The day the Cold War came to Hamilton
It was the day the Cold War marched into Hamilton.
A Kennedyesque politician stood at a podium at Copps Coliseum and announced the end of the United States of America.
We must forget the past and look to the future," proclaimed Peter Bradford at his swearing-in as Governor-General of a five state area around Chicago called the Heartland Central Administration District, the land for his new Soviet puppet state.
This is our opportunity," he told the crowd. We are now free to become an important part of the world's nations. Join me now in enjoying our new identity - Heartlanders!"
The crowd, waving pictures of Bradford and his deputy Marion Anders, sang the new anthem, accompanied by a youth choir that looked like a young cadre from North Korea.
This was a pivotal scene in the controversial and now forgotten miniseries, Amerika," which filmed at Copps (now FirstOntario Centre) in July, 1986.
It depicted life in the United States after a takeover by the Soviet Union. The $40 million, 14 1/2-hour production ran on ABC/CTV the week of Feb. 15 to 22, 1987 - 35 years ago.
It was one of the last bigtime network miniseries, but is not remembered fondly, if at all, and is considered a huge flop. It only ran once and won no awards. It only came out on VHS, but you can watch it on YouTube.
The miniseries starred Robert Uhrich as Peter Bradford, a county official from Nebraska who decides to collaborate with Soviet occupiers because he believes it is the best way to help people. His counterpart is a friend, former Senator and onetime presidential candidate, Deven Millford (Kris Kristofferson), a hero to the resistance. The cast also included Mariel Hemingway, Ivan Dixon, Cindy Pickett, Sam Neill as a sympathetic KGB officer and many familiar Canadian faces.
The show is set in 1997, a decade after the Soviets took over. Its depiction of a Soviet America is a mix of House of Cards" and the The Walking Dead"without zombies.
People are sent to gulags and children are taught the capitalist United States was bad. Occupying soldiers live high off the hog in compounds but Americans eat soy cakes. U.S. legislators in Washington eventually are massacred by the Soviets.
Officials at the Soviet Union Embassy in Ottawa told The Spectator the program promoted hatred of their nation, and, it was dull. Producer Dick O'Connor called it an examination of heritage and where you come from. What makes it different to be an American than anyone else?"
Cameras rolled at Copps between July 16-18, 1986. Producers chose Copps because it had the right size and look to fit the script. The miniseries filmed in Tecumseh, Nebraska, before coming to Ontario in June 1986, and also shot in Toronto, Sarnia, Cobourg, Uxbridge and London. Copps' big moments are in Episodes 4 and 5 (Part 4 on YouTube).
Alex Miska, 61, was one of the thousand who answered a casting call to come to Copps and appear in the Chicago rally scene. The former model, now a quality control manager, was dressed up as a marine by the costume people. He recalled it was about 12 hours of waiting for about 20 minutes of filming.
He was aware of the controversy surrounding the series - there were protesters outside Copps - but Miska said he was surprised as it was just an idea for entertainment purposes."
It was a great experience," he said. It was just a movie."
He admits, however, he never watched it when it ran on TV as it didn't interest him. He only watched some of it on YouTube last year to see if he could spot himself in the rally scene, but couldn't. Former regional chair Reg Whynott, however, can be glimpsed in a shot of dignitaries walking into the arena.
Spoiler Alert: The Soviet Union ceased to exist Christmas Day 1991.
Daniel Nolan is a freelance writer who writes about film for The Hamilton Spectator. He can be reached at dannolanwrites@gmail.com