Item AAAB4292 - Lew Parry interview : [Mattison, May-1981]

CALL NUMBER: T3844:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Motion picture industry in British Columbia (part 1) PERIOD COVERED: 1910-1948 RECORDED: West Vancouver (B.C.), 1981-05-14 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Family background: Lethbridge, Alberta and Nelson, B.C. Father was movie theatre projectionist. Move to Revelstoke; life there, 1910-1917. Movie viewing as a child in Revelstoke. Move to Vanc;ouver, 1917. Interest in filmmaking began with working at Woodward's as window artist. Voice lessons. Attended Vancouver School of Art at night. Singing lessons. Tap dancing lessons from Dave Denton of the Dumbbells. Vaudeville act. Sheet-metal training with Daily; Vancouver Technical School attendance. Work at Neon Products as artist and art director. Visit to Hollywood, ca. 1930. Leon Shelly, salesman for Neon Products, bought Motion Skreenadz/Vancouver Motion Pictures. Shelly produced two travelogues for B.C. government. Cinecolor process brought from Hollywood by Shelly. Colour correction by Parry on film set. Parry's work on Skreenadz trailers. TRACK 2: Vancouver Little Theatre experience. WWII experiences with Neon Products. Use of film to train workers. Goes to work for Leon Shelly, 1944; production manager. Shelly moves to Toronto; Parry remains in Vancouver. Marriage, 1936. Starts own film company; Trans-Canada Films, 1945. Shareholders of Trans-Canada Films; total financing did not materialize. Only two films produced, at a loss, for Dept. of Veteran Affairs. Steffens-Colmer, Don Coltman, Wally Hamilton buy Trans-Canada Films. Parry continued in films. B.C. Electric film; productions; Bridge River hydroelectric project filmed, 1948. Parry contracted to film all construction projects for B.C. Electric. Filming Kitimat development for Alcan; use of film to get government franchise for Alcan. Trans-Canada Film sold about 1946; Wally Hamilton turned company into sound service and film laboratory. TCF employees under Parry's ownership: Scotty Young, chief cameraman; Bill Dix, trainee director; Mrs. Pond, accountant; Lew Weeks, animator/cameraman. Discusses Marguerite Roozeboom's animation/art work and Bill Roozeboom's camera work. Meeting Marguerite Roozeboom. CALL NUMBER: T3844:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Motion picture industry in British Columbia (part 2) PERIOD COVERED: 1944-1958 RECORDED: West Vancouver (B.C.), 1981-05-14 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Further discusses Marguerite Roozeboom story: meeting her at Shelly Films four years later where she was lettering titles. Leon Shelly's background and career. Other salesmen at Neon Products. Shelly's purchase of Harry Rosenbaum's Vancouver Motion Pictures. Parry's brother, Melfyn; work as cameraman for Shelly. Melfyn's career as still photographer. Transition from Trans-Canada Films to Lew Parry Film Productions. Art Hundert and Jack McCallum, cameramen. Connie (Constance) Joy, secretary-accountant. Move to Broadway studio. Bob Reid. Roy Luckow. Harry Hooper (English cameraman). Homer Powell, editor from Hollywood. Spence Crilly, Powell's brother-in-law, became director. Financial aspects. Introduction of TV and effect upon filmmaking: personnel losses to TV. Dave Pomeroy joins Parry as sound man. Bill Roozeboom joins as cameraman. Werner Franz joins as editor, ca. 1954. Studio constructed on Capilano Road, North Vancouver. Panorama Studios built in West Vancouver. "North of 53" TV company formed to produce pilot. Canadian Film Development Corporation idea promoted and conceived by Parry. "Marine Investigator" series proposed. Promotional activities for TV series; financial difficulties and deals. TRACK 2: Continues attempt to sell TV series. Development of "North of 53" using suspense as major plot element. Most successful films. Three hundred and eleven films on order when Parry Films went bankrupt. Industrial film components. Ricky Hyslop. "Challenge in the Rocks" for Mining Association. "Prelude to Kitimat" for Alcan. "No Barriers" for Trans-Canada Airlines. Use of the National Film Board as distributor. Least successful film "Twenty Great Years" (1972) for Social Credit Party. Discusses controversy around this film. Relationship with provincial government on filmmaking. "The Tall Country" (1958), produced for B.C. Centennial Committee. Discusses changes in film industry. Attributes of "the perfect producer". (End of interview)