Frankie Drake

[Methuselah]

This is part of the title of a show about a woman detective who works in Toronto, Canada in the 1920’s. It is on the PBS website, for DVR usage at your preferred time. There are about thirty one-hour sessions stored there. We’ve just finished seeing them all. The story is a bit eccentric and implausible, but entertaining. The location is very authentic for the 1920’s, but it was filmed in recent times. The buildings, speakeasies, and street scenes are made not by splicing onto old films of the time but shot in modern times on an expensive set. There are old-fashioned streetcars and many Model T types of cars present. A little production couldn’t afford to assemble all of this. My guess is that Toronto has several blocks or square miles where this neighborhood is preserved in its 1920 form, and that film producers are encouraged to use it for a nominal fee.
They had a brutal way to shut down the last hour. The ten or so characters we’d come to enjoy over the run of the show all have sudden deaths by several means. They’ll have a hard time to write a sequel to this series. Perhaps a prequel could be written.

[BoSoxGal]

Thank you for posting something neutral. This show sounds like the kind of thing that would be right up my alley.

That said might I suggest in future when recommending books shows films you not give away that they all die in the end? Everybody dies in the end, of course - but not always at the end of a film/series so you’ve kind of wrung some of the experience out.

Nevertheless I will put it in my Passport queue and hope that by the time I get around to watching it I’ll have forgotten your post.

By the way a wonderful show on PBS that you might enjoy - Unforgotten. I won’t tell you who dies or when.

[Scooter]

I saw it as it originally aired on CBC and would also recommend it. It initially shares a universe with Murdoch Mysteries and has some of the same feel and narrative hooks, like using historical characters in some of the episodes. Pretty well done.

[Long Run]

Sounds similar to Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, female private detective set in the 1920s in Melbourne. I'd also recommend this one. Who knew there were ski resorts in Australia? I didn't until I watched this show.

[Methuselah]

Do any of you Canadians know the neighborhood in Toronto where this was shot? Is it in some kind historical site maintained by the government? 'Thuse

[Scooter]

Few of the street scenes were likely filmed in Toronto. The streetscapes that looked "of the period" were probably in smaller towns in Southern Ontario. A lot of Murdoch Mysteries was filmed in Cambridge, I wouldn't be surprised if it was also used for Frankie Drake, as both are from the same production company.

[MajGenl.Meade]

That one was tough . . .

The shows have also filmed in other communities, such as Brantford, Cambridge and Barrie, but Hamilton remains a favourite.

https://www.thestar.com/ths/entertainme ... ilton.html

Frankie Drake Mysteries Filming Locations

https://moviemaps.org/movies/3hm

It appears there is a new-fangled device named "Google" (odd name)

[Burning Petard]

Frankie Drake has alot of feminist and black pride woven into it. More than I notice in any American pop tv series.

snailgate

[Gob]

I got confused...