The South Etobicoke News

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 Rexdale’s Admiral Crumple with some fresh tracks inspired by the Las Vegas massacre

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ADMIRAL Crumple is back with some fresh Hip Hop tunes from Vega. Courtesy photos.

 

Up-and-coming Rexdale Begamot Hip Hop artist Admiral Crumple is plugging some new tunes.

Admiral Crumple wants the community to know that he has released his first full-length film to DVD.

He is pleased with the film, Drab Vegas, which was filmed in the City that Never Sleeps five days before the shooting massacre more than three years ago.

“The film is shot in Las Vegas and has a few original Hip Hop beats playing throughout,” says Admiral Crumple. “The conversations are about the challenges, but also the hopes and dreams of modern life.”

The October 2017 massacre saw a gunman open fire on partiers on the Las Vegas Strip attending a Route 91 Harvest Festival.

Some 60 people were killed from the 1,000 shots that were fired by a gunman from the 32 floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Some 411 people were wounded, which rose to 867 when it was all said and done in what is called the worst mass shooting in the U.S.

The gunman later killed himself with the gun.

Admiral Crumple’s film is described as ‘dark and hardcore’ by some, while others said it is “an inspiring documentary, adding to the quality of hip hop and film culture.”

The Official Trailer for Drab Vegas can be viewed at youtube.com

The DVD can be purchased by sending $21.95 + $10 Shipping (U.S.) via Paypal to admiralcrumple@hotmail.com

Remembering popular Elwy Yost and his Saturday Night at the Movies

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Fans loved Elwy Yost (with John Candy right) and his Saturday Night at the Movies.

 

 

 

 

 

By DAVE KOSONIC

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome once again to Saturday Night at the Movies. My name is Elwy Yost.”

That is the welcoming way Canadian television personality Yost began his weekly movie program for 25 years from 1974 to 1999 just after multi-colored stars glistened on viewers TV screens.

Yost had a long connection with Etobicoke and few people knew that he was  a full-time English teacher at Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute.

“Well it is that time ladies and gentlemen to turn your lights down very low and put your feet up.” Yost added while introducing a show about alcoholism as presented in the cinema.

“It is harrowing but it is magnificently made and I am very proud of this film,” were words he used while reviewing the Academy Award winning movie The Lost Weekend produced by Billy Wilder and starring Ray Milland with screenplay by Charles Brack.

Yost always appeared very relaxed while he sat back in a comfy chair and turned on his retro film projector and then said with a smile: “If you are ready I am now so let’s roll our projector.”

Yost was well-known for hosting CBC television’s weekday Passport to Adventure series from 1965 to 1967, TVOntario’s weekday Magic Shadows from 1974 to the mid-1980s and Saturday Night at the Movies.

He also authored four books about movies.

The broadcaster  was born in Weston in 1925 and passed away in West Vancouver 2011 of natural causes at the age of 86.  He was married to Lila Ragnild for 60 years and has two sons, Christopher and Graham, who is a producer and screenwriter in Los Angeles. Yost was also a film maker and he produced two movies titled Ida Makes a Movie and Moulin Rouge.

Yost joined the Canadian Infantry in 1944 and was honorably discharged in 1945. Other brief employment included construction work at the CNE, working in circulation department at the Toronto Star and a job in the aircraft industry in Malton. Yost earned a degree in sociology from the University of Toronto in 1948. He worked on and off as a panelist on television shows until the late 1960s when he became the permanent host of the CBC radio show It’s Debatable and his career then blossomed.

After Yost’s death in 2011 an editorial in the Toronto Star entertainment section reflected back upon his life. ‘The bald man with the moustache, wire-rim glasses and odd name was an unlikely candidate for stardom…at the peak 250,000 viewers appreciated his appetite for gorging on movies and taking trips to Hollywood to talk with the people who made them.’

Adrian Morrow in the Globe and Mail added, “His father would give him a dime every week to see a film and then have him recount the plot.’

On a personal note I was a student at Burnhamthorpe Collegiate when Yost taught there. I was not in his classes but he always voiced a friendly hello when he passed any student in the hallways.

