Phil McPhedran

Philip Stuart McPhedran (April 10, 1949 - December 4, 1988) By George Csaba Koller Seventeen years ago, Phil McPhedran and I were writing scripts and creating filmstrips tor an educational film company in Toronto. Even though we made money for the outfit by converting their I6mm motion picture library to the faster-selling format, they expressed their thanks by firing both of us, just a week before Christmas. Needless to say, our holidays weren't the most cheerful But things aren't always what they seem, and the coldheartedness of that film company proved to be a blessing. Knowing that we were out of a job, Ed de Fay of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers approached Phil and I to resurrect their defunct publication. Thus was born this second edition of Cinema Canada, the very magazine you are reading. The first issue was put together on Phil's kitchen table, and looked it. But it struck a chord and filled a need within Canada's film community. A community that was beginning to exhibit signs of vitality with such films as Mon Oncle Antoine and Goin' Down the Road. After our third issue, Phil and I went separate ways, with me continuing to edit and publish the magazine, while he started a very successful career, first as an Assistant Director, and later as a Production Manager on major features. Those who worked with Philip on the numerous films that carry his credit. will always remember his vitality, his ability to make lightning-quick decisions, his passion for games ranging from bridge to tennis to billiards to golf, and most of all his slightly-off-the-wall sense of humor, which was balanced by his sense of fair play and his own brand of integrity. Some of the productions that benefited from his seemingly unlimited energies were The Hard Part Begins, Love at First Sight, Monkeys in the Attic, the CBC shows The Newcomers, The Collaborators, Anthology, and the multi-million dollar features Bells, Tulips, and Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone. He even directed a documentary for the CBC, called Karen Kain: Ballerina in the '70s. More recently, he has been analyzing budgets for Telefilm. According to his wife Lynne Mackay, who is, a costume designer on features and TV movies, Phil's passing (due to cancer I was " perfect, " with cats and sunshine, plants and people" in the living room of their house in Toronto. He was at peace with the idea of leaving this reality. As Lynne's 8O-year-old Aunt Grace put it: "Phil had too much energy to let it disappear. He had another job to do." On December 9th a memorial service was held at the Toronto Necropolis. The old cemetery was a favorite haunt of Philip's since he was a young man. It was where he went to work out his confusions. The place was packed with people who loved him and those that had been touched by him. His mother, Honor McPherson, spoke, along with his family and friends. A ceremonial talking stick carved by Michele Moses was passed around to each speaker, and it seemed very appropriate to the occasion. Phil's ashes will be scattered from the Maritimes to British Columbia, with a special handful used to fertilize his favorite Wisteria plant in their back garden. "They'll never bloom in this climate," Lynne told him when he planted the flowers. We're confident that the Wisteria will be blooming purple blossoms come next season.