Thom Ernst is a Toronto-based film critic, broadcaster, and author. He is the former host of television's longest running film program, Saturday Night at the Movies, and is the author of the memoir The Wild Boy of Waubamik.
A deep and breathtaking dive into a lost world of Canadian film lore. * Brian D. Johnson, producer/director, The Colour of Ink * If you didn’t know that Hockey Night in Canada is the longest running sports TV show on the planet or that Peter Fonda wrote most of Easy Rider in a seedy Toronto motel, then you need a copy of 101 Fascinating Canadian Film and TV Facts. Writer/producer Thom Ernst gathers the arcane, the obscure, and the just plain weird in this entertaining compendium of Canadiana. I mean, who knew that Pierre Berton conducted the last known interviews with both Malcolm X and Bruce Lee? This is a must-read for every movie buff and TV fan out there. * Liz Braun, Toronto Sun journalist * When you sit down to read 101 Fascinating Canadian Film & TV Facts, be sure to have a glass of your favourite beverage at your side because Thom Ernst’s book is an intimate visit with a celebrated cinephile! His passion for Canadian film lifts from the page with his easy conversational tone, making you feel like you are getting the inside track on little-known industry secrets. This book is full of surprises, giggles, and shocking facts – even for those of us in the know. 101 Fascinating Canadian Film & TV Facts will do more than entertain, it will serve as a conversation starter ... where that conversation leads, however, is entirely up to you. * Heidi von Palleske author of Two White Queens and the One-Eyed Jack * Easy, fun, and as accessible as a Canadian movie star. Thom gives Canadian cinema an identity that goes beyond the polite and quirky. * Valerie Buhagiar, actor/director, Carmen * Effortlessly fun, jammed with useful trivia, and written with such a sense of patriotic pride that you can almost smell the maple syrup wafting off the page. The only book that knows more about Canadian entertainment might be Atom Egoyan’s personal diary. * Barry Hertz, film editor at Globe and Mail * Before reading 101 Fascinating Canadian Film and TV Facts I thought I was a pretty savvy Canadian film nerd. It appears my knowledge only scratched the surface. This book is a treasure trove of everything from little known facts to stories of collaborations that could have been. You might think you're a film nerd until you read this. * Jeremy LaLonde, director, Daniel’s Gotta Die * An eclectic and free associative, all-Canadian journey, from geniuses to con artists, from slasher films to movies with actual off-screen death counts, to the almost happened jaw-droppers like David Cronenberg’s version of the musical Porgy and Bess. Read and feel the maple syrup flow in your veins. * Jim Slotek, film critic, copywriter, and founder of the movie blog Original Cin * A delightful read and a reminder of what we’ve got to be proud of as Canadians. Ernst blends some of the more obvious moments in our history with some very well-deserved deep cuts that many will appreciate. * Dave Voight, In the Seats *