 

New Toronto billiard hall owner followed his acting dreams to Hollywood movies

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By DAVE KOSONIC

John ‘Doc’ Cassidy is a former New Toronto billiard hall owner who went on to live his dream by acting in Hollywood movies.

Cassidy became an actor and consultant in a popular 1980 Hollywood movie ‘Carny,’ which was a big-office hit starring Gary Busey and Jodie Foster, who were making a name for themselves.

“I saw myself on six or seven occasions during the movie.” Cassidy said in 1980. “It just hit me like a bolt of lightning and I didn’t know what to say. “

‘The Doc,’ as he was dubbed, was 59-years-old in 1980, operating Cassidy’s School of Billiards, on Lake Shore Blvd. W., in New Toronto, where he taught his students the art of pool playing.

The former billiard ace and carnival game hustler, who lived in South Etobicoke, spent 15 years on the CNE Midway from the mid-1940s until the early 1960s, where he said he learned “every corner of the carnival.”

‘Carny,’ which also starred Canadian Robbie Robertson, is a movie that portrays the rough-and-tumble lives of carnival workers or carnies who travelled through the U.S. putting on shows.

He said carnies had their own lingo. Those who operated the rides were known as ‘ride girls and ride boys’ and others who hustled the midway game, were known as ’game girls and game boys.’

The Doc explained that the chances of winning a big stuffed panda were slim.

Carny was a major production that was filmed in 1980 in Savannah, Georgia.  The storyline is about a carnival comes to a small town.

In the flick “Donna, 18, meets Frankie and Patch, two carnival hustlers. They earn their living by mercilessly taunting spectators to try to dump one of them into the water by throwing balls. Donna is tired of her work as a waitress and follows them through the South.”’

The movie is written by Mattias Thuresson and directed by Robert Kaylor. Cassidy played ‘Harry the Hat’ in the 107-minute drama.

He explained that it was easy for him to portray the fast-talking Harry because it what was natural for him as a former midway barker.

The Doc recalled that one of his most memorable moments on the movie set occurred when the entire cast and crew gave him a standing ovation when a big scene that included him was shot in “one take.”

He had spent about ten-weeks at the Lorimar Production set at Savannah, doing consulting and acting for the movie.

The Doc, who had never acted previously, said he first viewed Carny at the Imperial Six theatre in downtown Toronto in 1980. After the movie he said he sat down in a café near Yonge Street had a couple of beers and spilled a few tears of joy.

“It might be the start of quite a future for me,“ he said later. If still alive the Doc would be age 99 but his fate is unknown.

The former New Toronto business owner went on to make other films, which included: Hangmen, Yanks, Matilda, Yanks and Bob Martin.

Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson making movie in Queensway and Kipling area

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Woody and Kevin in the area filming Sony comedy. BlogTo photo.

Two of Hollywood’s top actors Woody Harrelson and Kevin Hart have been seen wandering around The Queensway and Kipling area recently working on a movie.

The pair are filming a new Sony comedy called The Man From Toronto, which has also been shooting in downtown Toronto and Brampton.

It is reported that they have been busy at a large production set that was erected  in The Queensway and Kipling area.

The story tells the story of the “the world’s deadliest assassin and New York’s biggest screw-up who are mistaken for each other at an Airbnb rental,” according to promotional materials.

The Queensway and Kipling area is believed to be he base camp for this part of production.

Filming for the much-anticipated action-comedy was originally due to begin back in the spring, but production was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Man From Toronto is expected to filming in the city until Dec. 15.  It is set to premiere on Sept. 17, 2021.

 

Popular drive-in movies at Sherway Mall almost sold out

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See you at the movies!
CF Sherway Gardens Mall is hosting a popular outdoor drive-in-movie experience on Thursdays and Sundays at one of their converted parking lots.

The shows began on July 29 and will run for three weeks. It features a double bill at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. and tickets are $10 per car. Tickets are strictly on a first-come, first-served basis with all proceeds being donated to charity.

Many of the older pre-released fun movies are already sold out.

Sherway officials say this is a great way to spend “a fun family night or a date night to remember.”

