Saturday Night at the Movies facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saturday Night at the Movies |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | films |
| Presented by | Elwy Yost (1974-1999) Shelagh Rogers (1999-2000) Johanna Schneller (2004-2006) Thom Ernst (2006-2013) |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 39 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Risa Shuman (1974-2005) |
| Production location(s) | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Release | |
| Original network | TVOntario |
| Original release | March 30, 1974 – August 31, 2013 |
Saturday Night at the Movies was a popular weekly television show. It aired on TVOntario, which is a public TV network in Ontario, Canada. The show was special because it presented classic movies. After each film, there were interviews and special segments. These segments featured directors, actors, and other people who helped make the movies.
The show started this way because TVO had rules. All programs, even movies, needed to have educational parts. So, they added interviews and discussions about the films. Even when these rules changed, the show kept its unique style. Over its run, it showed almost 1,500 films. It also featured more than 1,000 interviews. Risa Shuman produced the show for most of its time on air.
History of the Show's Broadcasts
The Elwy Yost Years (1974-1999)
The first episode aired on March 30, 1974. The show's first host was Elwy Yost. The very first film shown was Through a Glass Darkly by Ingmar Bergman. Elwy Yost hosted the show for 25 years. He showed many different kinds of films. He often focused on Hollywood movies from the 1930s to the 1950s. Later, he also included films from the 1960s and 1970s.
Elwy Yost loved almost all movies. He famously said he had only disliked two films in his whole life. For some years, the show could not broadcast movies from Warner Bros. studio. This was because of a rights issue in Windsor due to stations in Detroit.
The show was known for interviewing not just actors and directors. It also talked to other film crew members. These included cinematographers (who film the movie) and film editors (who put the movie together). These people usually do not get much public attention.
In his last ten years as host, Elwy Yost lived in Vancouver, British Columbia. He would travel to Toronto to prepare many episodes at once.
Elwy Yost retired from the show in 1999. The last film he presented was Speed. This was a big Hollywood action movie, which was unusual for the show. Yost chose it because his son, Graham Yost, wrote the movie. Around the time he retired, he was honored with the Order of Canada.
After Elwy Yost (1999-2013)
After Yost retired, there were some changes at TVOntario. The network's main goal became more focused on education. Even though Saturday Night at the Movies was very popular, there was worry it might be cancelled. However, TVO made a deal with York University. This allowed the show to be part of their film studies classes.
Shelagh Rogers took over as host for one season. She also hosted a classical music show at the same time. In 2000, Rogers left to host a morning news radio program. The show then went without a host for a short time. During this period, a new show called Sunday Night at the Cinema was added. This new show focused more on international films.
Later, Johanna Schneller hosted the program for two seasons starting in 2004. The show's final host was Thom Ernst. He hosted for the rest of its run.
On November 13, 2012, TVO announced that Saturday Night at the Movies would end. This was due to budget cuts at the network. The very last episode aired on August 31, 2013. It featured two foreign films: The Lives of Others and Black Book.
Many of the show's interviews have been saved. Copies were given to the archives of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
