HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1979-07-26, Page 114.7.1i771 Tasn,X it Iaa ;..»T..:•,
by Ake Gibb
Keith Roulston has taken 'the.
characters: you find in any small, tpw.nu
exaggerated their foibles just al !::bit And
turned life in the 'village sof Hamheeks int°.
a pleasant evening of. theatre,
McGillicuddy s Diary, the 'Roulston play
which opened at, the Blyth Festival on
Tuesday night, is based on the diary of
Ezekial McGillicuddy, the long .suffering
law enforcement officer of Hamhocks, who
puts his woes on paper every month m Mr.
Rouiston's magazine, the Village Squire,
In thisplay, the author not only manages.
O poke some gentle fun at life in a small:
Own, but he also makes us taught at a
campaign to rid the community of 'pstn and:
smut" -a campaign that hasn't always been
taken lightly by some members of the
Huron County community.
The familiar characters we've seen in the
Village Squire diary have been successfully
transferred; to the stage -and prove to be
even more likable in person than they were
on paper. First, aside from the chief
himself, there's, Councillor Sally Hemple,
the woman who's waging the campaign to
get rid of just about anything that's any
fun; Mayor Lumpy, who's folltswed his
grandfather and father into political life in
holding the village's highest office; and
Cindy Lou, the chief's next door neighbour
who's convinced the way to Zeke's heart
Must be through his stomach, so • she
tempts him with delights like Cindy Lou's
surprise, a potentomelette heavily laced
with anchovies and chili.
WELL DESERVED REST
The premise behind McGillicuddy's
Diary is simple -after a number of years.
without .a holiday, the town council has
granted the chief leave foe a three day
fishing trip•. When the play opens, Ezekial`
McGillicuddy has exactly 30 mina tes to go
until he can hang up his hat, toss•a fishing
:pole into his car and take off on a well
deserved rest, both from the job. and .tic
eccentric citizenry of Hamhocks, The chief'
is so relaxed in contemplatingthe holiday
that hedd Up
Set even et u Set When
Cot ncillor'"tempte sails into his xtffice on
one of leer search and destrtt • .tnisstans.
catcla4. hint reading a eopy of Playboy .and
lectures hitt on the fact beta failing to set a
high moral tone for thetownspeople to
follow. The prissy counciiler also warns the
chief she's going to be challenging the
long -termed Mayor Lumpy in the next
municipal election with: a t`ampaigp
nicknamed COME- Committee on Morality
Everywhere -and the chief's, behaviour shift!
bc one of her main targets.
reekial Mc011iicu.1dy:,played; by Theatre
Pa•se.Murai„e actor `Layne Coleman, is ar,
underpaid and.: often unappreciated village'
policeman who sees through the facades of
the villagers in his Care, buthasn't quite
got the ambition to move on togreener
pastures -even though he's frustrated with
a job that involves little more than issuing •
parking tickets and chasing the younger
"terrorists" of the town, But when
.Mc(illicuddy suddenly .finds he has an
actual kidnapping on his hands, and Mrs.
Moneybank's beloved son Junior seemsto
be the victim, then the chief decides to
sacrifice his long awaited vacation for a
chance to prove to himself and the
townspeople that !he's more than just ".al
dunbh"icktown cop,'"
EZEKIAL MCGILLICUDDY
Layne Coleman, who delivered strong
performance as the Dutch immigrant in
This Foreign Land, seemed Tess sure of
himself in the role of the police chief. His
line were often shouted at the audience and
'from the portrait cif the chief in both, the
play and theoriginal diary, ,it. seems
Ezekial should have_heen Middle-aged and
more . frustrated. Layne Colefnan's
strongest scenes . in the play were
confrontations; with the awesome Mrs.
Moneybank, s and in one particularly
tender scene with an unusually chastened
Councillor .Hemple.
One of the most convincing portrayals
als in
the play was Anne' Anglin.'.s portrait of the
-banker's wife. 'Mrs. Meneybanks, a
familiar character in every small town -a'
member of a well' -to -de family that likes tt>
imagine they re the sftockefellers or
Bronfmans of the villal;t:. Anne Anglin
has managed to make the :unsympathetic
Mrs. Moneybanks, with her frumpy clothes,
and abseSsion with a spoiled son'
"Junior's the only thing I've got that
money can't replace"-almostlikeable arid,
she captured both the expressions and,
gestur*s sof "the viticen of the town..
