Rewind

All podcast episodes

Use the links below to download a file.

Video Games: The Birth of an Industry

In 1966, Ralph Baer was waiting for a colleague at a bus terminal. He had time to kill so he picked up a pad and pencil and sketched out an idea for a box that would allow you to play games on a TV. A few years later, the video gaming industry was born.

Download Video Games: The Birth of an Industry
[mp3 file: runs 00:52:59]

Paul Robeson: Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen

The genius of the singer, actor and activist Paul Robeson, who died 40 years ago. He was one of the best known black performers of the mid 20th century, but faced racism and resentment his whole life.

Download Paul Robeson: Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen
[mp3 file: runs 00:47:58]

The Plane People of 9-11

On the 15th anniversary of the tragic events of 9-11, Rewind looks at some of the friendships forged and communities changed when 30,000 air passengers found themselves on an unexpected trip to Canada.

Download The Plane People of 9-11
[mp3 file: runs 00:50:09]

Smoke, Smoke, Smoke that Cigarette

Canada used to hold the dubious title of most smokers per capita of anywhere in the world. Listen to how that’s changed over the years to now, when smoking in public is pretty well verboten.

Download Smoke, Smoke, Smoke that Cigarette
[mp3 file: runs 00:54:59]

The Great Grey Ghost

the story of the crash and burning of one of the great airships of the 1930s, one that killed even more people than the German Hindenburg. This was the R101 and it had Canadian connections. Only six of 54 people survived.

Download The Great Grey Ghost
[mp3 file: runs 00:54:48]

Gil Cardinal: Telling Stories of Pain and Hope

Filmmaker Gil Cardinal told stories to expose some of the most important issues facing aboriginal people- the child welfare system, residential schools and fetal alcohol syndrome. His films were painful and yet had a sensitivity that moved Canadians.

Download Gil Cardinal: Telling Stories of Pain and Hope
[mp3 file: runs 00:54:59]

William Shatner: from Julius Caesar to Captain Kirk

When he was young, he wanted to be an announcer on the CBC. But in the decades since he first appeared on CBC as an actor, William Shatner has gone far beyond his home country, and his home planet, in the sci-fi favourite Star Trek on TV and in film.

Download William Shatner: from Julius Caesar to Captain Kirk
[mp3 file: runs 00:52:59]

Women in Sport

Women in sport. Women have always had to prove that not only could they excel at competitive sports, they could still be feminine as well.

Download Women in Sport
[mp3 file: runs 00:54:59]

Science Fiction as Prophecy

Isaac Asimov was one of the most important science fiction writers of the 20th century. He saw science as the engine of change in human society. Asimov thought science fiction was the best way for humans to peer into what the future might look like.

Download Science Fiction as Prophecy
[mp3 file: runs 00:52:59]

How to be a Movie Star

How to be a movie star circa 1967. Young women, especially, were eager to drop out of their own boring lives and jump right onto the silver screen.

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[mp3 file: runs 00:54:59]

Newcomers to Canada

Voices and stories of newcomers to Canada. Whether they come as immigrants or refugees, they all hope for a better life here in Canada.

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[mp3 file: runs 00:54:59]

Stan Rogers: Songwriter, Storyteller, Proud Canadian: Part Two

The second of two programs about singer Stan Rogers, who died tragically at the age of 33. With his rich baritone voice, he chronicled stories of Canada’s history, geography and the people who worked on the land and on the sea.

Download Stan Rogers: Songwriter, Storyteller, Proud Canadian: Part Two
[mp3 file: runs 00:20:30]

Stan Rogers: Songwriter, Storyteller, Proud Canadian: Part One

An hour of the folksinger Stan Rogers. He died as a result of a disastrous fire on an airplane in 1983. 2016 is the 40th anniversary of Stan’s first album, Fogarty’s Cove, and Rewind uses that as an excuse to hear from about this amazing musician.

