Hello, Donnie
don_mcgregor@rogers.ca

It was just after I last talked to you that I met another freezing fellow while we were out walking our dogs on a cold winter day here in Ottawa. You will remember (not fondly, I'm sure) what winters can be like in this part of the world.

When he introduced himself as "Frank Taylor" I recognized a name I'd heard many times over the years from folks in the film business. When I asked him what he was up to these days, he said he was working with Gill Carr and you, Don, on a children's series.

We got to talking about how you were doing these days, I called you, then Frank and I talked to Gill and here we are with a website created by two of your fans, our sons Glen and Brian. We just wanted a simple way for your friends around the world to get in touch.

Since the boys started to put together the site, Julie and I have talked about the great times we had when she was making "Token Gesture" with you and Wolf and I was relying on the two of you to add some animated zest to World's Fairs, the Canadian exhibit at the Commonwealth Institute in London, etc. I'll never forget the dust-up I had with the idiots at External Affairs who accused me of asking you to create a "communist" film ("Who Are We?) since I had suggested you use all the influences, natural and cultural, that make Canada what it is. "Deterministic" they said of my outline, and they effectively booted me off the project.

When you stayed with us during the International Animation Festival, you insisted that I accompany you to one of the sessions where it was announced, to my shock, that "Who Are We?" won something like Best Promotional Film. I guess, in spite of my best subversive efforts, the country survived your lunatic transformation of "influences" into "The Barber of Toronto," "Swan Rink," etc.

Next I asked Wolf and you to create the Canadian film for the Okinawa Oceans Expo 75 and you brought in Zlatko Grgic to do the animation. It still looks good. You'll be glad to know that I used Propaganda Message in teaching last week, just to see how students would react, and they were unanimous in their opinion that you couldn't make a film like that today. Which tells you a lot about the political climate and state of mind of young folks these days, I guess.

I could go on and on like this for hours, but I think I'll give you a break and close now.

Hope you're feeling better soon. Best to Rosie and Amy.

Love, Don and Julie (and Honey, the little
Wonder Dog who led me to meet Frank)