Another strong ,performance Was. Mary
,Ani" Cole's portrayal .of Cindy L00-tht»
sin Oe "girl'' who lives next door to Ezekiel
M,itrllicuddy and obviously has intentions
rf making him an: honest man -even{ after
years of unsuccessful campaigning.
1n the diary excerpts, Cindy Lou has
often seemed mainly a figure of fun, but ort
stage she's more human -in the scene:
where'•shc tlinfronts Councillor HemplC
and advises the politician on the finer.
points of child .'raising or when she
collapses in tears, after being labelled the
town tramp. Mary Ann Coles has taken a
giggly girl who badly wants a man and.
turned her into agirl who hides, a heart of
gold under her scanty 'bikini (well, barely
hides a heart of gold ,)•
The two other stars of Mc illicuddy'S.
Dairy are Peter Elliott as' Mayor Lumpy,
the man who tries to be everyone's friend
spending all his time trying to stay in place
on the fence in the process, and Angie Gei.
as the very moral Councillor Sally Hemplc.
While Miss Gei gave a convincing
portrayal of the woman who tried to forget
her own unhappiness by "cleaning up"
Hamhocks and its . citizens, again the
actress seemed to young for her role, a fact
which might have been. altered ,by better
makeup.
T
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McGillieuddy's Diary directed by
Janet Amos. who will be the artistic
director ,of the festival nex[ season, as
definitely .a stronger production than last
,
hLar, s I?:oiulstoulay. lois. Own, Boss. .fart
of the reason, may be that the character.
E�ekial et il.l't , dv wa ..afread fantili at
as y
to many of the•opening nigl t,ttt.die,nve, but
the piny itself was also faster ,paged. The
theme that a policeman's .cwt in a striall
town isn't always a happy one as weft as
the gentle satire aimed at everyone from.
the morally pare Mrs. Hem* to the ,fence
sitting mayor couldn"t :help bitt win a
response :from the audience -after all, these
characters are our neighbOura, .and maybe
even ourselves.
The set was one of the few weaker points
in McGi.11ieuddy's Diary, and: seemed t'o
suffer from too much crowded on the stage.
Much sometimes. created difficulties for
the actors. Tony Abrams, the set designer.
could have asked the audience to use their
imagination a little more and created a fess
Cluttered scene on stage.
McGillicuddy.'s Diary will add to Btyth
f'estival's already successful season which
has seen a number of sellout performances
of 'I'll be Back for You Before Midnight''.
Keith Roulston has abandoned the puns of
last year's His Awn Boss, and treated the
audience to. some 'light and entertaining
comedy on the nature of human nature.
The performances of Me(?itlicuddy's Diary
run front July 20 to Aug„. '1' and include
Tim) matinee performances.
Move buffs are reminded this
Saturday and Sunday is the annual Filrn.
and Nostalgia Festival '79 in Wingham. In
addition to old movie posters. comic books
and radio premiums that will be on display.
Classic films such as the Jaz/ Singer with.
M Jolson and ' Wings. the first film
awarded ani Academy Award starring Clara.
Bow and : Gary cooper. will be shown
during the w'eekcnd;
Catti'emc,r offers advice:
Good
B'Y'ALICE GIBB
Ross Procter. of R.R.` 5, Brussels, a.
partner with his two .brothers in ' Bodmin
Farms Ltd„ told .cattlemen at the, first
annual Ontario beef congress. in London
last week that they should ask themselves.
if they'rehappy with the return they're
getting in dollars and in satisfaction.
He said, "If you're in the cow business
and don't like it, . theres no better
opportunity than now to sell them.
Mr. Procter, who said ..he and his two
brothers started Bodmin Farmsfrom a.•
standing start in 1955, advised cattlemen
to ask their cattle to give them the answers
abouttheir operation;
He said' cattlemen in cow -calf oper-
ations should have a breeding program and
should follow' their calves through their
growing period and see how they perform.
for buyers.
He said calves in the Bodmin operation
are weighed at weaning time, and then
checked during their growing period.- The
cattlemen said while fertility is often touted
in talking- about' profits in the industry,
cattlemen should look at other factors like
cross breeding and feeding. •
He said it's important to get live calves
so cattlemen , should .select bullsfor
breeding which will give them live calves,
calves that the cow can deliver either own.
