Elwy Yost : My Movie Mentor

https://www.tvo.org/video/documentaries/magic-shadows-elwy-yost-a-life-in-movies

Before Netflix and Turner Classic Movies, there was Elwy Yost, Canada’s most famous film buff. For 25 years at TVOntario, Elwy gave viewers an unparalleled access to classic Hollywood Cinema, brought to you uncut and in the comfort of your own home. Watching classic films on TV in the early 1970s was not always fun. Too many commercial breaks meant films were edited for broadcast, print quality was often lacking and you couldn’t always count on the correct title in the TV Guide being the same film that was eventually shown. Starting in 1974, the TVO show Saturday Night at the Movies (SNAM) with Elwy Yost changed all that by inaugurating a new era of film appreciation that continues to this day. Elwy was a film buff who knew the world of cinema needed proper presentation and scholarship to educate and entertain a growing generation of cinephiles. SNAM was unique in North American television programming. Audiences were provided with an engaging film history lesson every week in a commercial free themed movie double bill accompanied by introductions, commentary and interviews with the actors, filmmakers and craftspeople who made them. Elwy’s experience as a high school teacher, theatre actor, and on-air personality made him the perfect host. Unafraid to embrace his youthful enthusiasm for talking film, Elwy connected with viewers who were discovering the pure joy of movie genres such as Film Noir and Science Fiction/Fantasy. His legacy lives on to this day, with many people in the film industry and media education crediting him as a formative influence. My new TVO documentary Magic Shadows, Elwy Yost: A Life in Movies (available at TVO.org) is an affectionate tribute to this legendary TV presenter by detailing his childhood influences, how he became Canada’s most famous on air movie presenter, and the family whose love he cherished. 26 years ago I was thrilled to have Elwy contribute the foreword to a book that I wrote and self-published entitled You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet: A Guide to 500 Unsung Films on Video. He was a warm and generous man who taught me how the power of cinema influences our daily lives. I am proud to salute the life and work of Elwy Yost.