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(clicking)
(footsteps approaching)
(clicking)
(record arm clicking)
(drums playing)
♪ Fly me to the moon ♪
♪ Let me play among the stars ♪
♪ And let me see what spring is like ♪
♪ On a-Jupiter and Mars ♪
♪ In other words ♪
♪ Hold my hand ♪
♪ In other words ♪
♪ Baby, kiss me ♪
♪ Fill my heart with song ♪
♪ And let me sing forevermore ♪
♪ You are all I long for ♪
♪ All I worship and adore ♪
♪ In other words ♪
♪ Please be true ♪
♪ In other words ♪
♪ I love you ♪
♪
(footsteps approaching)
Clairtone was already history
by the time I was a child,
by the time I was old enough to talk about
those kinds of things to my father.
But for him, it loomed large.
It always loomed large, right to the end of his life.
He would say, "Clairtone was my first great love,
"and you never forget your first love."
(upbeat big band music playing)
Newsreel narrator: In the heart of Central Europe,
situated on both banks of the Danube, is Budapest.
In 1896, the Hungarians, led by Prince Árpád,
established their government here.
The favorite promenade of the Hungarians is the Corso.
Here at midday and late afternoon,
the people of Budapest gather to walk or sit at the many cafes
and look out at the lovely Danube.
Two blocks from the Corso
is the fashionable shopping district, the Váci utca.
(troops marching)
(air raid siren blaring)
Nina: My dad was 16 when the Germans marched into Hungary.
(man speaking indistinctly in German over P.A.)
Knowing the worst was to come,
his grandfather managed to get the family on the Kastner train,
a secret rescue operation
that saved 1,686 Hungarian Jews.
(train bell ringing)
♪
When the war was over,
there was no reason to go back to Hungary.
There was nothing to go back to.
His father decided it was best for him to leave Europe.
So, with help from his uncle Nick,
who owned a machine tool business in Toronto,
my dad managed to get a student visa to come to Canada.
(seagulls cawing)
(big band jazz playing)
♪ Everywhere you go ♪
♪ Sunshine follows you ♪
♪ Everywhere you go ♪
At the University of Toronto,
he studied electrical engineering,
where he was a determined student and earned high marks.
Uncle Nick knew someone over at Atlas Radio,
a company specializing in high-fidelity equipment.
After he graduated,
Atlas hired my dad as their chief electrical engineer.
(soft jazz playing)
Around that time, he met my mother,
Linda Gutterson, and they got married.
(glass breaking)
Crowd: Mazel tov!
(attendees applauding)
Nina: My dad was entrepreneurial.
And seeing his ambition, his father-in-law,
my maternal grandfather,
told him to leave Atlas and start his own business.
(phone ringing)
Man: Good afternoon, Peter Monk Associates.
Nina: He borrowed $3,000 from his father-in-law
and $1,500 from his father and Uncle Nick.
He hired a technician and a cabinet maker,
and he started making custom hi-fi systems
for affluent Torontonians.
(tools whirring, clattering)
(classical orchestra playing)
♪
That's how it all started.
In the mid-1950s, the way people listened to music
was transformed by a new audio technology,
which brought the richness of the concert hall
into people's living rooms.
(orchestra playing upbeat music)
♪
What you're going to hear about today
is nothing short of a miracle.
It's dramatically new,
made possible only through years of research
and innovation,
living stereo played on a record.
(orchestra playing upbeat music)
And now, it's available for everyone.
(audio moving between channels:) Stereo. Stereo. Stereo. Stereo.
Stereo.
(traffic noises blaring)
♪ It's a most unusual day ♪
♪ Feel like throwing my worries away ♪
♪ As an old native-born ♪
♪ Californian would say ♪
♪ It's a most unusual day ♪
Nina: At Diana Sweets,
a student hangout near the university,
my dad met David Gilmour.
I think he's cute.
They were total opposites.
David was from a blue-blood Canadian family.
He was raised by a governess. He played polo.
He wore a signet ring on his pinky.
My dad?
My dad was an immigrant with a Hungarian accent,
who'd arrived in Canada with only the shirt on his back.
They hit it off.
(traffic noises blaring)
David had no interest in joining his father
in the stock brokerage business.
- (bell ringing) - (traders clamouring)
Instead, he began importing modern Scandinavian furniture,
what was known as the New Look.
