Canadian Influences in Early Hollywood

Ever pick up a dusty book or piece of antiquemillion in 1910
that youto 10 million in 1930. It was like discovering a long
thought to be unimportant, only to discover itslost
inherentrelative.Some quotes from The Grove Book of
value? That's how naughty history can beHollywood anthology
sometimes.edited by Christopher Silvester helps to put
There's never a dull moment when onethings in
rediscovers pieceshistorical perspective. Dancer and choreographer
of history. I can just imagine how ItalianAgnes
humanists felt justDeMille (niece of Cecil B. DeMille) once said
before they nurtured the Renaissance in"Hollywood
Europe.Canadians are not generally regarded as awas merely a country town, like many in the
people attachedEast, with
to their heritage, so the opportunity to dust offpalms instead of maples and chestnuts. The hills,
pieces ofthough
Canadian history is there for us to discover.steep, were plain colored. The people were just
Indeed, we haveordinary."
seen this with the Heritage Series vignettes airedShe even described how there were still
oncowboys who, "kept
television, highlighting Canadian historicallargely to themselves."British actress Constance
achievementsCollier added "Hollywood was
and contributions.I recently stumbled upon one ofstill a village, with farms that had not yet been
those lost relics ofbuilt over, and
Canadiana I never knew existed; which surprisedthe surly farmers were furious at the advent of
me since Ithe picture
do take an active interest in this country's past.folk." In a similar vain, screenwriter Lenore
ReadingCoffee wrote "In
about Canadian history has introduced me to the1919 Hollywood was a village. Hollywood
innovativeBoulevard could
spirit of Canadians through the years. In thehave been any Main Street in America."With this,
realm ofHollywood was hardly a romantic and opulent
Hollywood, Canadians were rugged individualistsplace in its infancy. Such was the character of
whoHollywood in
roamed the continent giving unique Canadianits formative years. There were no agents and it
imprints towas normal
the North American film experience.What wasfor employees to offer their insights to the
supposed to be a night researching Busterdirector. What
Keaton led to the discovery of several CanadianHollywood lacked in panache it made up in the
pioneers infamily
early Hollywood. While going through the list ofsurroundings it fostered. In many ways, this
Canadianunassuming
names on various web sites dedicated to theand humble reality resonated well with a Canadian
silent film era,mindset.And so it is with DeMille's ,Collier's and
the one thing that caught my attention was howCoffee's Hollywood,
thisCanadians were poised to leave their mark; earn
presence and influence seemed disproportionatetheir stars
tothey did.
Canada's tiny population, which grew from 7