Michael Dawson - The Mountie from Dime Novel to Disney

Michael Dawson

Between the Lines

The Mountie from Dime Novel to Disney

Michael Dawson, 1998

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Between the Lines gratefully acknowledges financial assistance for our publishing activities from the Ontario Arts Council, The Canada Council for the Arts, and the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program.

Every reasonable effort has been made to find copyright holders. The publisher would be pleased to have any errors or omissions brought to its attention.

Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data

Dawson, Michael, 1971

The mountie from dime novel to Disney

Includes index.

ISBN 9781926662664 (EPUB)

1. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Public Relations History.

2. Royal Canadian Mounted Police In motion pictures.

3. Royal Canadian Mounted Police In literature. I. Title.

HV8157.D38 1998 659.2'93632'0971 C98-930683-6

Cover and text design by Gordon Robertson

Cover collage by David Laurence

Goofy cartoon: AislinThe Gazette; map: RCMP Centennial Souvenir Programme; still from Rose Marie: Glenbow Archives, Calgary, Alberta, NA-2947-I; watercolour: RCMP Centennial Calendar, courtesy of the Regina Chamber of Commerce; Estevan gravestone: Glenbow Archives, Calgary, Alberta, NA-2009-2

Printed in Canada by Transcontinental

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 05 04 03 02 01 00 99 98

Between the Lines, 401 Richmond Street West, Studio 277, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8, Canada

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Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.

OSCAR WILDE

If the culture of the nation is only so much wool, then the eyes over which it is pulled must belong to sheep. And so everything disappears, except the possibility of farming.

PATRICK WRIGHT,
On Living in an Old Country

Contents

ONE Introduction:
Of Mice, Mounties, and Historical Magic

TWO Fiction and Film:
The Mountie as Antimodern Crusader, 18801960

FIVE Embracing Modernity, Liberalizing the Past:
The 1973 Centennial Celebrations

SIX Upholding the Image, Maintaining the Rights:
The Mountie Enters the World of Postmodernity, 197397

SEVEN Conclusion:
Re-Mounting the Force for the Twenty-First Century

Like a suspect tracked through the vast reaches of the Arctic tundra, I too have felt the cold, relentless stare of the Mountie. Any attempt to distance myself from this project was constantly subverted by the appearance of a Mountie on television, in department stores, in my mailbox, on my office door, on my Christmas tree, and even in a travel agent's office in Vienna. Sometimes the Mountie was plastic, and sometimes he was acrylic. But always, it seemed, he was there.

To conclude this project and thus escape the Mountie's gaze I came to rely on many people for advice, moral support, money, supplies, and occasionally a place to sleep

This book began as my Master's thesis. As a graduate student in the History Department at Queen's University, I have benefited from the wisdom and support of a great many people. Ian McKay has been an extremely enthusiastic and supportive supervisor. His sound advice on research, secondary literature, and writing (he pleaded with me more than once to write more like a Mountie and less like Mackenzie King) is much appreciated. His interest in my work and his insights into Canadian history and cultural studies have been crucial to the completion of this projectand to my enjoyment of graduate school. Karen Dubinsky did not, I think, expect to be perusing local bookstores for Dale of the Mounted novels when she began teaching graduate students. I consider myself extremely fortunate that I began my Master's degree at Queen's just as she arrived. Her patience with me as a scholar and her support for this project were far beyond what any graduate student could expect. Her graduate course on Sex and Gender in Historical Perspective opened up an exciting world of historical research and debate for me. Sandra den Otter allowed me a great deal of latitude in creating my third doctoral field and offered enthusiastic support while I attempted to balance the early years of my Ph.D. with the writing of this book. I would also like to thank the members of my thesis examining committee for their helpful comments. Bryan Palmer, in particular, offered constructive and enlightening comments. Many thanks also to my undergraduate professors at the University of British Columbia, especially Bob McDonald and David Breen.

Bill Beahen, Stan Horrall, John Bentham, and the staff at the RCMP Public Affairs Directorate were most co-operative. I thank them for taking the time to answer my many questions. The staff at the Glenbow Archives in Calgary were also very helpful.

Russ Johnston, Jeff Grischow, and many other roommates and travelling companions have heard more than their fair share about this manuscript, and their support is much appreciated. Iain Brown suffered through this project at the thesis stage and deserves special consideration for that dark February evening in 1995 when, exhausted and frustrated by his own work, he joined me in attaining a new level of procrastination by alphabetizing the contents of our freezer.

I am grateful to my colleagues at Queen's for their encouragement, support, and comic relief, as well as for the many Mountie souvenirs that have come my way over the past few years. I would especially like to thank Catherine Adam, Angela Baker, Ross Cameron, Lara Campbell, Elise Chenier, Lorraine Coops, Gord Dueck, Ross Fair, Joy Frith, Catherine Gidney, Alan Gordon, Jeff Grischow, Martina Hardwick, Helen Harrison, Doug Hessler, Paul Jackson, Russell Johnston, Richard Kicksee, Dan Malleck, Alan MacEachern, Todd McCallum, Glenn McKnight, Roger Neufeld, Dave Plaxton, Andrew Sackett, and Robbin Tourangeau, and Elsie Watts.

Roger Neufeld generously shared with me some of his research notes on the Manitoba Daily Free Press. Thanks also to the History Department staff (past and present) that helped make the department an enjoyable place to be: Yvonne Place, Judy Vanhooser, Cindy Fehr, Norma St. John, Debbie Stirton-Massey, and Cindy Butts.

Many other people have given me help and support along the way: Chris Gittings, A.B. McCullough, Mimi Martin, Len Kuffert, Sara Posen, Gary David, and Scott Chamberlain. For on the road accommodation I would like to thank Willy and Alison Lyon, Dave Seglins and Bay Ryley, Vic Huard and Kathy Sutherland, and Bob and Ann Louise Plaxton. Back home in British Columbia, Jeff and Joanne Triggs and Scott and Jodi Phillips sent along primary sources as well as their encouragement. Thanks also to the Rawlings clan for books, support, and parsnips.