Arthur Chetwynd

Bt. BT or Bt may refer to: Arts, media and entertainment The arts * BT (musician) (born Brian Transeau), American electronic musician * ''BT'' (album), a 2000 album by Buck-Tick * Burton Taylor Studio or ''The BT'', managed by Oxford Playhouse F ...

(28 October 1913 – 11 July 2004) was a Canadian film producer and founder and president of the pioneering film production company Chetwynd Films. He was an early, prolific producer of high-quality sponsored short documentaries; it has been estimated that he produced as many as 3,000 films. At the

12th Canadian Film Awards The 12th Canadian Film Awards were held on June 3, 1960, to honour achievements in Canadian film. This year saw 115 films entered for consideration and the judging panel consisted of 55 people in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. The ceremony took th ...

in 1960, Chetwynd was presented with a Special Award "for dedicated service in the interest of Canadian filmmakers as an executive officer of the Association of Motion Picture Producers and Laboratories of Canada". In 1981, the

2nd Genie Awards The 2nd Genie Awards were held March 12, 1981, honouring Canadian films released in 1980. Jay Scott, "Genie nominations released". ''The Globe and Mail'', February 10, 1981. The ceremony, which was broadcast live by the CBC, was held at the Roya ...

presented a one-time Chetwynd Award for Business Promotion.

Early life

Arthur Ralph Talbot Chetwynd was born in the ghost town of

Walhachin Walhachin is an unincorporated community in the Thompson Country region of south central British Columbia, Canada. The place is on a south shore bench of the Thompson River between Brassey and Jimmie creeks. The locality, off BC Highway 1, is by ...

, a once-affluent hamlet in

Thompson Country Thompson Country, also referred to as The Thompson and sometimes as the Thompson Valley and historically known as the Couteau Country or Couteau District, is a historic geographic region of the British Columbia Interior, Southern Interior of Britis ...

, in the

British Columbia Interior The British Columbia Interior, popularly referred to as the BC Interior or simply the Interior, is a geographic region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. While the exact boundaries are variously defined, the British Columbia Interior ...

. His father, Ralph Chetwynd was an English war hero (

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

1918) who had moved to Canada to go into the cattle and fruit-growing business; he would become one of the founders of the

Pacific Great Eastern Railway The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

as well as a

Member of the Legislative Assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nation ...

for the

Cariboo The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia, Canada, centered on a plateau stretching from Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the Caribou (North America), caribou that were once abundant in the reg ...

, and British Columbia's Minister of Trade and Industry, Minister of Railways and Fisheries, and Minister of Agriculture. The city of

Chetwynd, British Columbia Chetwynd is a district municipality located in the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains, in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. Situated on an ancient floodplain, it is the first town eastbound travellers encounter after emerging from ...

is named after him. Arthur grew up in Vernon, in the British Columbia fruit-growing region of

Okanagan The Okanagan ( ), also called the Okanagan Valley and sometimes the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of ...

. After graduating from Vernon Preparatory School, he attended the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

. From 1943 to 1945, he was Chief Instructor for Medical Reconditioning for the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

. After the war, he taught Physical and Health Education at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

and became Publicity Officer for the University of Toronto Athletic Association, as well as Field Supervisor for the

Canadian Red Cross The Canadian Red Cross Society ()

Career

The first productions of Chetwynd Films' (aka Chetwynd Productions) were films on coaching, education, and the activities of the Red Cross. These were followed by children's shows for the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

. Beginning in 1947, he produced shows about each

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

championship, as well as shows for the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

teams and the

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...

's annual Schenley Awards. Beginning in 1952, he produced shows about each

Calgary Stampede The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, fair, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year a ...

. Sports films would account for 30% of Chetwynd's work; the rest was made up by films about accident prevention, medicine and travel. Films were often for, or in co-production with, CTV, the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

and the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

, which distributed many of his films. Some of his films were dramatizations (e.g. ''The Anderson File'', 1977); others featured the client—in 1969, hockey great

Jean Béliveau Joseph Jean Arthur Béliveau (August 31, 1931 – December 2, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played parts of 20 seasons with the National Hockey League's (NHL) Montreal Canadiens from 1950 to 1971. Inducted into the Hoc ...

paid Chetwynd to make ''The Jean Béliveau Story'', a one-hour special which aired on CTV. Chetwynd also directed films (''Calgary Stampede : Banff Indian Days'', 1957) and worked on films for other producers, e.g. he was one of the cinematographers on the 1963

Crawley Films Crawley () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a populat ...

production ''Repeat Performance''. Chetwynd's award-winning film ''Jamboree'', about the 8th World Scout Jamboree in

Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York (state), New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the R ...

, was selected for "Significance" by the Canadian government and became one of six films shown at the Canadian Pavilion at

Expo 58 Expo 58, also known as the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (; ), was a world's fair held on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Brussels, Belgium, from 17 April to 19 October 1958. It was the first major world's fair registered under the Bureau Internati ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. In 1972, Chetwynd succeeded his uncle as 8th Baronet Chetwynd, of

Brocton Hall Brocton Hall is a building of historical significance and is listed on the English Heritage Register. It was built in 1760 by William Chetwynd and remained in the Chetwynd family until 1923 when it was sold to the Golf Club. Today the building i ...