(upbeat jazz playing)
Commercial narrator: From the heart of Scandinavia
comes a revolution in design known as the New Look.
In Denmark,
craftsmen transformed natural materials
into sleek, functional furniture,
designed not just for use, but for harmony with life.
Potters shape stoneware
that is both delicate and durable,
perfect for the modern home.
Glass blowers shape molten glass into elegant forms.
Artisans working in metal
produce a wide range of everyday objects
that are modern and minimalist.
Form and function work hand-in-hand,
making life simpler, smarter, and more beautiful.
This is Scandinavian design,
the New Look - a timeless vision for living well.
Nina: David and my dad decided to try something together.
Inspired by a modern Danish sideboard,
they made their first prototype.
It was a long, low, oiled teak cabinet
outfitted with one of my dad's hi-fi systems.
They put it in the window at Sheila's--
a boutique in Yorkville owned by David's sister.
It cost $700,
which was a huge amount of money in 1958.
It sold right away.
(oscilloscope tone warbling)
My dad and David saw that people
would pay for high-quality stereo equipment
in beautiful furniture.
So, they started a company to do just that.
(oscilloscope tone warbling)
They called it Clairtone.
♪ You're walking along the street ♪
♪ Or you're at a party ♪
♪ Or else you're alone ♪
♪ And then you suddenly dig ♪
♪ You're looking in someone's eyes ♪
♪ You suddenly realize ♪
♪ That this could be the start of something big ♪
Woman (on P.A.:) Shoppers, Simpsons invites you
to enjoy our fine buffet in the Arcadian Court,
(unclear) level, ninth floor.
Simpsons is proud to announce
the arrival of fine perfumes from Paris.
Nina: It was a long shot for Simpsons to pick up
an unknown brand by two Canadian nobodies,
especially since Clairtone's stereo
cost twice as much as the competition.
But, hey, it looked great, it sounded great,
and the head of Simpsons radio and TV department
agreed to give it a try.
Woman: "Stereophonic"? What's that?
Man: I think it's a record player, but with two speakers.
Woman: I like the way it looks.
(bossa nova music playing)
Narrator: You've heard nothing yet like Clairtone--
a Canadian-built, Canadian-owned company,
exclusively at Simpson's stores across Canada.
(bossa nova music playing)
Nina: The salesman at Simpsons reported that Clairtone's design
was especially popular with women,
who saw it as a stylish addition to their homes.
(bossa nova music playing)
Within a few months, David and my dad had orders to build
and deliver 82 stereos to stores across Canada.
(bossa nova music playing)
♪
Man (over P.A.:) The next demonstration
of the new Clairtone stereo console
begin in five minutes in Hall B.
Nina: My dad and David brought their stereos
to an industry trade show in New York,
and they quickly became the talk of the event.
Their modern design and innovative engineering stood out
from what the big American companies were offering.
By the end of the weekend, they had secured a deal
to distribute Clairtone stereos in stores across the US.
♪
Sales took off,
from $23,000 a month, to $67,000 a month,
to $300,000 a month.
It was wild. Even my dad was amazed.
(snapping)
(slow jazz quartet playing)
♪
Clairtone wasn't just a stereo. It was a revolution in allure.
It was Canada's most seductive export.
♪
Newsreel narrator: The people of Canada are using
their resources to build a growing economy.
This is a nation of lumbering,
of fishing, of mining,
of farming, and the manufacture
of agricultural machinery.
Today, Canadians are looking to a bright future,
as they find new ways to bring forth the riches
they draw from this great land.
♪
(ship's horn blaring)
♪
Nina: The most fashionable
luxury brands from around the world
were always displayed in the big department stores of Manhattan.
For a Canadian stereo to be featured
in the windows of Bloomingdale's was unimaginable.
And yet, there it was.
My dad was seen as a trailblazer,
and soon began getting invitations
to speak to Canadian business leaders
about Clairtone's rapid success.
(microphone feeding back)
Peter Munk actor: Canada's success
depends on adopting a bold new attitude,
free of inferiority, proud of the "made in Canada" label,
and committed to innovation and international trade.
By embracing this new attitude,
we can thrive as a confident, competitive nation.
Thank you.
(audience applauding)
(tools whirring)
(whirring continues)
Nina: Orders flooded it.
But the bigger Clairtone became, the more money it needed.
Between the expanding payroll, expensive components, rent,
and having to extend credit to retailers
who never paid on time, they were always short of cash.