Mr. Procter told the. audience "fast
gaining cattle are more efficient so bet's get
fast gaining bulls, that's half the battle.”
Also, he suggested having cattle carcasses
tested after slaughter for composition and
meat quality.
CALVING
He said while cattlemen must think of
their cattle as individual animals, they can
keep calves in groups by age, weight, etc.
He recommended keeping calving cows
together where cattlemen can keep an eye
on them in ease there is a difficult birth.
In discussing the health of the herd, Mr.
Procter recommended that cattlemen
spend "more time on preventidn and less
on control."
When it's time to market the calves, Mr,
Procter said' farmers should • sort their
calves beforehand, since this will likely
bring higher prices at the auction. He also
advised checking with the calves' buyers
Forcity people tOo
C
tile' brE:e;cIn
afterwards, "to see how the .product',•
worked."
Bob Kerr,' a 'Chatham'area farmer and.
graduate of Harvard university business
floss Procter '
program. predicted an increase in pork
production and a decrease in the demand
for beef could mean some rough, times
ahead for Ontario :cattlemen.
.PREDICT'IONS
Mr, ,Kerr also told: cattlemen he believes
•
the United States ;economy is in .thefirst
stages' of a recession with prices for cattle.;
broilers and hogs already, down, He said:
economic advisers in the U.S. are predict•
ing both a recession andhigher unemploy
ment. He said consumer morale in that.
country has also fallen due to the recent
energy crisis. Mr. Kerr said the American
recession will affect ' our own economy;,
• even though. Canada is presently in a more
self-sufficient position energy -wise.
Mr. Kerr told the cattlemen' that any
Pessimists in the•:beef industry bailed Out '•
by 1977:
The beef farmer Said the cattle cycle is
how becoming much more widely under.
stood, and he recommended that farniers
make use of the Beef Watch guidelines
which appear twice annually.
He said the number of feeder cattle
available for slaughter in Canada will
decline year by year until 1981. •
in predicting, uncertaiti tinter ahead for
Cattlemen, Mr. Kerr Said hog producers
Ag. museums;
The Ontario Agricultural
. Museum at Milton was built
for city people took says R.W.
Carbert, its . general mana-
ger. 'The museum opened to
the public seven days; a week
beginning in May.
"Three million people live
within 50 miles of the front
gate of themnuseunt, That's
why it was built here. You
don't have to be a farmer to
visit'our museum and get a
grasp of how ' agriculture
-evolved in Ontario,"
Find out about the rural
telephone 'systems and the
impact of telephones on the
rural eomtnuttity. On display
are antique telephones,
Switchboards and telephone
bootie;
Another area in the
museum' is devoted to rural
electrification. There, are
dl pisys Of early generators
and windmills. A truck used
9
cid to NitsIt.
to promote rural Ctectrif
ication in the 1920's,, is on
display.
• More than 40 antique traC-
tors and exhibits of early
farm machinery should de-
light the city dweller.
'People like to watch
Machinery operate," says
Mr, Carbert. "They don't
have to understand how . it
Works, Witness the success
of the Ontario Science
Centre.`'
Also of interest to _'City
people are exhibits •of an
early farm kitchen, a harness
Maker s shop and a eetcrink
arian's office. All furnishings'
and utensils are authentic.
Visitors should enjoy the
daily demonstrations of WOol
spinning, dying and weaving
and opdn•h'oarth eookiitg,
featuring free food samples,
During July and August, a
lalrgt:collttction of early food
labels; on loan from the
American Can'Company. will
be exhibited itt, the muse-
um'S upstairs gallery.
Tractor -pulled wagons
take visitors .froth the main
exhibit hall to five other
display buildings.on the 32
hectare . (804tCre) site.
Lunches, picnic tables and
washroom facilities are avail•
able.
The' museum, operated by
the Ministry of Agriculture
and Food, is located 40'
kilonietres (25 miles) west of
Toronto at Milton, and: is
visible from Highway 401.
Exit front Highway 401 at
' either the Highway 25 or
Guelph Line interchanges
and follow the signs.
"Agriculture feeds alt of
us," says Mr. Carliert. "lt's,
otir basic industry:'
A visit to the museuttt'
confirms that.