, Staffordshire. In 1977, his son Robin, who had been directing films for the company since the mid-1960s, took over as president of Chetwynd Films. He carried on making promotional films until he closed the company c. 1980. Arthur founded the Toronto PR firm Brocton Hall Communications. He retired in 1988.

Personal life and death

Chetwynd was community-minded and acted as member, director, president, chair and/or patron of the

Empire Club of Canada The Empire Club of Canada is a Canadian speakers' forum. Established in 1903, the Empire Club has provided a forum for many thousands of different speakers. Through a variety of presentation formats, the Empire Club invites local, national and in ...

, the Royal Commonwealth Society of Canada, the

Monarchist League of Canada The Monarchist League of Canada () is a Canadian nonprofit monarchist advocacy organization."Who We Are"< ...

, the Saint Lazarus Society, Grenville Christian College, the

Barbados National Trust The 'Barbados National Trust'', founded in 1960, is an organisation which works to preserve and protect the natural and artistic heritage of Barbados and to increase public awareness of the country's historic and architectural treasures. These in ...

, and the

Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...

Restoration Appeal in Canada. He died in

Cobourg Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

in 2004, at age 94, survived by his wife Marjory and three sons.

Honours

* Victory Medal (1945) *

Canadian Volunteer Service Medal The Canadian Volunteer Service Medal is granted to persons of any rank in the Naval, Military or Air Forces of Canada who voluntarily served on Active Service from September 3, 1939, to March 1, 1947. The medal was established on October 22, 194 ...

(1945) *

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal () is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is physically identical in all realms where it was awarded, save for Canada ...

(1977) *

Order of Barbados The Order of Barbados is a Order (distinction), national Order of honours and decorations for Barbados. History The first Order of Barbados was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II by letters patent dated 25 July 1980. With Barbados becoming a republ ...

Silver Crown of Merit (1984) *

Freedom of the City of London The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...

(1989) *

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal () or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was ...

(2003) * Knight Commander, Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem * Canadian Film and Television Production Association, Honorary Life Member *

Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) (, rarely ), founded by Charles Francis Jenkins in 1916 as the Society of Motion Picture Engineers or SMPE, is a global professional association of engineers, technologists, and e ...

, Life Member

Filmography (partial)

Below is a sampling of the films produced by Arthur Chetwynd. Records of approximately 300 can be found at CESIF,

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

's Canadian Educational, Sponsored and Industrial Film Project. Records of another 1,300 are in the collection of the Canadian Government. *''Jamboree'', for

Eaton's The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's g ...

1955 *''No Time to Spare'' (''Pas de temps à perdre''), for Les Compagnies d'assurance-vie du Canada 1955 *''Kinai Chieftainship'', for Calgary Brewing and Malting Co., dir. Robert Barclay 1957 *''Re-Creation of Art'', for the Spanish Consul and

Francisco Franco National Foundation The Francisco Franco National Foundation (; FNFF) is a foundation created in 1976 devoted to promoting the legacy of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. The only child of Franco, Carmen Franco (1926–2017) led the organisation and later becam ...

, dir. Eric Hagen 1958 *''Castle of Learning'', for the Spanish Consul and

, dir. Eric Hagen 1958 *''Football Fever'', for the

, dir. Robert Barclay 1958 *''Pursuit of Wisdom'', for the

, dir. John Rooke 1959 *''This is Husky'', for

Husky Oil Husky Energy Inc. was a Canadian company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It operated in Western and Atlantic Canada, the United States and the Asia Pacific region, with upstream and downstream bus ...

, dir. Robert Brooks 1959 *''Scotch Cup 1961'', for the

Scotch Whisky Association The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) is a trade association, trade organisation that represents the Scotch whisky industry. The Scotch whisky industry is an important part of the Economy of Scotland, Scottish economy, and particularly the Scottis ...

, dir. Ross McConnell 1961 *''A Look Behind the Big B.A.'', for British American Oil Company of Canada 1962 *''Land of the Blue Tartan'',

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

1963 *''The Little Grey Cup Game'', for

Molson Brewery The Molson Brewery is a Canada-based brewery based in Montreal and was established in 1786 by the Molson family. In 2005, Molson merged with the Adolph Coors Company to become Molson Coors. Molson Coors maintains some of its Canadian operati ...

1963 *''Calgary Stampede 1964'', for Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, dir. Arthur Chetwynd, 1964 *''Barbados: As You Like It'', for Barbados Tourism Authority 1964 *''Canadian Schenley Football Awards 1964'', for Canadian Schenley Distilleries, dir. Ross McConnell 1964 *''Some Are Sunfishers'', for

, dir. Robert Barclay 1964 *''Marine Holiday West Coast Style'', for

, dir. Robert Brooks 1965 *''Miss Canada Pageant'', for

Miss Canada Miss Canada is a beauty pageant for young women in Canada. It was founded in Hamilton in 1946. No title was awarded from 1993 through 2008. The trademark was purchased in 2009 by a Québec organization who produces the pageant under the name to ...

