User:BrochJam

Artist, animator, occasional lost media hunter. Need to contact me? Here's my carrd. I use this page as an editing sandbox.

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Soundtrack cover.

Status: Lost

Dream On The Run (lost Canadian crime film; 1973)

Dream On The Run is a Canadian made-for-TV crime film, purportedly released in 1973 with documentation of it airing on Global TV in 1977. The film had an incredibly small cast and production team, with John Edwards, Nicky Fylan and Ken Gord being responsible for most aspects of the film's creation. The movie was a low-budget project backed by the now defunct Circle Productions. The plot follows an ex-con who is struggling to go straight after getting out of prison. While promotional material, production stills and vinyl pressings of the soundtrack exist, the film itself is currently lost.

While the TIFF Film Reference Library suggests the film was released in 1973, other sources give conflicting dates ranging between 1973 to 1977.

When asked about the film in 2022, producer Ken Gord explained that he does not own a copy. The film was distributed on 16 mm and has a runtime of 82 minutes.

Premise

The following synopsis comes from a promotional poster made around the time of the film’s release.

“Trying to settle back into society after getting out of prison is not an easy thing. You can't count on anyone; you have to scramble for yourself.

When Jay gets out after several years in prison, the only person to greet him is Mickey, a smalltime operator who has always skirted the edges of the law. Jay wants to go straight. But this time, doors close in his face. Once a con, always a con, or so it would seem.

Inevitably, Jay finds himself in the midst of a bad deal, guilty of another crime and chased by the loan shark who financed the entire operation.

Desperation boils over to the point where the man who wanted to go straight finds himself surrounded by the police, as he stands over two dead bodies.”

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for Dream On The Run was released as a vinyl LP and is currently available for second-hand purchase through various sellers. The album was distributed through Periwinkle Records, and is credited to the Toronto country rock band The Good The Bad and The Ugly. The album has not yet been digitized. The track listing is listed on Discogs.

Production

Promotional poster from TIFF's archive.

Dream On The Run was written and directed by John Edwards and Nicky Fylan (AKA Nicola Filazzola), and produced by Ken Gord. Edwards and Fylan also starred in leading roles, playing characters Jay and Nicky respectivley. Other cast members included Gloria Gagnon as Gloria, Jack Lalonde as Jack, and Susan Minas. Editing and sound was done by Vince Hatherly, while photography was done by Lance Carlson and Ed Hunt.

Not much information exists on the production company, Circle Productions. Its former headquarters was 1437 Kingston Road, Scarborough, Ontario. The film had no distributor to speak of.

Based on documents in TIFF's archives, Cinema Canada appears to be responsible for promoting the film.

Availability

The record number for the film in the TIFF Film Reference Library is FRL-38942, although the associated file only contains production information and photographs from the film.

External links

• Initial Reddit thread/request for more information