Tag: ontario censor board

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Curves, cussing and beer: Ontario film censorship in the 1940s

Eric Veillette

Many of the obituaries published in the wake of Hollywood star Jane Russell’s death in February mentioned the heated censorship debate over her sultry appearance in The Outlaw. Produced in 1943, the film began a two-week run at Toronto’s Loew’s Yonge St. Theatre on December 5, 1946. It was also among the first films in Ontario to receive the new “Adult Entertainment” designation, restricting admittance to anyone under the age of 16. O.J. Silverthorne, Ontario’s chief censor since 1934, had certified The Outlaw in May, claiming that “with the cuts that have already been made in the U.S. and some … Continue reading Curves, cussing and beer: Ontario film censorship in the 1940s

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The Parkdale Theatre: a passion den for teenagers

Eric Veillette

“This may seem drastic to you but I have seen the results of the work of some of these hoodlums,” wrote Ontario Censor Board and Theatres Inspection Branch chairman O.J. Silverthorne in 1953 after offering Famous Players some well-heeled advice on dealing with teen-age rowdiness at Toronto’s Parkdale Theatre. Located at Queen St. W and Triller Ave., the Parkdale was one of several theatres designed by C. Howard Crane for the national Allen chain of theatres. Premiering April 5, 1920 with the comedy Duds, it was Parkdale’s premier entertainment spot until the arrival of Sunnyside Amusement Park and the Palais … Continue reading The Parkdale Theatre: a passion den for teenagers

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The Birth of a Nation: How ugliness changed Toronto’s movie-going landscape

Eric Veillette

It’s no secret that D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation is one of the most racist films ever made — a declaration not lost on Toronto audiences when it premiered at the  Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 20, 1915. The film, a revisionist account of the American Civil War, the Reconstruction period that followed and the creation of the Ku Klux Klan — all of which vilified the African-American population — played at Bell Lightbox earlier this week as part of their Essential Cinema programme. When presented in its proper context — the Lightbox screening was accompanied by DJ Spooky‘s … Continue reading The Birth of a Nation: How ugliness changed Toronto’s movie-going landscape