While reading the autobiography of Colleen Dewhurst (Marilla Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables), I was continually amused by the stories she told of the world famous actors and directors she worked with throughout her career.  One of her most entertaining anecdotes came from her time on the set of the Academy Award-winning film, Annie Hall, with director Woody Allen.

Hub and Fat Bailey’s fascination with boxing was not unique to the 1930’s.  In fact, the era they were born into was much different than today in terms of people’s widespread preoccupation with the sport and the heavyweight champions that ruled it.  In Season Four’s episode, “The Shadow Boxer”, Del teaches Fat a street style of boxing, while Max dotes on Hub as the “star boxer”.  Tension rises between the two brothers when Fat’s rougher style gets him disqualified from the regional boxing finals.

Here’s a humorous (and educational!) blog post that I came across from a true Anne fan.  In her blog HelloGiggles, Caitlin Fitzgibbons made a list of the most valuable lessons people can learn from watching Anne of Green Gables.  I’m sure that many will enjoy her often tongue-in-cheek descriptions of what she has personally gained.  Here it is:

Not too long ago, we revealed the sources of inspiration that led to the production of the award-winning series, Wind at My Back.  One of these sources was the memoirs of Canadian writer Max Braithwaite, who wrote about his time growing up in a Canadian family during the first quarter of the 20th century.

Many music lovers are of the opinion that Rebecca Black – singer of the world-ridiculed song “Friday” – has become a phenomenon simply because she released the song in the age of YouTube and viral videos.  But long before Rebecca, there were other “singers” whose fame was derived from singing badly.

As part of our effort to provide information on family-friendly film and television, I came across a funny article by mywesttexas.com, which had a top ten list of children’s movies that scared today’s parents when they were little (and perhaps still).

Amusing references to Road to Avonlea continue to spring up in pop culture, even years after the show first aired.  The latest comes from TV Guide Canada, which described actor Ian Somerhalder’s apparel at the Much Music Video Awards as a “gangsta Road to Avonlea outfit.”  To see his full ensemble, see below.

It comes as no surprise that the actress who played Grace Bailey on Wind at My Back is still entertaining audiences.  Kathryn Greenwood’s latest touring comedy show, “Women Fully Clothed”, just received rave reviews from a national Canadian newspaper.  The Globe and Mail said the all-female comedy troupe’s recent show in Toronto induced “bladder-busting” laughs from the audience.

Wind at My Back fans have often wondered what first inspired Kevin Sullivan to dream up the award-winning series.  The answer is a combination of inspirational and historic resources – namely, the history of his own relatives that lived during the Great Depression, in addition to literature that reflected this time period.  One primary example is author Max Braithwaite’s first of three autobiographical novels, Never Sleep Three in a Bed.

A friend of mine is a high school teacher and today, for the countless time, she was asked by one of her students whether they had missed anything by not coming to class the day before.  One of her colleagues who overheard this conversation, directed her to the following poem, which any teacher out there will undoubtedly appreciate.