discovers that the "accident" is more complicated than it first appeared.

2.04 [14] The Collaborators: WHEN A MAN IS DOWN
20Oct74 CBC original airdate
Written by Lyal D. Brown
Regular Cast:
Lawrence Benedict, Lelsie Carlson, Toby Tarnow
Guest Cast:
Gordon Pinsent, Ken James, Micahel Ayoub.
Synopsis:
An ex-police officer, who was fired for drinking, and his friends
do private detective work for shady agency. They plan a robbery and sell the idea
 to crime syndicate, but when they try to execute it, everything starts to go wrong.

2.05 [15] The Collaborators: DREAMS AND THINGS
27Oct74 CBC original airdate
Written by Grahame Woods
Regular Cast:
Donald Pilon (entry)
Lawrence Benedict, Leslie Carlson, Toby Tarnow
Guest Cast:
Carol Lazare, Sam Langevin, Sean Sullivan, Gerard Parkes.
Synopsis:
The unsuccessful suicide attempt of a pregnant girl leads
Tremblay, the new Detective-Sergeant for the series, to the
10 year-old case of the girl's missing mother.
Synopsis from UK:
19Mar76 [uk] Fri ATV Midlands?
When a pregnant teenager attempts suicide her room-mate
calls in a former policeman. But pregnancy is not the real
reason for the girl's attempted suicide, and the man opens up a 10 year-old wound

2.06 [16] The Collaborators: DARK CHILDREN
3Nov74 CBC original airdate
Written by Tony Sheer
Regular Cast:
Donald Pilon, Tony Tarnow, Lawrence Benedict, Leslie Carlson.
Guest Cast:
(no details)
Synopsis:
Tremblay investigates two rival gangs when a police officer is
killed by one of them. He discovers that the Dark Children is
run by a psychotic Nazi sympathizer when Liz, whom he has planted
in the gang, becomes involved in a monstrous death plan.

2.07 [17] The Collaborators: ONCE UPON A TIME IN GENARRO
(working title "The Bakery")
10Nov74 CBC original airdate
Written by Claude Harz and Don Shebib
Directed by Don Shebib
Regular Cast:
Donald Pilon, Lawrence Benedict, Leslie Carlson, Toby Tarnow
Guest Cast:
John Carson, William De Marois, Sean Hewitt
Synopsis:
Tremblay's liking for Italian food places him in the vicinity of
a fatal explosion which the forensic lab proves to be an act of
murder. the investigation, in Toronto's "Little Italy", uncovers
sone unworthy actions on the part of people whom Tremblay had
previously respected and reveals that a vendetta is in progress.
Synopsis from UK:
22Jan77 [uk] Sat ATV Midlands
Detective Tremblay's liking for Italian food finds him in
the vicinity of a fatal explosion which turns to murder.
A second explosion leads Tremblay to believe that a vendetta
which began in World War II has erupted in present day Toronto.

2.08 [18] The Collaborators: A NICE GIRL LIKE YOU
17Nov74 CBC original airdate
Written by Carol Bolt.
Regular Cast:
Donald Pilon, Lawrence Benedict, Leslie Carlson
Guest Cast:
Colin Fox, Julie Amato, Len Birman, Stephen Markle, Gaylor Rowan, Booth Harding Savage.
Synopsis:
Tremblay's investigation into a double murder reveals the presence of blackmail and prostitution as well.
Synopsis from UK:
26Mar76 [uk] Fri ATV Midlands?
A case of murder for The Collaborators, when a young girl kills _ _ _ _ _ to implicate his wife and lover.

2.09 [19] The Collaborators: DEE DEE
24Nov74 CBC original airdate
Written by Claude Harz
Regular Cast:
Donald Pilon, Lawrence Benedict, Leslie Carlson, Toby Tarnow.
Guest Cast:
Jayne Eastwood, Chuck Shamata, Linda Sorensen, George Robertson.
Synopsis:
Sergeant Tremblay investigates the case of Jackie, a drug addict and prostitute, who is in the hospital following a severe beating.
Synopsis from UK:
29Jan77 [uk] Sat ATV Midlands?
When a street walker is beaten up and a man she was due to meet is found murdered she becomes a prime suspect.

2.10. [20] The Collaborators: UNDERCOVER (final episode)
1Dec74 CBC original airdate
Regular Cast:
Donald Pilon as Det. Sgt. Richard Tremblay
Guest Cast:
(no details)
Synopsis from UK:
With double-cross after double-cross, Tremblay gets first hand knowledge of what it means to be outside the law.

############# The Collaborators ##############
################## appendix ##################
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For its crime-related series, CBC drama has continually tried to find
an angle in the professions of its investigators. "The Collaborators"
were the forensic scientists who worked with the police. Richard Gilbert
created this program, in which Michael Kane played the gruff and
instinctive Detective Sergeant Jim Brewer, and Paul Harding and Toby
Tarnow played the scientists, Dr. Charles Erickson and his assistant
Liz Roman. The program attempted to deal with the investigative process
in an egalitarian way, from the scene of the crime to the police station
to the lab. However, the producers and viewers soon found that there
was more drama in fires in the streets than in bunsen burners.
Paul Harding left the series after the first season of ten one-hour shows,
and noted that Kane had dominated the show as the principal crime solver.

Kane himself appeared in only three episodes in the second season, and
left the show because of health reasons. His replacement, Quebec actor
Donald Pilon, played Detective Sergeant Richard Tremblay, a police officer
of a different personality. Brewer, with his rugged looks, seemed more
harassed and emotional, well within the accepted type of the television
cop or detective, while Tremblay was relaxed, even stoic, and rational.
Supporting actors included Lawrence Benedict as Detective Quinn and
Leslie Carlson as Detective Kaminski.


Executive producers Richard Gilbert (l974) and Brian Walker (l975)
drew on many of English Canada's distinguished writers and directors
for the show. Directors included Peter Carter, Rene Bonniere
("All The King's Men," "A Touch of Madness"), Don Haldane ("Beyond All
Reasonable Doubt"), Graham Parker. Allan King, Don Shebib
("Deedee," "Once Upon A Time In Genarro"), and Stan Olson. Grahame Woods,
George Robertson, Lyal Brown, Tony Sheer, Claude Harz, and Carol Bolt,
among others, wrote for the show.

############# The Collaborators ##############
################# the end ##################
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