''Charlie Grant's War'' is a Canadian television film, directed by

Martin Lavut Martin Lavut (December 18, 1934 – January 26, 2016) was a Canadian filmmaker born in Montreal, Quebec. He wrote and directed numerous theatrical and television dramas, and documentary films. Among his dramas are the films '' Certain Practices'', ' ...

and broadcast by CBC Television in 1985.Donald Martin, "A Canadian hero finally gets his due". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', January 26, 1985. Set during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the film stars R. H. Thomson as

Charlie Grant Charles Grant Jr. (August 31, 1874 – July 9, 1932) was an American second baseman in Negro league baseball. During his 20-year career, he played for some of the best teams in the Negro leagues. Grant nearly crossed the baseball color lin ...

, a Canadian activist and humanitarian who was living in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

at the time of the war, and helped to smuggle over 600

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

out of the country for their safety. The film's cast also included Jean Archambault, Anthony Bekenn, Peter Boretski, Douglas Campbell, Marigold Charlesworth, Peter Dvorsky,

Jan Rubeš Jan Ladislav Rubeš CM (6 June 1920 – 29 June 2009) was a Czech-Canadian bass opera singer and actor. Life and career Rubeš was born in Volyně, Czechoslovakia, to Ružena (née Kellnerová) and Jan Rubeš. Not long after World War II, ...

Vlasta Vrána Vlasta Vrána (born 1950), is a Canadian actor of Czech descent. Life and career Vrána, born to Czech parents in Norway, moved to Canada at age four. He made his feature-film debut in Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg's '' Shivers''. Vrána ...

Louis Negin Louis Negin (20 October 1929 – 2 December 2022) was a British-born Canadian actor, best known for his roles in the films of Guy Maddin."Enchantment". ''In Toronto'', September 2011. Career Born in London, England, and raised in Toronto, Ontari ...

, Joan Orenstein and John Friesen. The film had its television premiere on January 27, 1985.

Plot

Shocked and horrified by the rising tide of anti-Semitism in war-torn Vienna, Grant uses his position as a diamond broker to obtain illegal passports and safe passage for hundreds of Jews. He is discovered, arrested by the Gestapo, and imprisoned in some of the most notorious Nazi concentration camps in Europe.

Accolades and Awards

The film received several

ACTRA Award The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television and radio industries.

nominations at the

15th ACTRA Awards The 15th ACTRA Awards were presented on April 2, 1986 to honour achievements in Canadian television production in 1985. They were the final ACTRA Awards presented before the responsibility for organizing and presenting Canadian television awards w ...

in 1986, including for Best TV Program, Best Actor (Thomson), Best Supporting Performance (Dvorsky, Rubeš) and Best Writing (

Anna Sandor Anna Sandor is a Hungarian-born Canadian/American film and television screenwriter.Tom McMahon, "A marriage made for TV". ''Windsor Star'', December 20, 1986. Sandor began her career as an actress, becoming a writer in her mid-twenties. Her films ...

). It won the awards for Best Program and Best Writing.Adele Freedman, "Charlie Grant's War is ACTRA's top show of the year: Nellie makes last stand brisk but chummy". ''

'', April 4, 1986.

References

External links

* 1985 films 1985 television films Canadian war drama films English-language Canadian films Films directed by Martin Lavut CBC Television original films World War II films based on actual events Canadian films based on actual events Canadian drama television films Canadian World War II films 1980s Canadian films {{Canada-drama-tv-prog-stub