''The Rowdyman'' is a 1972 comedy film with moralistic overtones, set in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

Gerald Pratley Gerald Arthur Pratley (September 3, 1923 – March 14, 2011) was a Canadian film critic and historian. Piers Handling"Gerald Arthur Pratley" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', September 18, 2011. A longtime film critic for the Canadian Broadcasting Cor ...

, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 185. It was written by and starred native Newfoundlander

Gordon Pinsent Gordon Edward Pinsent (July 12, 1930 – February 25, 2023) was a Canadian actor, writer, director, and singer. He was known for his roles in numerous productions, including ''Away from Her'', ''The Rowdyman'', ''John and the Missus'', ''A Gift ...

. The film is about Will Cole (Pinsent). In his thirties, he doesn't take life seriously, but his antics bring pain and tragic consequences to friends and family. He is sexually liberated and has sex with a stranger (Dawn Greenhalgh) on a train and his carelessness at work causes pain for his best friend and co-worker (

Frank Converse Frank Converse (born May 22, 1938) is an American actor. Early life Converse was born in 1938 in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1962, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama at Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in ...

Production

The film had a budget of $350,000 ().

Reception

Pinsent won the

Canadian Film Award The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

for Best Actor at the

24th Canadian Film Awards The 24th Canadian Film Awards were held on October 3, 1972 to honour achievements in Canadian film. The CFAs had the full support of French-speaking filmmakers, with Quebec producers agreeing to join the CFA committee and share responsibility for ...

in 1972.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''.

Stoddart Publishing Stoddart Publishing was a Canadian book publisher and distributor, owned by Jack Stoddart, which ceased operations in 2002. History In 1967, General Publishing purchased the Musson imprint, based in Canada, from British publisher Hodder & Stough ...

, 2000. . pp. 97-100. The film was also nominated for

Best Picture The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

. Pinsent also won the

Earle Grey Award The Earle Grey Award is the lifetime achievement award for television acting of the Canadian Screen Awards, and its predecessor the Gemini Awards. It can be presented to an individual or collaborative team (such as SCTV or Royal Canadian Air Fa ...

for Best Actor at the

2nd ACTRA Awards The 2nd ACTRA Awards were presented on April 30, 1973 to honour achievements in Canadian television in 1972.

."Murray, Pinsent win ACTRA awards"
''

Red Deer Advocate The ''Red Deer Advocate'' is a twice-weekly newspaper in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. It publishes Wednesday and Saturday and is owned by Black Press. History The newspaper was first established in 1901 as the ''Red Deer Echo'', changing its n ...

'', May 1, 1973. It was featured in the

Canadian Cinema The cinema of Canada dates back to the earliest known display of film in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, in 1896. The film industry in Canada has been dominated by the United States, which has utilized Canada as a shooting location and to bypass Britis ...

television series which aired on CBC Television in 1974. It was later screened at the 1984 Festival of Festivals as part of Front & Centre, a special retrospective program of artistically and culturally significant films from throughout the history of Canadian cinema. Carole Corbeil, "The stars are coming out for Toronto's film festival". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', September 6, 1984.

References

Works cited

External links

*
The Film Reference Library
1972 films English-language Canadian films Films set in Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian comedy films Films directed by Peter Carter 1970s English-language films 1970s Canadian films {{1970s-Canada-film-stub