Road to Avonlea

[quote="Amy"]

sweetkrissy2011 wrote:

My mother brought my the DVD Set. They were a pretty penny. We ordered them from a store. That store is gone now, Also got a season from HMV. They were priced from $59.99 to maybe $79.00. Canadian dollars. I'm not sure if it's less money in the states. I watched the show on are Canadian channel. So it wasn't edited for me.

I feel so fortunate....Jacob told me about season 1 & 2 being sold on christianbook.com for only $10 a piece (and free shipping) on Christmas day!!  Considering the lowest I ever see these on sale for is $45.00, that was quite a deal!! Thanks again Jacob!  I can't wait to receive them!  (btw, are there any 'special features' included, does anyone know?)

[wow good freaking prize  

bethandmanly wrote:

The first three seasons of RTA are still on sale for $10, so I am picking them up. Thanks for letting me know.

  YAY!!! i'm so happy for you. Its really an awesome deal

I have all of the seasons. I like the earlier seasons best when the kids were small.

LIWnut wrote:

I have all of the seasons.  I like the earlier seasons best when the kids were small.

I have them all too. Me to.   

JW wrote:

I don't think there are any Special features but i could be wrong its been a while since i watched the first seasons.

Yes Amy its my first time watching season 5 i have seen one or two episodes before but most of them are new to me. It is VERY good so far. I just love it   

Oh good!  Glad you're enjoying it so much!  

bethandmanly wrote:

The first three seasons of RTA are still on sale for $10, so I am picking them up. Thanks for letting me know.

Fantastic, Cheryl!!  Did you get the free shipping too?  I just told my friend about it and she got them too...it's free shipping until January 3rd if you spend $35.00.

sweetkrissy2011 wrote:

[wow good freaking prize  

I know, right?!

Wish RTA went to 9 seasons like LHOTP.

Wish RTA went to 9 seasons like LHOTP.

Amy wrote:

 

bethandmanly wrote:

The first three seasons of RTA are still on sale for $10, so I am picking them up. Thanks for letting me know.

Fantastic, Cheryl!!  Did you get the free shipping too?  I just told my friend about it and she got them too...it's free shipping until January 3rd if you spend $35.00.

I didn't. I wonder if it's because I bought clearance products instead of other items.

bethandmanly wrote:

Amy wrote:

 

bethandmanly wrote:

The first three seasons of RTA are still on sale for $10, so I am picking them up. Thanks for letting me know.

Fantastic, Cheryl!!  Did you get the free shipping too?  I just told my friend about it and she got them too...it's free shipping until January 3rd if you spend $35.00.

I didn't. I wonder if it's because I bought clearance products instead of other items.

Well that's strange...I didn't read that in the details---it sounded like an order just had to total $35.00. But you DID have to use a code at the check-out...it was on the first home page, for future reference. Looks like that do this from time to time.


I just finished season 1! Starting season 2 now. So addicting!  

Amy wrote:

LIWnut wrote:

I love Road to Avonlea too.  This show and I have a long history together but I don't have time to explain at the moment.

I'd love to hear when you get a chance!  

 

 I am sure that I have posted this elsewhere on this forum so you might remember some of it.

I started watching during the original run when the show was first aired.  The first episode I saw was Quarantine at Alexander Abrahams which had Marilla and Rachael in it.  I was flicking through the channels and saw them and the rest is history.  I learned that the show was being filmed in and around Toronto, as AOGG had been and so it was fun to learn where different parts of the show was filmed. I know of a few of these places.  In AOGG, the bridge that Anne was clinging to when she went down the river in the boat is not too far from my church and the house where they filmed the show about Sarah's boyfriend Booth is very close to the bridge.  The outdoor farm where Avonlea was filmed is in Uxbridge, On and not too far from where my cousin used to live.  On one of our visits to his house, we went searching and found it.  There were limos coming out of the property and filming must have just wrapped up for that day.

In the second season or so the public was invited to Cinnespace Studios where the indoor interiors were shot for a Harvest Festival.  I begged my mom to go with me and we had a wonderful time.  I did take photos but it was before digital cameras and so I don't have those scanned into my computer.  It was a wonderful time.  I met the kids of the show and remember having a very cool chat with Peg Bowen, the witch of Avonlea (Susan Cox). She was a wonderful lady.  Sarah Polley was there that day but wasn't feeling well.  She was having a rest during the time that we were meeting the other cast members so I didn't meet her.  I was sad.  I got autographs from many of the cast and it was really a day to remember.

Sarah Polley is from Aurora, ON which is one town south of where I sit and type at the moment.  I looked up her dad's name in the phone book and went in search of her house once.  Her mother died when Sarah was little and kids had to have a parent with them at all times so Sarah's dad Michael was with her.  They gave him a part on the show and he played Dr. Blair in the first few seasons.

About a year or so after the Harvest Festival I was working at a Burger King on a major highway north of Toronto and in came a very familliar face.  It was Mag Ruffman who played Aunt Olivia on the show.  I had a chance to chat with her and her husband.  They were looking for a house in the area.  Fifteen years or so later I was working where I currently work selling coffee and in comes that familliar face again.  I went over to her and said hi.  I asker her if they had found a house and she looked at me funny, I reminded her of our first visit and said yes.  It made my day to see her again.

Almost done, are you still with me?

In 2007 I went to the Avonlea Convention, a fan run event that was held in Toronto.  Sadly this was the last year of the event so I am glad that I had the chance to attend.  There were a few cast members there and I got my picture taken with them.  It was a great event but there weren't very many there.  Here are some pics that I took that day.



