Pit Pony (TV series)

This article is about the television series. For the television movie, see Pit Pony (film).

Pit Pony
Created by	Joyce Barkhouse
Based on	Pit Pony by Joyce Barkhouse
Starring	Alex Wrathell Jennie Raymond Shaun Smyth Denny Doherty Elliot Page (credited as Ellen Philpotts-Page) Jeremy Akerman
Country of origin	Canada
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	44
Production
Producer	Andrew Cochran
Running time	30 minutes
Original release
Network	CBC
Release	February 5, 1999 (1999-02-05) – February 4, 2000 (2000-02-04)

Pit Pony is a 1999 CBC television series which tells the story of small-town life in Glace Bay, on the island of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in 1904. The plot line revolves around the lives of the families of the men and boys who work in the coal mines.

Production

The series followed the production of the 1997 Pit Pony television film, both of which were based on the novel Pit Pony by Joyce Barkhouse and produced by Cochran Entertainment. Mike Clattenburg, Stephen Reynolds, Phil Comeau and Peter Rowe directed the series. Seventy percent of the cast and crew were from Cape Breton and 20% were from other regions of Nova Scotia.

Stories in the series were written by Heather Conkie, Paul Ledoux, Edwina Follows and Lori Houzer. It is based on the award-winning 1997 Canadian television film inspired by Joyce Barkhouse's novel of the same name.

In June 1999, production began for the second season of Pit Pony. The series was subsequently cancelled on February 4, 2000.

Telecast and home media

Pit Pony premiered on the Canadian CBC on February 5, 1999, and ended on February 4, 2000. It ran for two seasons with 44 episodes. The series aired in the U.S. on Encore, along with its multiplex channel, Starz Kids & Family. As of 2023, the series is streaming on Tubi.

Plot summary

Set in the small Canadian mining town of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia in the early 1900s, the series revolves around the lives and work of the town's male population, virtually all of whom were employed by the local coal mine, and the trials and tribulations of the women of the town, who waited anxiously to see if their loved ones would return home safely.

In particular, the plot line focuses on the story of the MacLean family. Willie MacLean is a 12-year-old boy with a love for horses and liking to school to escape the difficult times his family has. When the series starts, Willie's father has been dead for over a year from coal consumption, and his older brother, John also died in a mine cave in. When Willie's brother was killed in a cave in and his father wounded two or three years earlier (in the Pit Pony television film), Willie was forced to fill his brother's shoes to support his older sister Nellie, and two younger sisters, Maggie and Sarah, until their father recovered. Willie found work at the mine lonely and unfriendly; as a result he forms a bond with a pit pony horse in order to make it through each day.

The principal characters included the members of the MacLean and Hall families: Alex Wrathell as young Willie MacLean, through whose eyes most of the stories unfolded around, Jennie Raymond as Willie's older sister Nellie MacLean Hall, Shaun Smyth as Nellie's Scott husband Ned Hall. Elliot Page played Maggie MacLean, and Anna Wedlock played Sarah MacLean, Willie's two younger sisters. Among the other major characters were Willie's surrogate father and stable owner Charley (Denny Doherty), town gossip Lorena MacTavish (Mary-Colin Chisholm) and the firm, but fair, mine owner Mr. Frawley (Jeremy Akerman).

