Canadian Film Digest (Dec 1973)

; ERS SIE IE IE LIE IEEE IE PIE IE IE IE OR OR IE IEE LEE LIAS IEE EE EE EE ISG Page 12 The Canadian Film Digest NFB films musical in Holywood tradition The National Film Board is currently shooting a feature in Montreal that is a lavish throwback to the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals. Called A Star is Lost, it is part of the NFB’s new language drama series. Directing the film is John Howe, who has collaborated on the script with Don Arioli. Tiiu Leek, Don Arioli, Les Nirenberg, Eric House, Ken James and Jack Creley star in ‘‘A Star Is Lost’’, which is set against the background of a big Hollywood studio in conflict. Montreal-born Tiiu Leek debuts in her first major screen role playing Mammoth Pictures’ glamorous actress Gloria Glyde, whose life is threatened while starring in the studio’s spectacular new $6 million musical production “Grease-Paint’’. Don Arioli, actor, writer and award-winning NFB animator, and Wilderness Award winner, and Les Nirenberg play two studio office boys, Lamont and Gordon, who are big fans of Miss Glyde and come to her aid. Eric House plays Alfred, the embittered studio BESOK MEDS WS OK SIE SC SOK STE EK WETS SEE SOK SRE SOK WEIS WERK WERK VEE WEE EERE EOS WEE Mo ong ene 20. Season’s Greetings ore a MAVETY FILM DELIVERY LTD. LOU BROWN, President LOU ALLEN, Vice-President WM. PFAFF, General Manager AND STAFF vice-president who plots to destroy ‘‘GreasePaint” for thesake of the company. Ken James plays Michael Mammoth Jr., the studio’s new president whose ambition is to make his girlfriend Gloria Glyde, a star. Jack Creley plays Billy Norman, the eccentric director of the film ‘‘Grease-Paint”’. For ‘‘A Star Is Lost’’, director John Howe has written the music and lyrics for six songs conducted by Don Douglas. All size are sung by Margot McKinnon. The choreography is by ‘Wally Martin and Philippa Wingfield has designed the costumes. Denis Boucher is art director and set designs are by Earl Preston. John Howe is a Toronto-born filmmaker who has distinguished himself in both directing for television and for the cinema. His last film, a one-hour musical special entitled ‘‘Why I Sing . .. The Words and Music of Gilles Vigneault”’, received ciritcal acclaim from TV critics across the country when seen on national television earlier this year. December 1973 Pioneer Dinner honours D.J.Ongly The Canadian Picture Pioneers held their annual Dinner at Toronto’s Hyatt Regency Hotel on November 21st. Pioneer of the Year was David J. Ongly. Also honoured were Gerry Dillon, Curly Posen, and John Ferguson. A Special Pioneers Award was presented to Government Film Commissioner Sydney Newman. Special scrolls were also presented to persons marking fifty years or more in the industry. § Pioneer of the Year David Ongly, a lawyer by main profession, has been active in the film industry since the late 1930’s. He had Hanson Theatres, helped form Odeon Theatres, distributed and was executive director of the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association. He operated one of the first studios in Toronto, Queensway studios. He is also a founder of the National Theatre School and a past president of the Dominion Drama Festival. One of the founders of the Canadian Picture *x Pioneers, he helped set up its trust fund and has acted as Chairman of it since 1965. He is also solicitor for the Pioneers, an unpaid position. Gerry Dillon is Vice-President and General At the Pioneer dinner (left to right): Gerry Dillon, Mrs. Dillon, D.J. Ongly, Mrs. Ongly, Pat Manager of Theatre Confections and has been a part of the film industry since high school. John Ferguson also started in the industry in high school, and until his retirement this year, was an active part of Famous Players’ western management. Curly Posen operates a booking agency and runs several Ontario Theatres. Sydney Newman, head of the National Film Board, was honoured for his active and leading role in the continuing growth of the Canadian Film Industry. Also honoured for more than fifty years of service to the industry were Edward Albert Chase, Arch. J. Mason, Maurice Rafuse, Ralph Dale, William J. Fawcett, John Heggie, Ernest R. Peake, Morris Rittenberg, Jack Tinkler, and Ken H. Wells. a D,J. Ongly (left) his wife and brother at the Pioneer dinner. Travers, Curly Posen, Harold Pfaff, Sydney Newman, Mrs. Berstein, Len Berstein, Len Bishop. RESULTS OF IMPORTANT SURVEY JUST IN! An exhausted survey among the owner and president of Quinn Laboratories, Mr. Findlay J. Quinn respectively, has just been digested by the computers, wheezing, hissing and zapockating. The key question in sub-section 18C, namely #319 a, b, c, & d, ran as follows: “What, in your unprejudiced opinion, is the overwhelming causative factor in the unprecedented success of your film laboratory; (a) because your people care more, (b) that your technological advances, both (bl) chemical and (b2) mechanical, have revolutionized film processing, (c) that your (cl) size and (c2) ultra-modern procedures have resulted in (c3) faster, (c4) more accurate customer servicing, and that, (d) if given half a chance, you will do even better?” In a firm, clear and unequivocal gurgle, the computer printed out Mr. Quinn’s retort: “T like your style!”’ . UINN LABS 380 Adelaide Street West /Toronto 2/ 368-301 1 -) Ad me nal