To keep them going, David took out a $20,000 mortgage
on the house he'd inherited from his parents.
But that was just a short-term fix.
♪
One day, the tax department demanded immediate payment
of $27,000 in overdue sales tax
or they'd force the company into bankruptcy.
My dad and David were already overdrawn at the bank.
They had borrowed against every asset they had.
Their banker refused to advance them another penny.
They had five hours to come up with $27,000.
Somehow, though, my dad was able to convince
a few of his biggest retailers to make immediate
advance payments on future deliveries.
The buyer at Simpsons, for example,
who had been the first to show confidence in them,
agreed to help.
But only if my dad could deliver 14 stereos by 3 p.m. that day.
He pulled it off.
Still, it was one financial crisis after another.
They were growing faster than ever, but barely staying afloat.
They needed to find a long-term solution.
At a party, their accountant was introduced to Irving Gould,
a financier who assured them he could raise
a quarter of a million dollars by selling a tiny part
of Clairtone on the so-called "unlisted market".
Within a year, shares had quadrupled in value.
At that moment, my dad and David were millionaires...
at least on paper.
First thing my dad did was pay back the $3,000
he'd borrowed from his father-in-law.
♪
Coming off a record-breaking year
and excited about their new product line,
David and my dad turned their attention
to making Clairtone a household name.
Newsreel narrator: Ever wonder why advertising
is the key to business success?
Let's take a look.
Imagine you have a great product,
but no one knows about it.
How can you make it visible? The answer is advertising.
When your product is visible,
John and Jane Consumer can see it,
and that means more sales for you.
But how did John and Jane know
that Acme was the best widget to buy?
Well, there's newspaper advertising.
It's aimed at everyone.
But there's also magazine advertising.
It's aimed at people with special interests.
And on top of that, there's radio advertising.
Radio DJ: Acme widgets are darn good.
Newsreel narrator: It reaches John as he's driving to work,
and Jane as she cooks dinner or cleans the house.
Jane: Which one should we buy, John?
John: Well, I've heard that Acme widgets are darn good.
Jane: Why did you hear that?
John: Hmm, I'm not sure.
(newsreel narrator chuckling)
Yes, John isn't even sure where he heard it.
All he knows is that Acme widgets are, well, darn good.
So, why wait?
Invest in advertising today and watch your business grow.
Nina: Dalton Camp, the ad man and political strategist,
was hired to come up with a brand-new
advertising campaign for Clairtone.
Instead of focusing on technical specs and sound quality,
Dalton Camp's ads focused on David and my dad.
(clarinet playing jazz)
♪
Understatement's always been a virtue in Canada,
but the Clairtone Boys, as they were known,
were anything but understated.
They were unapologetic showmen.
Dalton Camp also made the most of negative or white space.
He used minimal text and minimal color
to really emphasize the beauty and modernity of a Clairtone,
to position it as a status symbol.
♪
When my dad asked why they were paying
for all that white space, Camp told him,
"It represents the missing note
"that can only be heard on a Clairtone
"because the sound's so great."
♪
My dad loved that line.
Another thing they did is hire Hugh Spencer,
a genius designer from England.
(horn honking)
(bell tolling)
(trumpeting)
(train whistle blaring)
(clucking)
The first thing Hugh did was design a modern,
minimalist look for the company.
(jet engine blaring)
(jazz quartet playing)
♪
Clairtone's advertising campaign and image-building strategy
translated into so much new business
that they moved into a brand-new factory.
My dad said he had to pinch himself
to make sure he wasn't just dreaming.
News narrator: Today, Clairtone Sound Corporation
moved out of the unlisted market
and was officially listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
In other news, the Toronto Maple Leafs
have clinched the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row.
Will this dynasty ever end?
From the very beginning,
Clairtone fused modern design with the latest technology.
And in 1963,
they introduced the world's first transistor-powered stereo.
♪
The transition from hot and bulky vacuum tubes
to solid-state transistor components...
...which were far more efficient and didn't need ventilation,
opened up a whole new world of design possibilities.
♪
(radio static hissing)
Radio announcer: Clairtone Sound Corporation Limited
brings you the world's first tubeless stereo console.
The Clairtone Model T355
features the XB5 solid-state transistor receiver,
all enclosed in a beautiful walnut cabinet.
This revolutionary advancement in sound technology
is only available at select retailers
of premium stereo equipment.
