Spice, Evelyn, 1906-1990 : Evelyn Spice, scriptwriter, film director, producer, was born in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, in 1904 and attended the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. After teaching school in Canora and Springside, Sask., 1923-1926, she graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri in 1929. Following brief stints as a reporter with the "Yorkton Enterprise" and the "Regina Leader-Post", in 1930 she left Canada for England, where she joined the British documentary group headed by John Grierson making films for the British Post Office. She learned her craft as a film writer, director and producer with Basil Wright, Arthur Elton and Stuart Legg, among others, and remained in England for several years, returning to Canada only briefly in 1935 to make the silent film "Prairie Winter" with Jenny Brown (later Gilbertson).
She married Lawrence Cherry in 1937 and returned to Canada when World War II was declared. Along with John Grierson, they both joined the fledgling National Film Board in Ottawa, where the Cherrys headed up the Agriculture Unit for several years, Evelyn as scriptwriter, editor, director and producer, Lawrence as camera operator and producer. Among the films produced by the Cherrys at the National Film Board were "New Horizons" (1940), "By Their Own Strength" (1940), "The Farmer's Forum" (1942), "Windbreaks on the Prairies" (1943), "Coupon Value" (1943), "The Main Dish" (1943), "Soil for Tomorrow" (1945), "Land for Men" (1945), "Early Start" (1945), "Farm Electrification" (1946), "Workers on the Land" (1946), "Wings of Mercy" (1947), "Quality Beef" (1947), "Mercy Flight" (1948), "Mastitis (Disease of the Udder) (1948), "Red Runs the Fraser" (1949), "55,000 for Breakfast" (1949), "Land in Trust" (1949), "Salmon Story" (1950), "Water for the Prairies" (1951), "Point Pelee - Nature Sanctuary" (1953), "Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps - Field Operations" (1953) and "The Pony" (1955).
Evelyn Cherry resigned from the National Film Board in 1950 and pursued a freelance writing career while raising a family and teaching English at Lafortune College in Ottawa. In 1958, the Cherrys returned to Saskatchewan, where Lawrence set up a provincial film unit for the Saskatchewan Government. In 1961, they established their own company, Cherry Film Productions Ltd., in Regina, and produced "Valley Centre" (1961), "Neighbourley Dollars" (1962), "The Long Haul" (1962) for the Prairie Wheat Pools, "The Squaw Rapids Story" (1964) for the Saskatchewan Power Corp, "Harnessing the South Saskatchewan River" (1966), and other films.
After Lawrence's death in 1966, the Cherrys' son Bill joined Evelyn in the company, and together they made such films as "Alcohol in My Land" (1972) and "Community Revitalization: Old Towns, New Life" (1975), produced under contract to the National Film Board. They also made films on the prairie artists Illingworth Kerr and Ernest Lindner. Evelyn Cherry retired in 1985 and moved to Cortes Island in B.C. She died in 1990.
Cherry, Lawrence W., 1902-1966 : Lawrence W. Cherry, film producer, was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1902. He left for England and worked for the Travel and Industrial Development Association of Great Britain. Lawrence Cherry married Evelyn Spice in 1937 and returned to Canada when World War II was declared. Along with John Grierson, they both joined the fledgling National Film Board in Ottawa, where the Cherrys headed up the Agriculture Unit for several years, Evelyn as scriptwriter, editor, director and producer, Lawrence as camera operator and producer. Among the films produced by the Cherrys at the National Film Board were "New Horizons" (1940), "By Their Own Strength" (1940), "Windbreaks on the Prairies" (1943), "Early Start" (1945), "Farm Electrification" (1946), "Workers on the Land" (1946), "Wings of Mercy" (1947), "Land in Trust" (1949), and "Water for the Prairies" (1951).
Lawrence continued at the Board until 1957. In 1958, the Cherrys returned to Saskatchewan, where Lawrence set up a provincial film unit for the Saskatchewan Government. In 1961, they established their own company, Cherry Film Productions Ltd., in Regina, and produced "The Long Haul" (1962) for the Prairie Wheat Pools, "The Squaw Rapids Story" (1964) for the Saskatchewan Power Corp, "Harnessing the South Saskatchewan River" (1966), and other films.
