My American Cousin to debut Nov. 8
EDITOR’S NOTE: In recognition of Canada’s 150th anniversary, The Herald is reprinting historic stories from the South Okanagan focusing on the biggest news story of each year.
Oct. 16, 1985: It’s finally set. The long-awaited premier showing of My American Cousin will be Nov. 8 in the Pen Mar Cinema Theatre.
“We really wanted to use the drive-in — it would have been great,” said Sandy Wilson, writer-director of the feature movie. “But we decided it was just too cold.”
Wilson, in Penticton over Thanksgiving, met with city council representatives and the OkanaganSimilkameen Neurological Society to discuss plans for making the movie’s premiere a gala affair.
Wilson suggested a number of events in celebration of the premiere.
“I’m hoping we can arrange a civic reception, maybe a cruise to the (Paradise) ranch house for high tea, a parade of old cars led by the red Cadillac (featured in the movie), a dinner, the movie and then a dance — all in the ’50s theme.”
Local resources co-ordinated by the OSNS will be needed to organize these affairs, supported by the film’s distributors, Spectrafilm of Toronto.
The movie My American Cousin was filmed in part in the Penticton area last year, with a number of local persons involved in many aspects. It received the coveted Media Critics Award this September at the Festival of Festivals in Toronto, and is being concurrently released in the Varsity theatre in Vancouver and in Toronto the week prior.
“I’d like to see the opening night proceeds go toward the OSNS,” said Wilson.
However, according to Phil Heisler of the Pen-Mar, that would require approval from their head office. “(The movie) will probably be here for a couple of weeks,” said Heisler. “We’ll put it into the Cinema Blue which holds about 280 people.” More information is being sent from Toronto later today from the film’s distributors.
“We really want to promote it as much as we can,” said Heisler.
The board of the Okanagan-Similkameen Neurological Society decided this morning that they would sponsor the opening celebrations.
“It’s a fairly large undertaking,” said Russ Cutler of the OSNS. He said the board had to consider whether or not they had the resources, but this morning board member Wilf Grant stepped forward to spearhead it.
“We’ll be meeting later today or tomorrow to discuss what we can do.”
At the informal meeting between Wilson and four members of city council on Tuesday, it was decided the city would proclaim the week of the premiere My American Cousin Week.
“Sandy mainly asked to have the city’s blessings, which we certainly gave,” said acting mayor Ald. Peter Rawkins.
“We’re not really involved financially or anything, but we’ll give it our full moral support. We’ll ballyhoo it, for sure.”
NOTE: In 1986, My American Cousin won seven Genie Awards, Canada’s equivalent to the Oscar: Best Picture; Best Director and Screenplay (Wilson); Best Actor (John Wildman); Best Actress (Margaret Langrick) and Best Film Editing. The film also spawned a 1989 sequel.