On the Spot

1953

On the Spot was the first television series made specifically for TV by the National Film Board of Canada, and aired on CBC Television from 1953 to 1955. Each episode reported on a different aspect of life in Canada and was introduced with the line "The National Film Board’s up-to-the-minute report of what’s happening somewhere in Canada”. The series was originated by Bernard Devlin, with Robert Anderson as executive producer.

Production

Seasons

11 Episodes • Premiered 1953

1. The Winnipeg Story

2. Winnipeg Ballet

Fred Davis goes backstage at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

3. Oil

4. Transpacific Flight

This short documentary invites us aboard a transpacific flight. Host Fred Davis, on his way to shoot stories in Japan and Korea, interviews the pilot, navigator and flight attendants.

5. It's Raining Soldiers!

6. Football Story

This short documentary from the On the Spot series - “National Film Board’s up-to-the-minute report of what’s happening somewhere in Canada” – invites us to visit the Edmonton Eskimos football team on their home ground. Host Fred Davis introduce us to some of the team’s key players and interviews its 28-year-old coach, Darrell Royal, a firm believer in the use of moving pictures in the coaching of modern football.

7. Hotel Story

8. The Zoo in Stanley Park

In this documentary short, a superintendent at Vancouver's Stanley Park Zoo discusses issues related to feeding and acclimatization of birds and animals from other zones.

9. The Mounties' Crime Lab

10. Saskatchewan Farm Museum

11. Radar Station

Radar Station is a 1953 Canadian short documentary film produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the On The Spot series made specifically for television. The documentary involved an account of a visit to a radar station while it is involved in a simulated air attack, and is based on first-person interviews of the staff at the radar station.

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