Nina: Clairtone became known as one of the most forward-thinking
electronics companies in North America.
(60s jazz fusion music playing)
♪
In the 1960s, the design of things was changing--
music, clothing, everything.
(clock tower bell ringing)
♪ CHUM 1050 Toronto ♪
♪ The station that keeps you in the know ♪
Radio DJ: Tonight's topic, the new City Hall.
Seymour in North York, go ahead, speak your mind.
Seymour: It's a disgrace.
Looks like some kind of spaceship.
And with all the hot air coming from the politicians,
it'll probably lift off.
Radio DJ: Interesting.
Dave in Yorkville, speak your mind.
Dave: Groovy, man. What's inside? Like a club?
DJ: It's City Hall, idiot.
Patrick in Corktown, uh, speak your mind.
Patrick: Uh, I just wish they hadn't torn down Jimmy's Diner.
Best corned beef and cabbage in town.
DJ: Patrick, it's the 60s. Something had to go.
(traffic sounds blaring)
♪
Nina: Recognizing that the times were changing,
my dad turned to Hugh Spencer to design something far out.
♪
Hughes' design had a low-slung rosewood cabinet
that floated on a metal base,
and cantilevered at either end,
two rotating black aluminum sound globes
that project at 340 degrees of sound.
(jazz fusion music playing)
♪
It didn't look like any other stereo.
It looked like it came from outer space.
♪
My dad and David launched the G
at the National Furniture Show in Chicago.
And then, they personally introduced it
to every major retail executive in North America.
No one had seen anything remotely like it before.
(jazz band playing)
♪ On a wonderful day like today ♪
♪ I defy any cloud to appear in the sky ♪
They hired a product placement agency in Hollywood.
Their first coup was getting a Project G into a major movie:
Marriage on the Rocks,
starring Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
Open fireplace with a real fire.
(smooth jazz playing)
Just the right kind of music.
Bar not too far from the action.
Other films quickly followed.
'L' is for
♪ The way you look at me ♪
♪ 'O' is for ♪
♪ The only one I see ♪
And then, Clairtone sought and got endorsements
from some very enthusiastic celebrities.
♪ Extraordinary ♪
♪ 'E' is even more than anyone... ♪
Oscar Peterson said his music sounded as good
on a Project G as it did live.
♪ ...is all that I can give to you ♪
♪ Love is all... ♪
Sinatra liked the Project G so much,
he ordered a half dozen for his Rat Pack friends.
♪ Two in love can make it
♪ Take my heart ♪
♪ And please don't break it ♪
♪ Love was made for me ♪
Hugh Hefner bought one for the Playboy Mansion
to play at all his parties.
♪ Oh, no ♪
Announcer: Congratulations on the purchase
of your new Clairtone console stereo system.
We thought you might like to hold a party
for your new Clairtone,
so we've enclosed everything you need to get started.
Cue the music, dim the lights, and let the good times spin.
♪ He don't act like he knows ♪
♪ She belongs to me ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Now, look at how they wobble ♪
♪ Uh-huh ♪
♪ He's the best in town ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ I think I'm in trouble ♪
♪ Oh, no ♪
♪ She forgets that I'm around ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
Promotional narrator: We here at Clairtone
want to congratulate you,
our dealers across North America,
for your record-breaking sales
of Clairtone's award-winning Project G stereos.
Now, for 1966's modern consumer,
we present the lower, sleeker G2 series,
with removable speaker globes
that can be positioned anywhere.
And for the space-conscious consumer,
there's the G3, our smallest console yet,
perfect for the go-go generation,
as they prepare for their Saturday night dance parties.
(60s pop music playing)
♪
♪ The more I see you ♪
♪ The more I want you ♪
♪ Somehow this feeling ♪
♪ Just grows and grows ♪
♪ With every sigh ♪
♪ I become more mad about you ♪
♪ More lost without you ♪
♪ And so it goes ♪
♪ La la la la ♪
Nina: But the bigger Clairtone became,
the more money it needed.
Most of the cash flow was going to pay outside suppliers
who had to be paid in advance.
But the income from sales didn't arrive until months later.
It was an impossible situation.
Determined as always, David and my dad decided
the solution was to become even bigger,
to become an industrial giant, like a Zenith or an RCA Victor.
To do that, they needed an enormous factory,
big enough to bring every part
of the manufacturing process under one roof--
the cabinets, the electronics, everything.
