Sunday, March 28, 2010

CBC's Four hour Grapes-a-thon set to make its debut Sunday night


Sunday night will be Don Cherry night on the CBC and for good measure Monday night too, as the people's broadcaster airs its much anticipated two part mini series on the life and times of one Donald S. Cherry.

The iconic Canadian personality is given the full review in CBC's presentation of Keep Your Head Up Kid: The Don Cherry Story. A four hour examination of all things Cherry, split over two nights.

A television program that is full of the bombast, colour and history of the game that has made Cherry perhaps one of the most identifiable figures in Canadian hockey. With a script provided by son Tim who doubles as executive producer of the series, the trail in life that Cherry has followed is outlined with apparent careful consideration to his much discussed image.

It follows Cherry's life from its early beginnings, the successful moments and the occasional stumbles, most of it played out on the buses and in the rustic arenas of the hard hitting American Hockey League. The movie travels through the period of despair and exile from the game and then on to his triumphant return as an NHL coach, a turn of events that elevated him to near cult status in Canada, based on short stints in Boston and Colorado, defined of course by his days in Boston as the coach of Bobby Orr.

The television biography takes us to his most recent career shift and for what he's now best known as, that being the High Cardinal of Canadian hockey with sermons delivered every Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada.

By show-time of 8 pm on a Sunday night, much of the day's sporting activity will have faded from view, leaving the spotlight to Kingston Ontario's most famous son, in a nation that devours all things hockey, one imagines that the CBC is hopeful that it will be finding that Keep you head up kid, is going to contribute to the helpful cause of keeping the ratings up as well!

Cherry himself has been busy making the promotional tours for his story, bringing some clips of the show along for the presentation, featured below on the CBC's, The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos.


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The CBC's website for the two night presentation.

Some of the pre-broadcast findings on the CBC's offering from the nation's media observers:

CBC-- Film chronicles Don Cherry's life
Globe and Mail-- The soft side of Grapes
Globe and Mail-- Biopic should give Cherry nothing to worry about
Toronto Sun-- Cherry biopic not a tell-all
Toronto Star-- Cherry picking his life story
Toronto Life-- Q & A: Don Cherry on the CBC biopic Keep Your Head Up Kid
Kingston Whig-Standard-- Opening Night Jitters
Montreal Gazette-- Don Cherry bio-pic is fun for Habs fans
Winnipeg Free Press-- CBC shoots...
Winnipeg Free Press-- Cherry's jubilee
Vancouver Sun-- A story about a great Canadian kid
Canada.com-- CBC gives four hours of the best of Don Cherry



This item first appeared on the HockeyNation blog

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