The mall has partnered with the City of Toronto on their Drive-InTO initiative, which is focused on bringing temporary drive-in entertainment experiences to the City this summer.

On the third weekend, in partnership with the National Film Board of Canada, Sherway will be hosting a special night showcasing  Canadian content including the feature film, True North: Inside the Rise of Toronto Basketball (E); Mighty Jerome (E), which chronicles the rise, fall and redemption of Harry Jerome, Canada’s most record-setting track and field star; and the profoundly moving film, nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up (E) that tells the powerful story of the death of a young Cree man named Colten Boushie and his family’s fight for justice.

Some of the upcoming movies include:

Saturday, August 8 at 6:00pm – The Wild Life (PG)

[SOLD OUT] Saturday, August 8 at 9:00pm – Long Shot (14A)

Thursday, August 13 at 6:00pm – True North (E) – in partnership with the National Film Board of Canada

Thursday, August 13 at 9:00pm – nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up (E) – in partnership with the National Film Board of Canada

Friday, August 14 at 6:00pm – Mighty Jerome (E) – in partnership with the National Film Board of Canada

Friday, August 14 at 9:00pm – True North (E) – in partnership with the National Film Board of Canada

[SOLD OUT] Saturday, August 15 at 6:00pm – The Wild Life (PG)

[SOLD OUT] Saturday, August 15 at 9:00pm – Long Shot (14A)

 

 

Residents welcome farmers’ market back next week

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Humber Bay Park residents are delighted that their farmers’ market is finally being reopened on July 4.

Organizers have drawn a list of rules and say that face covering will be required to attend the market.

They say no pets will be allowed in the market, neither will there be eating, drinking or sampling allowed.

“Capacity is limited, so please shop quickly so others can enjoy,” the organizers posted on Facebook.

They said physical distancing protocols will be followed and there will be a single entrance, exit and one-way traffic

The market will run every Saturday until mid-October, at Humber Bay Park West, and is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Customers are asked to use debit or credit cards when possible.

Many people in the area welcome the market after months housebound due to COVID-19. Some other residents were complaining on social media that they could not take their pets with them to the market.

 

 

 

Hollywood North hit movies filmed on the Lakeshore Grounds

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Movie blockbusters like Police Academy and it sequels, Suicide Squad, Urban Legend, Strange Brew and many others were filmed at the historic Lakeshore Grounds over the years.

There was a time when some local residents managed to get work as extras on movie shoots that occurred regularly on the 130-acre grounds of the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, which is now used by Humber College.

Other movies like Equus, with the late Richard Burton, Phobia and Higher Education were also filmed at the former hospital, in addition to countless TV shows and commercials over time.

Members of the Lakeshore Grounds Interpretive Centre (LGIC) says the grounds has served as a popular filming location for movies, television shows, and commercials since 1977.

They used to conduct free tours of the underground network of tunnel that runs under the grounds or talk to groups about the history of the place or locations of where certain movies were filmed.

“Learn about the history of the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital as we explore the patient-built underground tunnels and 19th-century cottages,” according to information from LGIC.

“The tour presents an overview of the Hospital’s history, acknowledges the varied experiences of patients and staff across different decades,” says the information. “The tour concludes with an optional entry into one of the un-renovated attics above the cottages.”

The LGIC is part of Humber College that is dedicated to harmony and knowledge around themes of education, mental health, Aboriginal history, environmental sustainability and civic engagement.

The former Mimico Asylum was built in 1888 and officially opened on January 1889.

The facility was closed as a hospital in 1979 with the last 280 patients being transferred to other sites. At its height in 1950, the hospital housed 1,391 patients. It was deemed a historic property in 1988.

Alderwood author Babcock launches first novel

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By TOM GODFREY

Author Heather Babcock grew up in Alderwood and got hooked on words at the local library where her mom once left her as a child during ‘story time’ as she ran an errand.

“When my mom came back to pick me up, the librarian told her that I had been ‘absolutely mesmerized’ by the story-telling,” Heather explains. “She can come back anytime,’ she told my mom.”