There was only one problem:
if Clairtone could barely fund its day-to-day operations,
what were the chances of financing
a multimillion-dollar factory?
(footsteps approaching)
(soft jazz playing)
♪ Out of the tree of life ♪
♪ I just picked me a plum ♪
At a crossroads, David and my dad
were determined to find money to build a new factory.
Then, out of nowhere, an opportunity came their way.
♪ The best is yet to come way ♪
Newsreel narrator: Not too long ago,
Nova Scotia looked to its primary industries--
fishing, forestry, farming, and mining--
as the most important factors in its economy.
But something new has been happening
in this province by the sea.
Manufacturing has become the largest single industry.
Money is being placed in new projects by the province
through Industrial Estates Limited.
Industrial Estates Limited
operates like a private industrial development company.
If a company wishes to build a new manufacturing plant
in Nova Scotia,
IEL will finance the construction of the building,
attracting the industries of tomorrow,
and ensuring economic progress
for the working men and women of Nova Scotia.
Nina: To attract new industries and jobs to the province,
Robert Stanfield, the Premier of Nova Scotia,
set up an ambitious development agency they called IEL.
To run it, he hired Frank Sobey, a respected business leader
who shared Stanfield's vision for Nova Scotia's future.
♪
Stanfield and Sobey knew that landing
an innovative company like Clairtone
would be a shot in the arm for the entire province.
So, they offered my dad a sweetheart deal.
Nova Scotia would build Clairtone a new factory,
if they'd move their entire operation from Toronto
to the depressed backwater of Pictou County.
It was too good an offer to turn down.
Mr. Munk, why did your company select Nova Scotia?
Because we felt that the industrial and economic climate
was just right for a growing company in our industry,
because we felt that the people of Nova Scotia
seemed to have a steeped in tradition
of integrity, craftsmanship.
The people are artisans who appreciate the quality
which are inherent in our products.
And because of the geographical location,
which is so favorable in our case
because most of our output is being shipped
to the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.
(country music playing)
♪ There's a place I'll always cherish ♪
♪ 'Neath the blue Atlantic sky ♪
♪ Where the shores down in Cape Breton ♪
♪ Bids the golden sun to rise ♪
♪ And the fragrance of the apple blossoms ♪
♪ Sprays the dew-kissed lawns ♪
♪ Back in dear old Nova Scotia ♪
♪ The place where I was born ♪
Peter Munk: Premier Stanfield, Mr. Sobey,
let me offer a pledge.
We shall not let you down.
We shall be in the forefront
of your industrial revolution. We shall be in the vanguard
of the change, a change which will put this region
into the economic mainstream
of Canada's total economic and industrial revolution.
(audience applauding)
Nina: The Stellarton factory stretched out over seven acres.
It was so big, you couldn't see from one end to the other.
(buzzing)
The equipment was state-of-the-art,
with the latest technology imported from Germany.
It employed 1,200 workers.
60% of them were women who'd been specially trained.
(buzzing)
In a town that had once been dependent on the coal industry,
the Clairtone factory brought Stellarton back to life.
♪
Oh, something else, my dad persuaded Stanfield
to let him use a million dollars of the government's money
to bring Japanese car manufacturing to Nova Scotia.
What do cars have to do with stereo manufacturing?
Not a whole lot.
But because my dad's eyes were always on the future,
he got involved with a group
that managed to secure an exclusive license
to assemble and sell Toyota cars in Canada,
and he wrapped it all into the Clairtone deal.
(camera shutters clicking)
Man: I'm proud to announce the formation
of Canadian Motor Industries Limited,
and we want to thank the government of Nova Scotia
and the Clairtone Company for their investment.
Like Clairtone, we are determined to be a key factor
in Nova Scotia's industrial resurgence.
When Premier Stanfield approached me
with the idea of expanding the automotive...
Nina: With their control of CMI,
Clairtone was about to become an industrial giant.
(snapping)
Announcer: The following is a color presentation.
Nina: By the mid-60s, color television was being introduced,
and everyone was convinced
it was going to be the next big thing.
Newsreel narrator: Imagine a world where every moment
bursts to life in brilliant, vivid color.
Your favorite programs are now more lifelike than ever before.
The ordinary becomes extraordinary in...
living colour.
♪
Nina: Knowing it would create even more jobs,
Stanfield and Sobey offered Clairtone an additional
$3 million if it committed to manufacturing color televisions.
