"Road to Avonlea" (1989) TV series 1989-1996

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Genre:

Drama | Adventure | Family | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

A young rich girl is sent to live with relatives in Prince Edward Island in early 1900s.

Plot Keywords:

Prince Edward Island | Canada | Family Relationships | Period Piece | Sibling

Awards:

Won 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 24 wins & 75 nominations

Cast

Zachary Bennett	...	Felix King (83 episodes, 1990-1996)
Lally Cadeau	...	Janet King (83 episodes, 1990-1996)
Jackie Burroughs	...	Hetty King (80 episodes, 1990-1996)
Mag Ruffman	...	Olivia Dale / ... (77 episodes, 1990-1996)
Gema Zamprogna	...	Felicity King (70 episodes, 1990-1996)
Cedric Smith	...	Alec King / ... (69 episodes, 1990-1996)
Sarah Polley	...	Sara Stanley / ... (58 episodes, 1990-1996)
Harmony Cramp	...	Cecily King (50 episodes, 1990-1994)
Elva Mai Hoover	...	Mrs. Lawson / ... (39 episodes, 1990-1994)
Alex Floyd	...	Baby Daniel / ... (36 episodes, 1992-1996)
Ryan Floyd	...	Baby Daniel / ... (36 episodes, 1992-1996)

Also Known As:

"Avonlea" (USA)
"Tales from Avonlea" (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

USA:60 min (91 episodes)

Country:

Canada

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Company:

Sullivan Entertainment

Trivia:

The final episode of the third season dealt with the death of Marilla Cuthbert. Since actress Colleen Dewhurst had already died, her "appearance" was pieced together from other films she had been in from the same production company.

Quotes:

Mrs. Rachel Lynde: I have no tact. I'm noted for that.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mr. Dressup's 25th Anniversary (1994) (TV)

AVONLEA forever!

ROAD TO AVONLEA (RTA) is adapted from L.M. Montgomery's short stories on Avonlea. Spanning 7 seasons, 91 episodes in all, this series follows the life of its 3 main protagonists - Sara Stanley(Sarah Polley), Felicity King(Gema Zamprogna) and Felix King(Zachary Bennett), from the time they're around 9 years old till they reach adulthood. Jackie Burroughs, Cedric Smith, Lally Cadeau and Mag Ruffman, who play the rest of the King family also have a dominant role in the series. Many of its themes and issues have been shown from their perspective. For those familiar with Kevin Sullivan's 'Anne of Green Gables' and its Sequel, RTA is meant to be a show that explores life in Avonlea after Anne Shirley has left to settle elsewhere. Therefore some of the 'Anne' characters do appear in RTA like Marilla Cuthbert(Colleen Dewhurst), Rachel Lynde(Patricia Hamilton) and Muriel Stacy (Marilyn Lightstone).

What has made this series so endearing is its right mixture of drama and comedy. The comic element is explored thoroughly through the characters of Felix and Hetty King and also through those working at the White Sands Hotel - a venue for many an Avonlea adventure! Jackie Burroughs has given one of the best performances playing Hetty King, a school teacher who is at times a typical rigid, even shrewish spinster and the next an eloquent novelist of popular romance! Her character fluctuates from the impossibly strict to the ridiculously silly! The series started with the focus on Sara Stanley and then shifted to Felicity King and it is her life that has been most faithfully charted - from being a typical bossy elder sister to a sensitive young woman. Micheal Mahonen plays Gus Pike, Felicity's love interest, a character who is granted all the elements of a romantic hero - a passion for the seas, a lighthouse dwelling, mystery, initial orphanhood and then a fortunate family lineage and of course romance! The characters of Sara and Felix have been given almost equal treatment; with Sara, being an independent, self-seeking woman exiting the show in season 6 to seek a literary career in Paris. Felix's story is one of gradual maturation through what seems like an endless series of scrapes and messes!

From Season 6 the show focused more on other characters in Avonlea, like the town gossips, the Pettibone family and Davy and Dora Keith. What made this series interesting was its social and historical realism - from focusing on the suffragette movement, to the scientific inventions explored through the character of Jasper Dale(R.H. Thomson), to the encroachment of builders wanting to turn Avonlea into a city.

Supported by an amazing team of costume and location designers and 5 music directors, the series is as authentic as any period show can get. I loved the music given for this series especially the tune given by John Welsman for Gus Pike's character - a violin tune, it evokes all the beauty and pathos of his character. This series ended on a bitter-sweet note. The sweet note being the much-awaited marriage of Felicity to Gus and the bitter note being the planned departure of one of the shows sweetest couples - Olivia and Jasper Dale. Their decision to leave Avonlea is a metaphorical announcement that things have changed in Avonlea - with the cannery disaster being a milder version of what Avonlea will face with the advent of the World War 1. One can say that Kevin Sullivan has explored that element in his RTA reunion movie 'Happy Christmas Miss King' and in 'Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story'. As to the cast of RTA, they're all brilliant in their roles. I found myself especially identifying with Sarah Polley and Gema Z's character and the various predicaments they fall into.

RTA is a representation of Kevin Sullivan at his best - never has the combination in a TV costume drama series of romance, comedy and social and historical reality been more entertaining, endearing and authentic! Kudos to Kevin Sullivan!