A new series of English-Canadian fiction unveils an unknown part of the country’s history: the black porters of Montreal trains at the beginning of the 20th centuryand century.
Posted yesterday at 9:00 a.m.
Entitled The Porter, this drama in eight one-hour episodes airs on CBC this Monday evening. It will also premiere in the United States on BET+, the network’s video-on-demand platform for African-American audiences.
The action is located in the heart of the Saint-Antoine district, now called La Petite-Bourgogne, in the Sud-Ouest borough. It revolves around the accomplishments of the black train porters of the 1920s, who had the task of tending to the slightest needs of passengers throughout the journey, including carrying luggage, ironing clothes, shining shoes, preparing the beds, as well as serving the meals.
More specifically, the scenario chronicles the journey of Junior Massey (Aml Ameen) and Zeke Garret (Ronnie Rowe Jr.) who, after the tragic death of a fellow train porter, try to improve their lot by taking very different paths. .
The former tries to take advantage of a broken system by chasing power and money through smuggling; the second attempts to change the system from within by starting a trade union movement. We also follow Lucy (Loren Lott), a cabaret singer ready to do anything to achieve success, and Marlene (Mouna Traoré), a nurse who provides care to black patients who are refused elsewhere.
The series celebrates the role they played in establishing the many black communities across Canada.
PHOTO SHAUNA TOWNLEY, SUPPLIED BY CBC
Loren Lott (Lucy) in The Porter
A bottomless pit
The Porter is not based on any novel or history textbook. According to its co-creator, Arnold Pinnock, it is “story-driven” fiction, constructed from a “wide variety of sources”.
“As an immigrant, I wanted to learn about the history of blacks in Canada, explains the Canadian of British origin, in an interview on Zoom. I started reading stuff, and I realized that there was a common denominator between all these stories, one thing that came up often: black train porters. I didn’t know anything about them except what we were shown in American cinemas. I didn’t know there was a Canadian branch! »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CBC
Arnold Pinnock, series co-creator The Porter
Intrigued, Pinnock then fell into “a bottomless pit” of stories, anecdotes and information about this period.
“It inspired me to learn that all these men and women, who came not only from the southern states, but from small Caribbean countries like Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada and Trinidad, had planted seeds one everywhere, arriving in Canada, settling in Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal. »
They didn’t just drop their suitcases in these cities. They joined forces to change things.
Arnold Pinnock, series co-creator The Porter
The Porter could have been anchored elsewhere than in Montreal. But since Bruce Ramsay, co-creator of the drama, was from the area and Arnold Pinnock had already discovered the city a few years earlier, when he was interested in the Negro Community Center, a center cultural, social services and education dedicated to Afro-descendants of Montreal, the decision imposed itself.
“There were murals of Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones,” recalls Pinnock of his tour of the Negro Community Center at the corner of Coursol and Canning streets. I had gone to the barber. I had met lots of people. It had inspired me. Montreal, ‟the Harlem of the North”, ‟the city of vice”, jazz, prohibition… It was the ideal starting point for the story we wanted to tell. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PRAIRIE PORTER INC. /SIENNA PORTER FILMS INC.
Scene from the series The Porter
Entertain and educate
In addition to entertaining, The Porter aims to reframe the history of black Canadians, too often overlooked, by highlighting the important black diaspora.
“Our primary goal is to entertain people,” says Annmarie Morais, one of the writers and executive producers [showrunner] of the show. We want them to be invested in the plot and to fall in love with the characters. But of course we also want them to be interested in the history of blacks in Canada, which may never have reached them. We are not just invented! We are part of the history of this nation. »
If, after watching the show, people are curious to learn who the carriers were and what happened to them, great! If they want to dig a little, that’s even better!
Annmarie Morais, one of the writers and executive producers [showrunner] of The Porter
Arnold Pinnock hopes The Porter will inspire other immigrants to share their experiences. “There are so many multicultural stories that have yet to be unearthed, waiting to see the light of day. Instead of separating us, I believe that they will bring us closer to each other. »
Winnipeg to Montreal
Although the action of The Porter takes place largely in Montreal, the series was filmed in Winnipeg because of tax credits, explains CBC. The task of recreating the Montreal of the 1920s, more specifically the Saint-Antoine district, was entrusted to Quebec set designer Réjean Labrie, who now lives in Manitoba. According to the historical drama’s producers, Winnipeg’s architectural richness offered a world of possibilities for the film crew, which also had to replicate parts of Chicago and Detroit. In addition, Winnipeg provided access to the Prairie Dog Central Railway, a heritage railway with a well-preserved old steam train, which was used for several cabin interior scenes.
For now, The Porter is only offered in English. A French version will land later on Radio-Canada, confirms the broadcaster. However, no air date has been confirmed.
Series The Porter airs on CBC tonight at 9 p.m. It will be offered free of charge on CBC Gem, the public broadcaster’s video-on-demand platform.