•
have been hell-bent on expansion recently.
He told the audience hog production is up
23 per cent this year, while.beef production
is down by eight per, cent. He said the
increase ' in hogs going to market has
created problems for meat packers who are
working overtime to handle the, volume of
meat.
Mr. • Kerr saidthe upswing. in hog'
production may result: ins a "distressed
price" for pork., and in swine herd
liquidation in the future.., He said the hog
situation could be a threat to the beef
market, since a less 'affluent society won't
be willing' to spend asmuch of their.
disposable income on meat lit the future.
The Chatham farmer, who said, "1',m
putting my. neck on the line" in making
predictions, said the demand for meat will
lessen as the recession increases • and
consumers will spend less on beef to
economize.
He said in the. fall, with higher feed costs
in the offing; 'our profits will be reduced.-
sothe outlook isn't very good."
The task facing cattlemen then, accord-
ing to Mr. Kerr.. is to keep inventory losses
to a minimum .if.low market prices and high
feed prices prove to be the trend..
Mr. Kerr said, if the recession . does
trigger hog and; possibly broiler. liquid-
ations. "then the market could be chaotic
a must
for some tune."
Butdespite the pesslmistiie forecast, Mr.
Kerr said conditions still aren't asb'ad as
cattlemen have experienced in the • past,
and if the recession isn't tag deep,, then the
industry' will •get back on the track. -
Mr: Kerr Said, on his own operation, in
times of recession, he tries to buy his cattle
at the right time.
" If. you. Use• common sense, then the
,,potentialfor profit` is still 'there," he told
the audience.
NO SHORTAGE
The final speaker ai the :conference.
Stewart Brown, a Shedden farmer who is
president 'of the Canadian Cattlemen's
Association, while beef supplies are down,
there is no danger of a .shortage of beef. He
told producers they intiSt remember the
cattle industry 'is a btiSint"sti, not just a way
of life."
Mr. Brown said •while there are no
guarantees for anyone in ' the:. 'industry,
mast cattlemen want it ,that way." 1 -le
also predicted a dcpressive cycle for hog
producers in ;the near future-'
He said cattlemen must know• not to
make break-even calculations, in buying
feeder, .cattle, acid recontntended keeping
an eye on the beef watch 'reports available
from the Cattlemen's Association.
UlfeW
is
THE HURON EXPOSIT() : 7
wflen
car hits
t
LAST NiGHT TilW D A�" l N if + •
sox orrice °Pols cos P.M, , • SitOWTh . Eq
Tttckerstnith Tewnship,
rtta,n rceeivedi minor .iniuires
inn one car accident alt
Caderiett Street West early
Sunday morning,
Henry Ilen:riks of 1Lfit. 4.
Seaforih was driving west on
the street when he reported a
dog ran out in front of his
vehicle. Mr. Henriks
Swerved to avoid the animal
and struck a tree. The
damage to his 1972 Plymouth
was approximately Ai2,000.
Mr. Henriks was taken to
Seaftrth Community Hosp-
ital with minor injuries fol-
lowing the accident.
A minor accident occurred
near the Queen's Hotel on
Friday ,afternoon. A Beall
Telephone vehicle, driven by
James Albert Wright of
Mitchell, was parked in front
of the hotel A ear, driven by
Edward Speight of Missis-
sauga, Was parked in; the
taneway at the east of the
hotel. Both men started'
to
backup at the same bate and,
their vehicles, collided,
resulting in approximately
575 damage td. the Speight
vehicle,
A Bicycle was reported
stolen from the Lion's Park,.
on Tuesday morning by Judy
Lamont of Crombie Street A
20 inch bay's; blue bicycle is
missing :and the matter is
still under investigation,
On Saturday, police were
called to help apprehend a
pig which was running loose
in the "lames Street area. The'
animal was caught and taken
to the Seaforth:. Vet Clinic.
USE
i 0►R
•EXPOS T
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Phone 527.0240
STAG
for
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2
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One showing only .8:00 p,Tn.
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presents CHILD
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Opening, July 31 at 8:30 p.m.
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Tickets: Adults $4.25, Senior citizens $3.50,
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Starts R
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FRIDAY 8, SATURDAY ONLY - TWO SHOWINGS 7:00 & 9:00
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1h THE. 25th L^. :NTiJRYR 4
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