Episodes

Season 1: 1999

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"The Light to the Future"	Unknown	Unknown	February 5, 1999 (1999-02-05)
2	2	"Best Laid Plans"	Unknown	Unknown	February 12, 1999 (1999-02-12)
3	3	"Forerunner"	Unknown	Unknown	February 19, 1999 (1999-02-19)
4	4	"The Ball Game"	Unknown	Unknown	February 26, 1999 (1999-02-26)
5	5	"To Have and to Hold"	Unknown	Unknown	March 5, 1999 (1999-03-05)
6	6	"Endings and Beginnings"	Unknown	Unknown	March 12, 1999 (1999-03-12)
7	7	"The Phantom Ship"	Unknown	Unknown	March 19, 1999 (1999-03-19)
8	8	"The Mine's Mark"	Unknown	Unknown	March 26, 1999 (1999-03-26)
9	9	"Sleeping Dogs Lie"	Unknown	Unknown	April 2, 1999 (1999-04-02)
10	10	"Calling Mr. Bell"	Unknown	Unknown	April 9, 1999 (1999-04-09)
11	11	"Ghost in the Lens"	Unknown	Unknown	April 16, 1999 (1999-04-16)
12	12	"Famous"	Unknown	Unknown	April 23, 1999 (1999-04-23)
13	13	"Winds of Change"	Unknown	Unknown	April 30, 1999 (1999-04-30)
14	14	"Reunion"	Unknown	Unknown	May 7, 1999 (1999-05-07)
15	15	"Making Their Way"	Unknown	Unknown	May 14, 1999 (1999-05-14)
16	16	"Where There's a Will"	Unknown	Unknown	May 21, 1999 (1999-05-21)
17	17	"Evolution"	Unknown	Unknown	May 28, 1999 (1999-05-28)
18	18	"The Truth About Heroes"	Unknown	Unknown	June 4, 1999 (1999-06-04)
19	19	"Night Into Day"	Unknown	Unknown	June 11, 1999 (1999-06-11)
20	20	"Transformations"	Unknown	Unknown	June 18, 1999 (1999-06-18)
21	21	"Connections"	Unknown	Unknown	June 25, 1999 (1999-06-25)
22	22	"Homecoming"	Unknown	Unknown	July 2, 1999 (1999-07-02)
23	23	"Charley's Secret"	Unknown	Unknown	July 9, 1999 (1999-07-09)
24	24	"Sunshine and Shadows"	Unknown	Unknown	July 16, 1999 (1999-07-16)
25	25	"Into the Dark"	Unknown	Unknown	July 23, 1999 (1999-07-23)
26	26	"Our Sons and Daughters"	Stephen Reynolds	Heather Conkie	July 30, 1999 (1999-07-30)

Season 2: 1999–2000

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
27	1	"Power Plays"	Unknown	Unknown	September 24, 1999 (1999-09-24)
28	2	"Two Sides of the Coin"	Unknown	Unknown	October 1, 1999 (1999-10-01)
29	3	"Coal Dust"	Unknown	Unknown	October 8, 1999 (1999-10-08)
30	4	"A Weighty Matter"	Unknown	Unknown	October 15, 1999 (1999-10-15)
31	5	"Gone Fishin'"	Unknown	Unknown	October 22, 1999 (1999-10-22)
32	6	"Home"	Unknown	Unknown	October 29, 1999 (1999-10-29)
33	7	"Company Business"	Unknown	Unknown	November 5, 1999 (1999-11-05)
34	8	"The Game"	Unknown	Unknown	November 12, 1999 (1999-11-12)
35	9	"Taking Chances"	Unknown	Unknown	November 19, 1999 (1999-11-19)
36	10	"In Harmony"	Unknown	Unknown	November 26, 1999 (1999-11-26)
37	11	"Sarah's Return"	Unknown	Unknown	December 3, 1999 (1999-12-03)
38	12	"That Special Spark"	Unknown	Unknown	December 10, 1999 (1999-12-10)
39	13	"Lost"	Unknown	Unknown	December 17, 1999 (1999-12-17)
40	14	"Fiddler's Fall"	Unknown	Unknown	January 7, 2000 (2000-01-07)
41	15	"Chasing Shadows"	Unknown	Unknown	January 14, 2000 (2000-01-14)
42	16	"Price of Change"	Unknown	Unknown	January 21, 2000 (2000-01-21)
43	17	"Small Steps"	Unknown	Unknown	January 28, 2000 (2000-01-28)
44	18	"Securities"	Unknown	Unknown	February 4, 2000 (2000-02-04)

Awards and nominations

Gemini Awards

Year	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref
1999	Best Production Design or Art Direction in a Dramatic Program or Series	Graeme Morphy, Alan MacLeod	Nominated
2000	Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series	Elliot Page (nominated as Ellen Philpotts Page)	Nominated

External links

• Pit Pony at IMDb
• Pit Pony at Rotten Tomatoes