Download Stan Rogers: Songwriter, Storyteller, Proud Canadian: Part One
[mp3 file: runs 00:34:36]

The Battle of the Somme: Blood and Mud

For Newfoundlanders July 1 is not only Canada Day but also marks the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War. On July 1st 1916, the Newfoundland Regiment died en masse. And that was just the start.

Download The Battle of the Somme: Blood and Mud
[mp3 file: runs 00:54:59]

The Beat Generation

A look at the best generation from 1959. Inspired by Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs, the Beats changed the tone of music and poetry and set the stage for the counterculture movement of the 1960s.

Download The Beat Generation
[mp3 file: runs 00:48:17]

Who Owns My Life? The Story of Sue Rodriguez

In 1994 Sue Rodriguez galvanized Canadians when she fought for the right to die. Her argument went to the Supreme Court, which ruled against her. Although the ruling has been overturned, her story is as relevant now as it was then.

Download Who Owns My Life? The Story of Sue Rodriguez
[mp3 file: runs 00:52:59]

CBC Discusses

The early days of CBC Radio in the late 1930s and 1940s featured discussion club where they asked thorny questions like “Who has it better: the barbarian or the civilized man?” and “Are Canadian too polite?"

Download CBC Discusses
[mp3 file: runs 00:54:59]

Austin Clarke's Death of a Panther

In 1966 two young black men formed the Black Panthers, a radical group that advocated a revolutionary war not afraid to use violence to achieve its ends. A portrait of the Black Panthers through the eyes of Canadian writer Austin Clarke.

Download Austin Clarke's Death of a Panther
[mp3 file: runs 00:54:26]

China's Cultural Revolution: Red China Blues

The second of two programs about China’s cultural revolution. In this episode, journalist Jan Wong, who went to Maoist China to study in China when she was a teenager. She was sure she’d found paradise on earth… for a while.

Download China's Cultural Revolution: Red China Blues
[mp3 file: runs 00:55:00]

China's Cultural Revolution: The Black Decade

2016 is the 50th anniversary of the start of China’s cultural revolution. Documentary maker Steve Wadhams paints a chilling portrait of life and chaos in the late 1960s and early 1970s in The Black Decade.

Download China's Cultural Revolution: The Black Decade
[mp3 file: runs 00:54:59]

Celebrating Shakespeare: The Stratford Festival #2

More about the Stratford Festival to honour the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. Some of the actors who have appeared on stage: Maggie Smith, Colm Feore and Paul Gross. Also Stratford's language and voice coaching school for actors.

Download Celebrating Shakespeare: The Stratford Festival #2
[mp3 file: runs 00:54:59]

Celebrating Shakespeare: The Stratford Festival #1

On the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, the the birth of the Stratford Festival. It started out as a way to revive a dying town and has become a multi million dollar annual event.

Download Celebrating Shakespeare: The Stratford Festival #1
[mp3 file: runs 00:54:14]

The Birth of Punk

The birth of punk rock music. It was 40 years ago that punk hit the scene with loud guitars, black studded leather, and plenty of attitude and naughty language.

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[mp3 file: runs 00:49:36]

Jackie Robinson: Stealing Home

It’s been 70 years since Jackie Robinson put on the uniform of the Montreal Royals baseball team. It was a warmup for his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers a year later. He was the first black man to play in the major leagues. His debut changed everything.

Download Jackie Robinson: Stealing Home
[mp3 file: runs 00:52:59]

Songs of the Marsh

A program from 1953 that features sounds and stories of the marsh birds of Manitoba. CBC engineers had spent weeks in the marsh using the latest cutting edge technology- the parabolic microphone. They managed to capture some evocative bird songs.

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[mp3 file: runs 00:47:44]

Did I Really Hear That?

Some unexpected, surprising and very funny moments from CBC Radio. Times when things definitely did NOT go according to plan, as well as a longer interview that some listeners recall as one of the most unintentionally funny pieces they ever heard.

Download Did I Really Hear That?
[mp3 file: runs 00:54:59]