, dir. Robin Chetwynd 1965 *''Putting on a Front'', for

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

of Canada, dir. Peter Kelly 1965 *''University of Windsor : A Place to Live and Learn'', for the

University of Windsor The University of Windsor (UWindsor, U of W, or UWin) is a public university, public research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has approximately 17,500 students. The university was incorporated by ...

, dir. Joy Gavill 1966 *''Du Maurier International Slalom 1966'', for

Imperial Tobacco Canada Imperial Tobacco Canada Limited is a cigarette manufacturing company operating in Canada. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of British American Tobacco. It was created in 1908 and bought out the Canadian interests of the American Tobacco Company, ...

, dir. Robin Chetwynd 1966 *''Litton Systems'', for

Litton Industries Litton Industries, Inc., was an American defense contractor that specialized in shipbuilding, aerospace, electronic components, and information technology. The company was founded in 1953 and was named after inventor Charles Litton Sr., who was ...

, dir. Karl Konnery 1967 *''Five Courses for Horses'', for the

Ontario Jockey Club Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), known as the Ontario Jockey Club from 1881 to 2001, is the operator of two horse racing tracks, a casino and off-track betting stations in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. It also owns and operates ...

, dir. Karl Konnery 1967 *''The Ileostomist'', for the Ileostomy Association of Toronto, dir. Karl Konnery 1968 *''Safety Prevents Sorrow'', for the Industrial Accident Prevention Association 1969 *''Every Square Inch'', for the

Department of Energy, Mines and Resources The minister of energy and natural resources () is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). In addition to NRCan, the minister oversees the federal government's natural resource ...

, dir. Ross McConnell 1969 *''Our Thing'', for

Labatt Breweries Labatt Brewing Company Limited () is a Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned brewery headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1847, Labatt is the largest brewer in Canada. In 1995, it was purchased by Belgian brewer Interbrew. In 2004, Interb ...

, dir. Robin Chetwynd 1969 *''Fashion Council Puppet Show'', for Dylex Stores 1969 *''Manitoba Festival Country'', for the Manitoba Department of Tourism, 1970 *''Quarterback'', for the

, dir. Robin Chetwynd 1970 *''The Money Go Round'', for the Canadian Life Insurance Officers Association, dir. Leo Brouse 1970 *''Shell Ski Jump 70 Meter'', for CTV, dir. Robin Chetwynd 1975 *''Motorsport Canada 1975'', for

, dir. Robin Chetwynd 1975

Awards

* ''Calgary Stampede'', Honourable Mention,

5th Canadian Film Awards The 5th Canadian Film Awards were presented on April 30, 1953 to honour achievements in Canadian film.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 21-23. Sixty ...

1953 * ''No Time to Spare'', Special Mention, 7th Canadian Film Awards, 1955 * ''Jamboree'', Special Mention, 8th Canadian Film Awards, 1956 * ''Grey Cup Festival '58'', Best Film, Travel and Recreation,

11th Canadian Film Awards The 11th Canadian Film Awards were held on June 5, 1959 to honour achievements in Canadian film.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 45-47. At this time ...

, 1959 * ''Man of Kintail'', Best Film, TV Information (tied),

, 1960 * ''Grey Cup Festival '60'', Best Film, Travel and Recreation (Recreation), 13th Canadian Film Awards, 1961 * ''Epidural Anaesthesia for Vaginal Delivery in Obstetrics'', Best Film, Training and Instruction, 13th Canadian Film Awards, 1961 * ''Grey Cup Festival '62'', Best Film, Travel and Recreation (Recreation), 15th Canadian Film Awards, 1963 * ''Stanley Cup Finals 1963'', Best Film, Travel and Recreation (Recreation), 16th Canadian Film Awards, 1964 * ''Some Are Sunfishers'', Best Film, General Information (tied),

17th Canadian Film Awards The 17th Canadian Film Awards were held on May 15, 1965 to honour achievements in Canadian film. Entries this year numbered 104, including four features. Interest in the event, which was hosted by radio personality Max Ferguson, was such that an ...

, 1965 * ''Light for the Mind '', Best Film, Public Relations,

18th Canadian Film Awards The 18th Canadian Film Awards were held on May 6, 1966 to honour achievements in Canadian film. For the first time, CFA management decided to present the awards on television. The Directors Guild of Canada which, in another first, was presenting C ...

, 1966 * ''Driver Training: Life Is Worth the Living'', Best Film, Sales Promotion, 20th Canadian Film Awards, 1968 * ''It Starts at the Top'', Best Film, Training and Instruction,

23rd Canadian Film Awards The 23rd Canadian Film Awards were held on October 1, 1971 to honour achievements in Canadian film. The ceremony, which had been returned to banquet format, was hosted by actor Leslie Nielsen and broadcaster Charlotte Gobeil. For this year's compe ...

, 1971

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chetwynd, Arthur 1913 births 2004 deaths Canadian film producers