Reel Beach: What would the holidays be without Christmas movies?

By BERNIE FLETCHER

Centre 55 is celebrating 50 years of service as “the heart of the community”. The building on Main Street has an interesting history. It was constructed in 1911 as Police Station #10 on the site of the former East Toronto Town Hall.

If you’ve ever wondered why “Main Street” is way out here in the Beach, East Toronto was a small village then a town before annexation with the City of Toronto in 1908.

The pre-First World War era of policing is depicted in Murdoch Mysteries. The real Chief at Station House #4 near Parliament Street was indeed one Inspector Thomas Brackenreid (played by Thomas Craig in the television series).

One of the new recruits at Station #10 was Samuel Caulfield who lived on Greenwood Avenue with his mom, Annie, a clerk at Eaton’s.

Like most officers of the day Caulfield was of Irish or English background. Winds of war were sweeping through the British Empire. The young constable had only served for two years when he volunteered for the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the Great War.

Sgt. Caulfield fought at Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele. On Dec. 20, 1917 Samuel was killed in a trench in France. He was only 27. His mother was given the sad news at Christmas.

One soldier who survived the war was Edwin Glover Boyd. He became a constable at Station #10 and raised a family near the Danforth. His son, Edwin Alonzo Boyd, would become Canada’s most notorious bank robber. Just before his death in 2002 the younger Boyd confessed to a 1947 double murder.

“Lieutenant, the men are here from Scarborough.”

Black Christmas

Station #10 was renamed #55, then closed in 1973. In May 1974 this paper (then Ward 9 News) reported on “Murder and Mystery in Station 55”. Inspired by an urban legend, a horror movie, Black Christmas was filming that spring.

In the movie, two officers have the phone company trace a threatening call, then warn a young co-ed that the calls are coming from inside the house! Thus a “trope” was born.

The words have taken on new relevance.

Recently on CNN a political commentator claimed “the calls are coming from inside the house” meaning the problem is internal. On Elspeth, a woman repeats the phrase, meaning “you’re the problem”. On social media the trope means “look who’s talking”, another way to call out hypocrisy.

Of course, in this age of cell phones the original warning is lost.

In a sly nod to the Bedford Falls of It’s a Wonderful Life, Black Christmas is set in the college town of Bedford. Our Station #10 was back to its small town roots as the station house for the Bedford Police.

“Every charming little town has a dark underbelly if you know what to look for.”
Mistletoe Murders

A favourite storyline is the amateur detective solving crimes like Elspeth or Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher of Murder She Wrote.

A recent Murdoch Mysteries episode paid homage to the mystery writer becoming a real sleuth, even calling the author Miss Nigella Fletcher.

What is it with all these murders in fictional towns? Sherriff Country, Murder in a Small Town, Memory of a Killer are all filmed in Canada pretending to be the United States.

In Mistletoe Murders (W/ Hallmark) Fletcher’s Grove sounds like an idyllic place, well, except for all those pesky killings. Christmas store owner Emily (Sarah Drew) does the sleuthing with the aid of a handsome cop (Peter Mooney). Local talent includes Lara Amersey, Jean Yoon, Tommie-Amber Pirie, Dani Kind, Sierra Riley and Al Mukadam.

Drew has said viewers enjoy “a world where good wins”.

What would the holidays be without Christmas movies?

The Toronto area is a favourite location for films such as last year’s Netflix hits Hot Frosty and Meet Me at Christmas. Watch for Main Streets from towns such as Unionville.

Toronto-born actors Laura Vandervoort and Rachel Skarsten star in a sleigh-full of holiday films like Melt my Heart at Christmas (2025) on W/ Hallmark).

The sap is running early in A Merry Little Ex-Mas (Netflix) with Alicia Silverstone (Clueless), in a predictable rom/com (as if), but at least the snow isn’t fake. The movie was shot here during our big snowstorms of last February. Steve Carr, the director, said, “Instead of Hollywood snow, we had real Canadian snow, three feet deep”. (Correction 91.44 cm.)

Ah, snow drifts…something to look forward to!

Happy holidays!

Remember you can help provide much needed support to local families during this holiday season by donating to Centre 55’s Share A Christmas campaign. Please go to https://www.centre55.com/ for more information on how to help.