Cannonball (TV series)

Cannonball is a British/Canadian adventure drama series starring Paul Birch and William Campbell, and aired on CBC Television in Canada, ABC Weekend TV in the United Kingdom, and in syndication in the United States.[1][2] Produced by Normandie Productions and ITC Entertainment,[1] the series' interiors were filmed at Canadian Film Industries Limited, a studio in Canada. Exteriors were shot in and around Toronto.[3]

This article is about the dramatic television show. For other television shows named Cannonball, see Cannonball (Australian game show). For Cannonball (British game show), see Cannonball (American game show). For other uses, see Cannonball (disambiguation).
Cannonball
GenreAdventure/Drama
Directed byHarry Keller
Lesley Selander
Les Goodwins
StarringPaul Birch
William Campbell
Opening themeCannonball theme song
Country of originCanada
United Kingdom
United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes39 (list of episodes)
Production
Production locationsBolton, Ontario, Canada
Running time22 minutes
Production companyIncorporated Television Company
DistributorIndependent Television Corporation
Release
Original networkCBC Television (Canada)
ABC Weekend TV (United Kingdom)
Syndication
(United States)
Picture formatBlack-and-white
Audio formatMono
Original releaseOctober 6, 1958 (1958-10-06) –
July 13, 1959 (1959-07-13)

The series is one of the few ITC productions to air on ABC Weekend TV in the UK. Because Associated TeleVision (ATV) owners of ITC, also ran the London weekend and Midlands weekdays ITV companies, they tended to hold the rights for ITC series in order to show each one in the Midlands (where ABC was the weekend operator) during the week. The series aired from October 6, 1958 to July 13, 1959, for 39 episodes in black-and-white.

Synopsis

The series follows the adventures of Mike Malone (Paul Birch), who's nickname is 'Canonball' and Jerry Austin (William Campbell), two truckers who haul cargo across the US and Canada for the fictitious Toronto-based C&A Transport Company Ltd. The truck depicted in the series is believed to be that of a GMC Model 950 COE (cab-over engine) diesel tractor built and sold in the same decade by General Motors. The supporting cast includes Beth Lockerbie as Mary Malone, Mike's wife, and Beth Morris as Ginny Malone and Steve Barringer as Butch Malone, the couple's two children. Howard Milsom appears as C&A Transport Company Ltd.'s dispatcher Harry Butler.

The duo's adventures come to an end in the series' final episode, "Tunnel Vision". Austin, who is Malone's co-driver on the truck, has an opportunity to go back and finish college. Malone knows this but realizes Austin will not take the opportunity because it will break up their partnership. In his yearly medical check up, Malone pretends to have tunnel vision (lack of peripheral vision) which means he no longer qualifies to drive trucks. This frees Austin who is able to finish his college education.

Main cast
  • Paul Birch as Cannonball Mike Malone
  • William Campbell as Jerry Austin
  • Beth Lockerbie as Mary Malone
  • Beth Morris as Ginny Malone
  • Steve Barringer as Butch Malone
  • Howard Milsom as Harry Butler

Episode list

The original production order appears to be lost and all that remains is a partial list based upon Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and ITV air dates. As titles were not shown on-screen, these titles may be speculative.

  • "The Runaway Truck"
  • "Pills"
  • "Nitro Haul"
  • "Small Cargo"
  • "The Big Ambulance"
  • "Mark Time"
  • "The Necklace"
  • "Shock"
  • "The Attack"
  • "The Girl Reporter"
  • "Butch"
  • "Little Old Man"
  • "Sauce for the Goose"
  • "The Girl at Joe's Place"
  • "Nanette"
  • "Lil's Cafe"
  • "The Hostage"
  • "Fallout"
  • "Marooned"
  • "Undercover"
  • "Vendetta"
  • "The Has-been"
  • "The Flying Dutchman"
  • "Rodeo"
  • "Trip to Buffalo"
  • "Wild Party"
  • "Driving School"
  • "Eyewitness"
  • "Ginny"
  • "Racket"
  • "Green-eyed Monster"
  • "Sights on Safety"
  • "Moose Hunt"
  • "Big Buck"
  • "Willy"
  • "The Dog"
  • "Snake Eyes"
  • "The Iron Lung"
  • "Tunnel Eyes"

Theme music

The Cannonball TV series had a theme that opened and closed each episode. The words and music were written and performed by the American country artist Merle Haggard. [4]

References
  1. Tate, Marsha Ann (2007). Canadian Television Programming Made for the United States Market: A History with Production and Broadcast Data. McFarland. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-786-42745-1.
  2. Erickson, Hal (2001). Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947-1987. McFarland Classics. p. 22. ISBN 0-786-41198-8.
  3. Aaker, Everett (2006). Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters: All Regular Cast Members in American Crime and Mystery Series, 1948-1959. McFarland. p. 57. ISBN 0-786-42476-1.
  4. Cannonball (TV Series 1958– ) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-11-12
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