March 23, 1961: Quintessential Canadian ingredients feature in film shot locally
THIS DAY IN JOURNAL HISTORY
Wings of Chance, the first full-length feature movie to be filmed entirely in Western Canada and the first Canadian movie for which worldwide release was planned, premièred at Edmonton’s Rialto Theatre.
When he began making the movie, producer Larry Matanski said his main concern was that it be entertaining, so he followed what he considered to be a surefire formula for success — mix Hollywood methods and stars with Canadian players and scenery.
Matanski had a Hollywood scriptwriter adapt Kirby’s Gander, a short story by Edmonton author John Patrick Gillese, then hired Hollywood actors for the lead roles.
The 76-minute film, which was made for $200,000 and shot with only one camera, starred Frances Rafferty of TV’s December Bride series and James Brown, who played Rip Masters in the Rin Tin Tin programs. Several Edmontonians were given smaller roles.
A blend of action and psychological drama, it told the story of Steve Kirby, a downed bush pilot from Jasper who survives on the shores of a lake in the northern wilderness one summer. To counter the loneliness, Kirby befriends a Canada goose, which becomes instrumental in his eventual rescue.
The movie was filmed in Jasper National Park, Edmonton, Namao RCAF Station and the Cooking Lake seaplane base. The RCAF played its real-life role of search and rescue.
Universal International Pictures Inc. had agreed to distribute the film throughout Canada and the United States. It was scheduled to open simultaneously at 11 theatres in Alberta that week, including Red Deer, Camrose, Edson and Calgary.
Universal made $9 million distributing the film to American audiences.