So, with the enthusiastic backing of the government,
Clairtone jumped headlong into the color TV business.
My dad hired designer Tony Mann to come up with a television
that matched Clairtone's aesthetic.
Tony's design featured a premium 25-inch picture tube
set in a modular chassis,
all encased in beautiful Brazilian rosewood
and luxurious black leather.
It sat on a unique aluminum swivel base
and came with a snappy remote control.
Radio DJ: Good morning, Pictou County.
The sun is shining, the birds are singing,
and it's shaping up to be another gorgeous day
in our own little slice of paradise.
Here's the Maritime's own Caty McKinnon
to tell us what kind of morning she's having.
♪ It's a beautiful morning ♪
♪ I think I'll go outside for a while ♪
♪ And just smile ♪
♪ Take in some clean fresh air, boy ♪
♪ No fun in staying inside ♪
♪ If the weather's fine ♪
♪ And you got the time ♪
♪ It's your chance to wake up ♪
♪ And plan another brand new day ♪
♪ It's a beautiful morning ♪
♪ Ahh... ♪
♪ Each bird keeps singin' his own song ♪
♪ So long ♪
Commercial narrator: The finest color TV you can buy
is a Clairtone.
These two men insist on factory testing
every Clairtone for one week,
so they can guarantee the performance.
Peter Monk, president and director of engineering.
David Gilmour, executive vice president,
director of styling and merchandising.
Look into Clairtone color soon.
Smart people won't settle for anything less.
♪ Would you like to ride ♪
♪ In my beautiful balloon? ♪
♪ Would you like to glide ♪
♪ In my beautiful balloon? ♪
♪ We could float among the stars together ♪
♪ You and I ♪
♪ For we can float, for we can float! ♪
Nina: Expo '67 showcased the boldest designs
from every country in the world,
and Clairtone's G-Series
was selected as the official television.
♪ Balloon ♪
♪ (woman singing indistinctly) ♪
With the G-TV's high-profile promotional campaign,
my dad was certain that sales would take off and soar.
♪
But by the fall of 1967,
it was evident that something was amiss in the marketplace.
The booming sales of colour TVs
that the industry had geared up for just wasn't happening.
(testing pattern tone sounding)
On top of that, Japanese companies
started flooding the market with low-cost stereo components.
Announcer: It's Psycho Mike's sickest stereo sale ever!
We've got Sony, Sensui, Hitachi, Hibachi,
Yamaha, Omaha, Kenwood, Flywood, and Pioner!
Pioner! Pioner! Pioner!
Every speaker, every amp, every preamp, receiver, tape deck
on sale at 10, 20, 30% off!
I can't believe I'm doing this!
I must be psycho! I am psycho! I'm Psycho Mike!
(alarm blaring)
Nina: To make matters even worse,
it turns out Clairtone had built that big modern factory
in a place totally unsuited for manufacturing.
(typewriter keys clacking)
The inexperienced workforce had a hard time
transitioning to the demands of a modern assembly plant.
(typewriter bell ringing)
And there were other problems.
The road to Stellarton was so bad that Clairtone stereos
and TVs got damaged on the way to Halifax.
And because the factory was so remote,
it took forever to get parts,
which caused endless production delays.
Inventory went missing.
Union issues threatened to shut down the plant.
Cost control was impossible.
As the problems compounded, my dad and David,
in a panic, tried to raise more capital.
But nobody was interested.
They tried to raise money
through a merger with the Singer Sewing Machine Company.
But that deal fell through.
And their plans to build Japanese cars?
(tires screeching)
That was years away from generating any income.
(protestors chanting indistinctly)
(horns honking)
Robert Stanfield, their biggest supporter,
was no help.
He'd left Nova Scotia to run for leadership
of the federal Conservative Party.
Party member: The result of the fifth and final ballot...
And the new leader
of the Progressive Conservative Party...
Bob Stanfield!
(crowd cheering)
- (crowd cheering) - Order.
- Order! - (crowd cheering)
Nina: Clairton was definitely the last thing
on Bob Stanfield's mind.
To save the company from going under,
Frank Sobey offered my dad a deal.
Nova Scotia's development agency
would advance another two million dollars,
but only on the condition that my father and David
surrender control of the company.
(typewriter keys clacking)
My dad and David were forced to step down.
The Nova Scotia government took over.
It was devastating.
