Cape Breton's Magazine

WANTED • a couple of parents for a movie hero and movie heroine respectively. Also a pair of A No. 1 Indians, and a first class crook • one having experience in the fishery business.'- SYDNEY POST-RECORD, 1922 The Sea Riders" • A Cape Breton Feature Film, 1922 With this kind of promotion • searching for actors 75 years ago • "The Sea Rid? ers" was filmed and presented in Cape Breton • "written especially around Cape Breton scenery and Cape Breton fisher? ies, and, as indicated above, in addition to featuring local industry will be used to 'break in' the commencement of a colony of trained and capable local movie picture actors and actresses." There is a hauntingly familiar ring to the promise of a new industry arriving in Cape Breton. Over and over the promise was that the film industry will make local year-round jobs in Cape Breton, and that the project • in this case a movie centred in the fishing industry • will display Cape Breton scenery to potential tourists and even show off "the new fish plant in Port Hawkesbury" to business interests away. "It will cost more in the original produc? tion to use amateurs than it would to im? port trained actors," the Sydney Post- Record goes on, "particularly in view of the fact that some of the parts are of con' siderable importance. But the Maritime Motion Picture Company (founded by Wallace William MacDonald, who was born in P.E.I, and grew up in Cape Breton) believes that the initial expenditure will be saved on later productions through the presence near the studi? os of people who can handle all but the star parts. The company's object is to develop a regular all-year-round production, and the building up of a strong local corps of actors and extras is a first step in this direction." "The Sea Riders" premiered in Sydney at the Strand Thea? ter in September 1922, One of the people who had a part in the film was Harry Appleton. Some time ago, he wrote to us, sending a brief account of his "participation as a youth in the filming of 'The Sea Riders' in the summer of 1922 around Cape Breton." The following is based on inter? views of Mr. Appleton by his nieces. Howard Appleton Tells About the Filming of "The Sea Riders" In 1922, I experi youth--acting in which was a very- childhood friend Donald and I won vertised and held Townsend Street, from one hundred star as juveniles to be made by The Company of Canada fessional directo es from Hollywood enced the thrill of my the silent silver screen new industry then. My ("Freckles") Wally Mac- a drama skit contest, ad- at the Sydney Arena on Wally and I were chosen or so other children to in the film "Sea Riders" Maritime Motion Picture in Sydney, with a pro- r and actors and actress- California. In this melo? drama Wally and I brought hu? mour to the scenes. We were the ones who, as the script went, happened to over-hear the bad guys plotting to claim fishing traps as their own. The prin? cipal charac? ters were played by the professional troupe; howev? er, many of the .. ' . . local amateur Howard Appleton players were given cameo roles to play. Several local merchants, professionals and the like donated money to produce the film. A local fishing captain. Captain Brewer, and his two master schooner were hired for the summer. The story, an old-fashioned "The Sea Riders" continues on page 53 FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPH: Anna Zuckerman Blufarb of North Sydney. See page 59. We welcome the birth of a new Cape Bretoner Away • 'Jake Douglas David Irwin • born to Brendan & Shirley Serroul Irwin