Once Upon a Time in Hollywood North

What does it take to build a cultural empire when the doors are closed to you?

This episode comes courtesy of The Black Hum, produced by Knockabout Media and hosted by Cindy Charles. In this special feed drop, we bring you the extraordinary story of Rufus Rockhead, a Jamaican immigrant, First World War veteran, railway porter, bootlegger, and visionary entrepreneur who built Rockhead’s Paradise into the beating heart of Montreal’s jazz scene.

If you enjoy this episode, find The Black Hum wherever you get your podcasts and dive into Season 2 for five powerful stories of Canadians who changed the cultural landscape.

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Host Cindy Charles
Writer Nuruddin Qorane
Executive Producer Ryan Barnett
Associate Producer Cindy Charles
Voice Director & Editor Sonia Gemmiti
Researcher Dr. Sarafina Pagnotta
Series Consultants Kathy Grant & Mathias Joost
This series features interviews with Lt. Jerome Downey, Robert Downey, Jr., Michael Marville, Stephen Dame, Mathias Joost, Kathy Grant, Constance Backhouse, Dr. Dorothy Williams
Additional voices by Keith Francis & Matthew Barnett

Featuring "Hello Montreal" performed by Fred Waring & The Pennsylvanians

A Knockabout Media Production
This podcast was made possible thanks to funding from Veterans Affairs Canada’s Commemorative Partnership Program.
*This program and all relevant content is for educational purposes only and to the best of our knowledge is being used under Fair Dealing/Fair Use Act guidelines and within Canadian and United States standards of fair dealing/fair use*
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the early hours of August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, setting off a chain of events that would draw Canada into the first Gulf War. In this opening episode of Rocket War, we explore how Canada went from peacekeeping posture to active military engagement in the Persian Gulf.

Featuring firsthand accounts from sailors, air force personnel, and military historians, we trace Canada’s early response to the crisis, the political calculations of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and the rapid deployment of Canadian naval and air assets under Operation Friction. From Halifax Harbour to the Strait of Hormuz, listeners hear what it was like to prepare for war, enforce the UN embargo, and confront the reality of a modern conflict unfolding on live television.

Thirty-five years later, Rocket War revisits the decisions, risks, and human experiences that defined Canada’s role in the Gulf War—beginning with the moment everything changed.

DOWNLOAD OUR DISCUSSION QUESTIONS HERE

Written by William Patterson
Host/Executive Producer Ryan Barnett
This podcast was made possible thanks to funding from Veterans Affairs Canada’s Commemorative Partnership Program.

Featuring original interviews with Tim Courtney, Harold Davis, David Deere, Chris Linford, Donald MacPherson, Dr. Sean Maloney, Nathasha Mohr, Paul Molnar, Jean Morin, Claude St.Onge, and the Honorable Rebecca Patterson

Voice direction by Sonia Gemmiti
Series consultant is Jean Morin

An original production of Knockabout Media
*This program and all relevant content is for educational purposes only and to the best of our knowledge is being used under Fair Dealing/Fair Use Act guidelines and within Canadian and United States standards of fair dealing/fair use*
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before we head into a short break, we wanted to leave you with something special: a curious little detour into a very specific piece of Canadiana—“Tears Are Not Enough,” the all-star charity single that brought together some of the country’s biggest musical names in the 1980s.

In this episode, Ryan is joined by Sean Quinlan—host of Excursions Radio and the voice of John Candy in our John Candy series—to revisit the song, the moment, the cultural weirdness, and the earnestness of it all. It’s a morsel, not a meal.

Consider supporting us here: patreon.com/KnockaboutMedia

Cited:
Tears Are Not Enough (1985), directed by John Zaritsky
'Tears Are Not Enough,’ performed by Northern Lights, written by David Foster, Jim Vallance, and Bryan Adams, with additional French lyrics by Rachel Paiement, released in 1985.

*This program and all relevant content is for educational purposes only and to the best of our knowledge is being used under Fair Dealing/Fair Use Act guidelines and within Canadian and United States standards of fair dealing/fair use*
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Tartaglia, Creative Supervisor for Fraggle Rock, joins us for a wide-ranging conversation about The First Snow of Fraggle Rock and the enduring legacy of Jim Henson’s Fraggle universe.
We talk about John’s extraordinary start as a 16-year-old puppeteer on Sesame Street, the mentors who shaped him, and what it means to inherit a creative tradition built on empathy, humour, and emotional honesty.

Consider supporting us by becoming a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/cw/knockaboutmedia

Written & Hosted by Ryan Barnett
Produced by Ryan Barnett & Sonia Gemmiti

A Knockabout Media Production
*This program and all relevant content is for educational purposes only and to the best of our knowledge is being used under Fair Dealing/Fair Use Act guidelines and within Canadian and United States standards of fair dealing/fair use*
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we explore the 50-year legacy of Toronto’s kids’ programming — from Uncle Chichimus and Canadian Howdy Doody to Razzle Dazzle, Today’s Special, The Kids of Degrassi Street, and the birth of YTV. Ed and Ryan discuss the early days of CBC children’s programming, the influence of Sesame Street, Francophone broadcasting in Ontario, and even the role of Christian programming in shaping the media landscape.

If you love production history, nostalgia, and behind-the-scenes stories of classic CanCon, this episode is for you.

Consider supporting us by becoming a Patron: www.patreon.com/knockaboutmedia

Order Ed’s book, Imagination: The Golden Age of Toronto Kids’ TV, from Dundurn Press or your favourite bookseller.

Written & Hosted by Ryan Barnett
Produced by Ryan Barnett & Sonia Gemmiti

A Knockabout Media Production

Archival audio courtesy of Retrontario.
*This program and all relevant content is for educational purposes only and to the best of our knowledge is being used under Fair Dealing/Fair Use Act guidelines and within Canadian and United States standards of fair dealing/fair use*
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.