♪
News anchor: Uh, this just handed to me,
this morning, Frank Sobey of Industrial Estates Limited
announced the surprise resignation of Peter Monk
and David Gilmore from the senior management
of the Clairtone Sound Corporation,
Pictou County's largest employer.
No indication was given
as to who might be chosen to replace them.
Nina: The Nova Scotia government hired a new CEO for Clairtone.
Mangels was his name.
He came from Olin Corporation, a big American chemical company.
Mangels believed the way to turn things around
was to go high volume and low cost.
Clairtone started pumping out mass-market stereos
and cheap little radios.
It was a complete 180.
From sophisticated technology and elegant design
to... disposable junk.
(crashing)
♪
Customers who loved Clairtone for its high quality
and sophisticated style were not only confused,
they were aghast.
Mangels only lasted a year, but in that time,
he destroyed everything that David and my father had created.
(birds chirping)
(bugs buzzing)
- (birds chirping) - (bugs buzzing)
My dad retreated to a small cottage in Georgian Bay
to reflect and try to understand what went wrong.
(crickets chirping)
(loon calling)
My parents were forced to sell their house
and move into a rental apartment.
My father's friends disappeared,
the speaking engagements stopped,
and he began to wonder if it had all just been a fluke.
That's when I was born.
Reporter: This new Clairtone plalant
opened at Stellarton in 1966.
It was a showpiece of its time.
But even as the plant opened, Clairtone was in trouble.
Barely a year later,
IEL took it over for the province,
and by 1970, it was closed.
A thousand jobs gone, a dream ended.
What went wrong?
What went wrong was that I forgot my script.
♪ The sun was setting ♪
♪ In the west ♪
♪ The birds were singing ♪
♪ On every tree ♪
News anchor: In an effort to cut their losses,
Clairtone will have to sell off
approximately 5,000 unsold color televisions
currently sitting in their warehouse.
This may prove difficult, especially since Simpsons
and Eaton's department stores announced today
that they would no longer carry the Clairtone product line.
♪ .Nova Scotia, the sea bound coast ♪
♪ Let your mountains ♪
♪ Dark and dreary be ♪
♪ For when I am far away... ♪
It wasn't very long after you took charge
that things began to go sour.
I don't like the way you put that.
You sound as though you were suggesting
that I was to blame for it going sour.
I think it is true, however, that, in '67,
the good picture that had been projected
began to look not so good.
Reporter: Clairtone's annual report issued today
indicated that losses from all manufactured products
were much greater than anticipated.
♪ Farewell to Nova Scotia ♪
Clairtone has had much worse troubles and much greater losses
after the government took over control rather than before.
TV reporter: Following the suspension
of Clairtone's lines of credit,
new Clairtone boss G.A. McDonald announced today
that all unsold inventory would be liquidated immediately.
Reporter: Trading in Clairtone shares was suspended today,
as the company was delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange.
From a peak of over $15,
the value of a share had fallen to less than 30 cents.
Reporter #2: It was a dark day at the Clairtone factory,
as employees left after punching out for the final time.
Some spoke of looking for work in Ontario,
but many will wake up tomorrow
with no jobs and no prospect of future employment.
♪ Let your mountains ♪
♪ Dark and dreary be ♪
♪ For when I am far away ♪
♪ On the briny ocean tossed ♪
♪ Will you ever heave a sigh ♪
♪ And a wish for me? ♪
♪ Will you ever heave a sigh ♪
♪ And a wish for me? ♪
Nina: After selling off Clairtone's assets
and the Stellarton factory,
the government of Nova Scotia had lost over $23 million.
(crow cawing)
- Man: Okay. - (electronic beeping)
Reporter: Looking back,
what would you say was so special about Clairtone?
It was the best product at that time,
and it was a great amount of satisfaction and thrill
to see a product totally designed and made in Canada,
in a country that suffered traditionally
from an inferiority complex
vis-a-vis their American and European counterparts,
to be able to design something, conceive it, design it,
both from an exterior point of view,
as well as from an engineering point of view,
which against any price competition
stood up internationally as the best product.
When people like Frank Sinatra, or Hugh Hefner,
or the Beatles had bought a Clairtone,
it was not because they had Canadian nationalism
or because somebody said, "Buy Canadian,"
it was bought because it was the best product available
at any price.
♪
Nina: But my dad's story didn't end with Clairtone.
