final credits - pierre berton
His humour and eccentric take on the world was legendary - as was his trademark bow tie, bushy white sideburns and dramatic sartorial style. Berton did as he pleased at work, once risking termination for reading comics on the job, but saving himself from being fired by landing a hot scoop the same day. In 2004, Berton was voted No. 31 on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's The Greatest Canadian program. He died November 30, 2004 at the age 84 of heart failure.
One of Berton's last television appearances was on Rick Mercer's Monday Report on CBC. In a segment called "Celebrity Tip," Berton was introduced as a "marijuana connoisseur" and gave advice on how to properly roll a joint. He recommended his book The National Dream as an excellent "rolling surface" and warned about the perils of a loose joint - a less-than-firmly rolled spliff could leave unsightly toke burns on one's bow tie. To those who were shocked, he said he "didn't give a damn" anymore what people thought of him. Berton once commented on his alleged mean streak. "I once told a columnist working for me that I had to rewrite his column just so I could throw it out," he said. His life was capped by shunting news coverage of U.S. President George Bush's first visit to Canada off the front page.
Berton had a long and varied career, writing more than 40 books, most of which were nonfiction, with several award-winners among them. Born July 12, 1920 in Whitehorse, Yukon, Berton spent early newspaper career in Vancouver, where at 21 was youngest city editor on any Canadian daily. Moved to Toronto in 1947 and at the age of 31 was named managing editor of Maclean's. In 1957 he became a key member of the CBC's public affairs flagship program, Close-Up, and a permanent panelist on Front Page Challenge. He joined The Toronto Star as associate editor and columnist in 1958, leaving in 1962 to commence The Pierre Berton Show which ran until 1973.
Early writings reflected his interest in cryptozoology. His 1956 book, Mysterious North was one of the first to chronicle the wide spectrum of cryptids, from hairy hominoids such as Sasquatch and Windigo to lake monsters across Canada. Berton received over 30 literary awards such as the Governor-General's Award for Creative Non-Fiction (three times), the Stephen Leacock Medal of Humour, and the Gabrielle Leger National Heritage Award. His more than 40 books dealt with the history of Canada. Titles such as "Klondike The Last Great Gold Rush," The National Dream," "The Last Spike," "Hollywood's Canada," "Vimy," "Niagara," and "Prisoners Of The North" all brought Canadian history to life and will serve as the definitive record of the nation's history for generations to come.