I can't remember who the guy on the left was, maybe a writer.  But then there's Mr Tremain, Gus Pike and Constable Jeffries an lil ol me.



Gus and Me

I think that's it.  I hope I didn't bore you.

Wow! that's so cool. Lucky you!!!!  I live close near Uxbridge,

Thanks for sharing your experience, Marilyn!!   I loved reading about it!  What a lucky girl you are, meeting so many cast members of all your favorite different series over the years!  Downton Abbey is next, I am sure of it!  

The guy on the left looks like an aged Jasper Dale to me.    And I'm pretty sure the guy next to him is Alec King---so far my favorite character!  

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0807649/?ref_=tt_cl_t4


Love how "Gus" is throwing his head back and laughing!  I wonder what was said that was so funny!  

So happy for you, Marilyn!  Neat that you were able to spend time with Mag Ruffman too!  And what a joy, to be able to visit some of the places where this was filmed.  I just adore the scenery in this series, not only the outside, but how many home interiors are shown, and other cool buildings. 

Bummer that "Sarah Polley" was sick though....wow that girl can act.  I thought Melissa Gilbert was a natural, but this girl is on a whole other level!   Love her as Nabby in John Adams too.  Just amazing.

The only thing that makes me crazy about this series is that they expect us to believe that Olivia and Hettie are sisters.    The actress who plays Hettie IS younger than she looks, but the point is, she certainly looks old enough to be her mother or at least an aunt!  And, needless to say, Hettie drives me a tad bonkers!   The season premiere of season 2 was Hettie-less and Lord knows I was not missing her!   But yeah, WAY too old to be Olivia's sister.   

No, it wasn't the actor who played Alec but the man who protrayed Mr Tremain, the owner of The White Sands Hotel.  He appears in later seasons.  Here is a pic of he and I together.



The man on the left in the first picture isn't R.H. Thompson (Jasper).  I can't remember who this guy was but he was connected with the show as a writer or producer or something.  I don't know hos name now, it's been 6.5 years.

That is so wild, if you look at the IMDB pic of the aged Alec King, he sure does look a lot like the 'aged' pic of Mr. Tremain!  

By the way, my friend's son is named after Alec King, although they spell his name with a k.   


Lisa, that's a beautiful picture...I do love this couple too!    


And yep, I agree that back then the age differences in families could potentially be wide, but gosh, I think Hettie looks a good 30 years older!  I know that's not a very nice comment on the actress, but that is how she appears on screen, at least to me.  Olivia looks to be in her late 20's to 30 (not sure if that's what she is supposed to portray) and Hettie looks 60 to me, not even like a woman in her 50's.  I just think that's too wide a gap to portray siblings in a TV show, but I get what you're saying too, Lisa. 

Krissy, you said that you live near Uxbridge. The show was filmed in a tiny place called Coppin's Corners. Have you ever heard of it? Check it out. The buildings from the town are gone but the farmhouse on the property is the King house. It was also used as the backside of Green Gables. It is a white house that was painted blue for RTA.

Amy wrote:

By the way, my friend's son is named after Alec King, although they spell his name with a k.  

How cool!! 

Amy wrote:

And yep, I agree that back then the age differences in families could potentially be wide, but gosh, I think Hettie looks a good 30 years older!  I know that's not a very nice comment on the actress, but that is how she appears on screen, at least to me.  Olivia looks to be in her late 20's to 30 (not sure if that's what she is supposed to portray) and Hettie looks 60 to me, not even like a woman in her 50's.  I just think that's too wide a gap to portray siblings in a TV show, but I get what you're saying too, Lisa. 

  Oh, I totally agree....I was just saying that the age difference *should* have been acceptable. . . but because of how much older Hettie looks, it really was a bit unrealistic looking. There's an episode later on, where Hettie is turning 50 (WONDERFUL episode), and the first time I saw it I was like 24, and so of course, my younger eyes saw her as even older looking. I seriously thought she was in her late sixties, and would be turning 70. She was 55 at the time. But she had an eating disorder, and smoked heavily. . . and they took their toll on her, poor soul.   

Easy to spot a heavy smoker.  She has the unmistakable voice, for one thing.  And yes, I had a feeling she was struggling with Anorexia or Bulemia, poor thing.  I hope she is better now!!

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Jacquie Burroughs died in September, 2010 at age 71.  Here is an article at Sullivan Entertainment:
Aunt Hetty

Aww, very sad. Thanks, Marilyn.

LIWnut wrote:

Krissy, you said that you live near Uxbridge.  The show was filmed in a tiny place called Coppin's Corners.  Have you ever heard of it?  Check it out.  The buildings from the town are gone but the farmhouse on the property is the King house.  It was also used as the backside of Green Gables.  It is a white house that was painted blue for RTA.

Yeah, I don't live that far away. I've been to uxbridge once. Never heard of that. That's neat. So cool.


I had no idea about hetty. The actress. Wow I thought she was older to.   She was a good actress.

LIWnut wrote:

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Jacquie Burroughs died in September, 2010 at age 71.  Here is an article at Sullivan Entertainment:
Aunt Hetty

That's really sad.  

Been a long time, since, I saw Road to Avonlea. Remember, watching it, on tv. Watching it on Sunday's night. We watch it on CBC. Channel 9. Cause, we could get Canada channel. This was before, we have old tv. You had change the channel by hand. But, they change the tv's. So, we couldn't get Canada shows, in our State.

Cool. Yeah CBC. Is where I watched Road to Avonlea. & Anne of green gables.