(bossa nova music playing)
♪ I've got an island in the Pacific ♪
♪ And everything about it is terrific ♪
♪ I've got the sun to tan me ♪
♪ Palms to fan me ♪
♪ And... ♪
♪ An occasional man ♪
♪ I've got an island, it's very lazy ♪
♪ If I should ever leave it, I'd be crazy ♪
Back in 1962, when they'd had some money,
David and my dad bought two parcels of beachfront land
in Fiji, on a whim, sight unseen.
Turning their attention
to this last thing they owned together,
they got financing to build a luxury resort,
and within a few years,
they'd expanded it into a chain of hotels
and resorts across the South Pacific...
which they sold in 1980.
(ocean roaring)
With their profits, David and my dad
then started a commercial real estate company...
Which they sold in 2006.
(jackhammer blaring)
And they also founded one of the biggest gold mining companies
in the world, Barrick Gold.
(angelic choir singing)
(train whistle blaring)
(train chugging)
My dad never forgot
that Canada took him in when he had nothing,
and he felt he owed Canada a debt.
As soon as he could,
he began to donate hundreds of millions of dollars
to support health care, education, and public policy.
My dad died in March of 2018 at the age of 90.
David Gilmour died five years later at 91.
From the day they met until the day my dad died,
he and David remained the closest of friends.
(footsteps approaching)
(footsteps continue approaching)
(whirring)
(jazz fusion music playing)
♪ That's life ♪
♪ That's what all the people say ♪
♪ You're riding high in April ♪
♪ Shot down in May ♪
♪ But I know I'm gonna change
♪ That tune ♪
♪ When I'm back on top ♪
♪ Back on top in June ♪
♪ I said that's life ♪
♪ That's life ♪
♪ And as funny as it may seem ♪
♪ Some people get their kicks ♪
♪ Stomping on a dream ♪
♪ But I don't let it, let it get me down ♪
♪ 'Cause this fine old world ♪
♪ It keeps spinnin' around ♪
♪ I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet ♪
♪ A pawn and a king ♪
♪ I've been up and down and over and out ♪
♪ And I know one thing ♪
♪ Each time I find myself ♪
♪ Flat on my face ♪
♪ I pick myself up and get ♪
♪ Back in the race ♪
♪ That's life ♪
♪ I tell you, I can't deny it ♪
♪ I thought of quitting, baby ♪
♪ But my heart just ain't gonna buy it ♪
♪ And if I didn't think it was worth one single try ♪
♪ I'd jump right on a big bird ♪
♪ And then I'd fly ♪
♪ I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet ♪
♪ A pawn and a king ♪
♪ I've been up and down and over and out ♪
♪ And I know one thing ♪
♪ Each time I find myself layin' ♪
♪ Flat on my face ♪
♪ I just pick myself up and get ♪
♪ Back in the race ♪
♪ That's life (That's life) ♪
♪ That's life and I can't deny it ♪
♪ Many times I thought of cutting out ♪
♪ But my heart won't buy it ♪
♪ But if there's nothing shaking ♪
♪ Come this here July ♪
♪ I'm gonna roll myself up ♪
♪ In a big ball ♪
♪ And...
♪ Die ♪
♪ My, my... ♪
♪ The sun was setting ♪
♪ In the West ♪
♪ The birds were singing ♪
♪ On every tree ♪
♪ All nature seemed ♪
♪ Inclined for to rest ♪
♪ But still there was ♪
♪ No rest for me ♪
♪ Farewell to Nova Scotia ♪
♪ The sea-bound coast ♪
♪ Let your mountains ♪
♪ Dark and dreary be ♪
♪ For when I'm far away ♪
♪ On the briny ocean tossed ♪
♪ Will you ever heave a sigh ♪
♪ And a wish for me? ♪
♪ I grieve to leave ♪
♪ My native land ♪
♪ I grieve to leave ♪
♪ My comrades all ♪
♪ And my parents ♪
♪ Who I held so dear ♪
♪ And the bonnie, bonnie lad ♪
♪ That I do adore ♪
♪ Farewell to Nova Scotia ♪
♪ The sea-bound coast ♪
♪ Let your mountains ♪
♪ Dark and dreary be ♪
♪ For when I'm far away ♪
♪ On the briny ocean tossed ♪
♪ Will you ever heave a sigh ♪
♪ And a wish for me? ♪
♪ Will you ever heave a sigh ♪
♪ And a wish for me? ♪
(projector whirring)
(whirring)