101 Fascinating Canadian Film and TV Facts

by Thom Ernst

101 lesser-known stories to delight Canadian cinema and television fans.

Do you
Who was in the first on-screen nude scene in a Canadian feature film?Which David Cronenberg film was raided for obscenity?Why Oliver Reed was arrested while shooting The Brood?Which iconic Canadian television series was syndicated in over fifty different countries?Which Canadian film critic wrote a full-page retraction after reconsidering a positive review he gave a film?What role Canada played in the creation of Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider? With an eye for the unique and the absurd, 101 Fascinating Canadian Film & TV Facts, from one of Canada’s leading film critics, is a lively and humorous look at the best and the worst, the firsts and the lasts, and the groundbreaking truths behind Canada’s film and television industry.

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published November 5, 2024

Reviews

[Dave Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun with this one. If you are interested in the history of Canadian film, there is a ton of great informaiton and facts here, much of which i did not know, and, it's worth noting, steers away from the pithy in favour of the substance.

Some of my favorite observations:
- Canada arguably births the first true slather film (Black Christmas- see a fun conversation around the debate over Psycho)
- The Viking and the infamous disaster on the S.S. Viking (see the 2002 documentary White Thunder)
- Virgo's Rude is the first Canadian film to use an all Black crew
- How David Cronenberg almost directed American Psycho, which would have starred Brad Pitt
- The first studio opened in Canada (George Brownridge's Adanac Films) in Trenton, Ontario in 1917. Back then Canada was already leary of the American influence and the colonizing nature of Hollywood, and thus looked to build something that could sustain Canada's national voice and cultural footprint. Thus, Canada's film history has it's roots in the documentary and the travelogue- also see British Columbia's PEPS)
- Canada's first in-door projected movie theater was on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, which was only recently discovered in 1984 (before that it was thought it was in Ottawa, which was even discovered to be preceded by Winnipeg)
- National Canadian Film Day was only established in 2014 (birthed out of Reel Canada and NCFD)
- A Canadian almost directed the Godfather (Sydney Furie)
- The Godfather of Canadian cinema is F.R. Crawley
-Sarah Polley, James Cameron, Mary Pickford, and Brendan Fraser both broke new ground in terms of awards wins (adapted screenplay and best actor)
- Harold Russell is the first Canadian to win an Oscar
- The IMAX is a Canadian invention
- The Mask (1961) was Canada's first horror movie
- A Manitoban (James Freer) was the first Canadian producer in 1897
- Yorkton, Saskatchewan had Canada's first film festival
- The two most prolific Canadian filmmakers- Barry Avrich and Alanis Obomsawin

A few of unexpected stories connecting Canada with Scorsese, of course a few stories on the infamous Nerds/Porky's fame, and plenty of other obscure and often quite interesting moments and stories from Canada's history make this a great little book to have lying around the house.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, compact informative read that manages to remind the reader of the valuable contributions to film and television through the years by innumerable Canadians, both in front of and behind the camera. Any such book that remembers to include a chapter on "The Hilarious House of Frightenstein" is A-OK in my book.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of facts for me to bust out at parties. I even found a few movies to add to my to be watched list.

[Carolina Familia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love collecting facts about everything, you never know when it will come in handy at parties. This book introduced me to many Canadian movies and shows I’ve never heard of, but now have on my list to find and watch. Really enjoyed all the facts about Black and Indigenous movies and Actors. Easy read and many weird facts, like the one about the movie the Bear and what it does with a lady 🙈😂.

Thanks to Dundurn Press for the Advanced Copy.