In this issue, we feature a special report on Production in Ontario (p. 27), tracking the remarkable resurgence that the province’s feature film service sector is currently enjoying. It’s a good news story. We also have a tribute to producer Don Carmody (p. 15), who has enjoyed spectacular success making movies in Toronto and elsewhere.

Among the feathers in this man’s cap – likely the biggest one – is the fact that he, along with writer/director Bob Clark, produced Porky’s, renowned as Canada’s all-time biggest box-office success. The 1982 release hauled in US$111 million at the box office, according to Variety.

Stop and absorb that accomplishment. In this day and age, one million dollars is often held up as the benchmark for big-time success for Canadian films. Some producers in English Canada argue that the bar is set too high – $500,000 should be the standard for hit status, they say. Let me repeat – Porky’s made $111 million!

I remember my first encounter with the teen comedy, as a teenager myself in Montreal in the 1980s. My parents had recently purchased our first VCR, and the whole family was starved for things to watch. One afternoon, my mother came back from the video store, and, much to my horror, she had a VHS copy of Porky’s in her hand.

‘Why did you rent that?’ I asked, aghast. I was well aware of the film’s reputation for raunchy content, and of course was secretly dying to see it, but had been too young to catch the 18+ film in theaters. Needless to say, it’s not the kind of movie you want to watch with Ma and Pa.

My mother explained that she had thought it was a Woody Allen movie, and we all liked Woody. I told her that no, it was far from that. Nonetheless, she insisted that we give it a try. I eventually caved, knowing full well that this was not a good idea. And so there we sat – my parents, my brother and me.

Speaking of woody, on came the opening scene, in which the aptly named Pee Wee (Dan Monahan) wakes up, grabs a ruler and measures, er, himself. I don’t know which one of us it was, but one family member lunged forward and ripped that tape out of the player faster than you could say Hannah and Her Sisters.

Alright, so Messrs. Clark and Carmody did not exactly craft wholesome family fare that time. (Carmody would, however, coproduce Clark’s A Christmas Story, which has become a genuine Yuletide favorite.) But, it can’t be denied that with Porky’s they struck a chord with North American viewers.

The film’s long reign as our box-office champ is often derided, as though it’s somehow the filmmakers’ fault that more serious Canadian fare hasn’t done as well at the box office. Of course, it’s very Canadian to put down our success stories. Meanwhile, when Hollywood resurrects the same frat boy elements that made Porky’s such a success, those filmmakers are hailed by pundits as geniuses, as in the case of the American Pie films.

‘American Wedding, in fact, is so tasteless, so fiendishly puerile that it’s hilarious,’ effuses Premiere Magazine about the series’ third installment. (Porky’s likewise spawned a trilogy.)

As Carmody explains, Porky’s became a success only after test screenings and much thought and debate about marketing amongst the stakeholders. Every time he plans a film, Carmody says, ‘I think ‘How the hell can I sell it?”

He also frequently tells young local filmmakers to lose their fear of doing genre pictures, as they have in Quebec.

‘Look where Ivan Reitman started. Look where I started. Look at where David Cronenberg started. We started with horror movies, because they are cheap and easy to make and they work,’ he says.

Carmody has not lost his understanding of the market. If you look at last year’s box-office stats, you will see that the Canadian film with the biggest domestic gross was Resident Evil: Apocalypse, an action thriller produced by Carmody and British partners. The rest of English-Canadian cinema can learn a lot from Don Carmody.

* * *

This issue marks Peter Vamos’ last as editor of Playback. I would like to first join Peter in bidding a fond farewell to our outgoing publisher, Marcelle Wallace. Mars, your cool-headed leadership and friendship on a daily basis will be missed.

That said, I congratulate Peter on his move into the publisher’s chair. With Peter bringing his knack for innovation and passion for this industry to his new role, I know it can only mean exciting times ahead for Playback.

I will be stepping into Peter’s shoes as editor, so if you ever have any thoughts you would like to share, my door is always open.