Sunday Fun: For the Love of Movies, Eh?

TVO (TV Ontario), through its extensive interviews done for its great film shows, Saturday Night at the Movies and Magic Shadows, both hosted by the late great Elwy Yost, has a lot of raw and archival material to build more programming. They have done just that.

"Canadians are funny, eh?" is the first installment of For the Love of Movies. It was first broadcast last evening on the TVO network, then uploaded to TVO's "Docs" YouTube channel.

"In this episode we explore the serious business of comedy. Canada's greatest export might be laughter – from the physical comedy of Jim Carrey, the characters of Mike Myers, or the timeless genius of Martin Short, Dan Ackroyd, John Candy, Catherine O'Hara, and Eugene Levy. Second City launched legends, and Norman Jewison's sharp, satirical touch brought challenging stories to the big screen with wit and warmth. As masters of improv, character comedy, and satire, learn how Canada's comedic talents have carried laugher across the globe."

There is no need for me to review Episode 1, but I will recommend it... highly.

Postscript: "Canadians are funny, eh?" spends a few minutes on the 1966 feature film, The Russians Are Coming!, The Russian Are Coming!. Norman Jewison, that picture's director, mentions that, for him, Russians' screenings in Moscow were the beginning of Glasnost. Immediately, and understandably, an onscreen graphic pops up explaining what that term means.... 

"Glasnost - a soviet policy of more transparency in political and social issues, introduced in the late 1980s."  Actually, it should read: "... introduced in the mid 1980s." (Who did that research?)