Whistling Smith is a must see for anyone interested in a little Downtown Eastside history.

Filmed in 1975, this short documentary follows Sergeant Bernie "Whistling" Smith as he walks his East Hastings beat—a territory, according to the film’s narrator, that includes “Canada's largest concentration of rubby-dubs, drug addicts, muggers and prostitutes.”

Portrayed as a “tough cop with a big heart”, Whistling Smith’s unorthodox methods—like chasing “whores” off his beat, and even giving a drug user a wedgie as he moves him along—keeps the “undesirables” at bay and the vanilla extract drinkers quaking in their boots.

The film also reveals the neighbourhood's lack of support for residents like Wilma—a heroin user and sex trade worker—who wants to get clean and exit the trade. Smith seems to be her only connection to the world outside the Downtown Eastside.