Another World Premiere for Port Arthur, Ontario - "Corvette, Port Arthur" at the Colonial Theatre in 1943...

"Corvette, Port Arthur", was a film produced by the National Film Board of Canada in 1943.  It illustrated the Royal Canadian Navy's part in battling U-boats and protecting British supply lines during WWII, featuring the crew of the "Port Arthur".

This was an actual WWII propaganda film using a British Submarine on training duty to represent a U-boat that was forced to surface; the U-boat's surrendering crew was played by the British Submariners.
The world premiere of this film was shown at the Colonial Theatre in Port Arthur, Ontario.

The photo above shows the model of the H.M.C.S. Port Arthur, built by the Port Arthur Ship Building company on the back on one of their trucks and in front of the Colonial Theatre.
The following photo shows the people gathering at 235 Arthur Street(now Red River Road) in Port Arthur, Ontario for the premiere.

This next photo shows the number of people waiting to attend the premiere in 1943.

This is the exact spot where the Colonial Theatre used to be....a pretty boring street compared to how it looked back in the 1940's and 1950's.

This is a closer photo of the truck and model as shown in a brochure from the Port Arthur Ship Building Company.  My friend Al asked the BIG question, "Where is the model of this ship now?"  It's typical how local artifacts seem to just disappear.

The following print is a description of the year and date of the films as well as who directed and narrated the film...  Double click on all photos for enlargements.

Thanks to the National Film Board of Canada, we can see the 22 minute film right here.

"Corvette Port Arthur" by Joris Ivens, National Film Board of Canada

To view more about the Colonial Theatre in Port Arthur, Click here then return to HR&J

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