She spent all her spare time at the Alderwood Library studying novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Betty Smith, Toni Morrison and Hubert Selby Jr.

Now her debut novel Filthy Sugar is being launched by Inanna Publications in two “virtual Speakeasy” sessions in Toronto on June 4 and 18.

“I am very excited and proud of my debut novel Filthy Sugar,” says the author. ”It took a lot of hard work and I totally loved the writing process.”

Set in the mid-1930s, Filthy Sugar tells the story of Wanda Whittle, a 19-year-old dreamer who models fur coats in a department store, but lives in a rooming house with her family in the “slums” behind the city’s marketplace.

“Bored with the daily grind, Wanda finds inspiration in the celluloid fantasies of the Busby Berkeley musicals, Greta Garbo and Jean Harlow movies,” she says, adding the work was inspired by women of the Pre-Code era of Hollywood film.

“After a chance encounter with the mysterious Mr. Manchester, proprietor of the Apple Bottom burlesque theatre, Wanda is thrust into a world of glitter and grit, where the guys talk tough and the dames are tough.”

“On her journey from rags to riches and back again,” the story unfolds. “Wanda experiences an awakening and achieves personal independence as she discovers that a girl doesn’t need a lot of sugar to be sensational!”

The book has been getting good reviews and is described as “a time travelled, tantalizing and tumultuous tale,” by Valentino Assenza, the co-host-producer of HOWL and CIUT 89.5 FM.

Lisa de Nikolits, author of No Fury Like That and Rotten Peaches, says: “Wanda will take you to another time and place, but a place where love, lust, greed sex and power are just as heartbreaking and complex as they are today.”

Heather loves writing and has had her works published in Descant Magazine, Front & Centre Magazine, The Toronto Quarterly and in the collection GULCH: An assemblage of Poetry and Prose.

Copies of Filthy Sugar are available at Inanna Publications at www.inanna.ca and other book sellers.

The virtual speakeasy will take place on June 4 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Those interested can RSVP at https://mailchi.mp/248144d4ab21/speakeasy. The book will officially launch via live-streaming on June 18 as part of Inanna Publication’s partnership with Toronto Lit Up.

 

Area residents loved their movie theatres

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South Etobicoke residents have a long love affair with the movies and long before filming began here there were three bustling air conditioned theaters that entertained the community for decades.
Adults and their children during the movie-crazed heyday, which ran from 1910 to the 1970s, would pay anywhere from 10 to 75-cents to purchase a ticket to attend a Saturday matinee or feature and relax in air conditioned comfort, which they didn’t have at home.
New Toronto fans after a week of work would flock to the Odeon Lakeshore Theatre at Lake Shore Blvd. W., between Second and Third Streets, to catch the latest offerings from Hollywood and indulge in large amounts of popcorn and cola.
The Odeon began life as the former Biltmore New Toronto, which opened in 1947 and had 676 seats. It is now the office of a law firm.

Philip Barker, of the Long Branch BIA, worked as an usher at the Odeon as a student.
“Back then the movies were a big thing,” Barker recalls. “It was affordable entertainment and people loved the air conditioning.”
Across the street was the Capitol Theatre, which stood for 45-years at the south-west corner of Lake Shore Blvd. W., and Fourth Street. The large 1,042-seat movie house was opened in 1929 and showed flicks until 1975, when the last projector went dark.
It is now a high-rise apartment building for seniors with a variety store on the street level.
Just west the busy Royal Theater stood at Long Branch Ave., and 35th St., and was always packed with movie lovers. It was one of the earlier theaters in the area dating back to the 1910s and had 619 seats. Movies were screened there until 1960, when it was closed.
“We were there every Saturday for the matinees,” recalls Barker. “All the kids from the neighbourhood went there on Saturday.”
He says the Royal, with 400 seats, had a small lobby and concession stand. Most of the theatres played two features during the week and three, including an animated cartoon, on the weekend.
Barker says it cost 75-cents to watch a flick when he was working at the Odeon.
The area over the years has been a location of choice for U.S. and Canadian movie and TV production firms. We have several major studios here where some of the biggest-grossing TV and movies are produced.