From Elianna Lev of Vice:
An Oral History of The Littlest Hobo, Canada’s Greatest TV Show
The show’s roots date back to 1958, when ol’ timey Hollywood producers Stuart and Dorrell McGowan made a low-budget film about a wandering German Shepherd dog, which went on to be a big success. Since the character of Lil’ Ho was so endearing, it was eventually turned into a TV series. Shot in British Columbia between 1963 and 1965, the original series had to halt production because of legal disputes concerning ownership between the McGowans and funders Stoner Broadcasting. When the case came to conclusion seven years later, in favour of the brothers, they’d long tired of the idea to keep the show alive. However, a young Canadian named Christopher Dew, who’d worked on the series as a “wet behind the ears” editor, knew the nomadic canine still had more rides to take on that train. Continue reading.
I was an early-mid teen and watched it, liked it, as much because I knew it was done in Canada using Canadian actors and crew, etc. But I never liked that it portrayed the U.S. to me and all Canadian kids watching it. So here’s my question – since it was done in Canada with a mostly all Canadian cast and crew, and the stories were scripted by Canadians, and we paid for it – and with 99 % of everything on Canadian tv being American, then and now, — why why why did Littlest Hobo have to brainwash young Canadians with yet more “American” pretending all the episodes were happening in the U.S. ????????????
I really enjoyed reading this article. I used to watch this show a lot as a kid in the late 80s, early 90s.That theme song may be my favourite of all time.