- 6 hours ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00:28Transcription by CastingWords
00:00:58CastingWords
00:01:15CastingWords
00:01:39CastingWords
00:01:54CastingWords
00:01:55CastingWords
00:01:55CastingWords
00:01:58CastingWords
00:01:59In other words, baby, kiss me, fill my heart with song, and let me sing forevermore.
00:02:14You are all I long for, all I worship and adore.
00:02:21In other words, please be true, in other words, I love you.
00:02:51I love you.
00:03:22I was a child, by the time I was old enough to talk about those kinds of things to my
00:03:26father.
00:03:27But for him, it loomed large.
00:03:31It always loomed large right to the end of his life.
00:03:35He would say, Clair Tone was my first great love, and you never forget your first love.
00:03:52In the heart of Central Europe, situated on both banks of the Danube, is Budapest.
00:03:57In 1896, the Hungarians, led by Prince Arpad, established their government here.
00:04:05The favorite promenade of the Hungarians is the Corso.
00:04:08Here at midday and late afternoon, the people of Budapest gather to walk, or sit, at the many cafes, and
00:04:15look out at the lovely Danube.
00:04:22Two blocks from the Corso, is the fashionable shopping district, the Vasa Utica.
00:04:39My dad was 16 when the Germans marched into Hungary.
00:04:49Knowing the worst was to come, his grandfather managed to get the family on the Kostner train,
00:04:55a secret rescue operation that saved 1,686 Hungarian Jews.
00:05:28When the war was over, there was no reason again.
00:05:31There was nothing to go back to Hungary, there was nothing to go back to.
00:05:38His father decided it was best for him to leave Europe.
00:05:43So with help from his Uncle Nick, who owned a machine tool business in Toronto,
00:05:48my dad managed to get a student visa to come to Canada.
00:06:07Everywhere you go, sunshine follows you.
00:06:23Everywhere you go, the sky's on the Kostner train.
00:06:30At the University of Toronto, he studied electrical engineering, where he was a determined student and earned high marks.
00:06:44Uncle Nick knew someone over at Atlas Radio, a company specializing in high-fidelity equipment.
00:06:52After he graduated, Atlas hired my dad as their chief electrical engineer.
00:07:04Around that time, he met my mother, Linda Gutterson.
00:07:09And they got married.
00:07:26My dad was entrepreneurial.
00:07:29And seeing his ambition, his father-in-law,
00:07:32my maternal grandfather, told him to leave Atlas and start his own business.
00:07:45Good afternoon, Peter Monk Associates.
00:07:47He borrowed $3,000 from his father-in-law and $1,500 from his father and Uncle Nick.
00:07:54He hired a technician and a cabinet-maker, and he started making custom hi-fi systems for affluent Torontonians.
00:08:14That's how it all started.
00:08:33In the mid-1950s, the way people listened to music was transformed by a new audio technology,
00:08:40which brought the richness of the concert hall into people's living rooms.
00:08:53What you're going to hear about today is nothing short of a miracle.
00:08:58It's dramatically new, made possible only through years of research and innovation.
00:09:05Living stereo played on a record.
00:09:11And now it's available for everyone.
00:09:16Stereo, stereo, stereo, stereo, stereo, stereo.
00:09:28It's a most unusual day.
00:09:32Feel like throwing my worries away.
00:09:35As an old native-born Californian would say,
00:09:39it's a most unusual day.
00:09:41At Diana's suites, a student hangout near the university, my dad met David Gilmore.
00:09:48I think he's cute.
00:09:51They were total opposites.
00:09:54David was from a blue-blood Canadian family.
00:09:57He was raised by a governess.
00:10:00He played polo.
00:10:02He wore a signet ring on his pinky.
00:10:06My dad?
00:10:08My dad was an immigrant with a Hungarian accent who'd arrived in Canada with only the shirt on his back.
00:10:15But they hit it off.
00:10:25David had no interest in joining his father in the stock brokerage business.
00:10:34Instead, he began importing modern Scandinavian furniture, what was known as the new look.
00:10:49From the heart of Scandinavia comes a revolution in design known as the new look.
00:10:56In Denmark, craftsmen transform natural materials into sleek, functional furniture,
00:11:01designed not just for use, but for harmony with life.
00:11:07Potters shape stoneware that is both delicate and durable, perfect for the modern home.
00:11:16Glass blowers shape molten glass into elegant forms.
00:11:26Artisans working in metal produce a wide range of everyday objects that are modern and minimalist.
00:11:39Form and function work hand-in-hand, making life simpler, smarter and more beautiful.
00:11:51This is Scandinavian design, the new look.
00:11:54A timeless vision for living well.
00:12:06David and my dad decided to try something together.
00:12:11Inspired by a modern Danish sideboard, they made their first prototype.
00:12:17It was a long, low, oil teak cabinet, outfitted with one of my dad's hi-fi systems.
00:12:32They put it in the window at Sheila's, a boutique in Yorkville, owned by David's sister.
00:12:44It cost $700, which was a huge amount of money in 1958.
00:12:51It sold right away.
00:13:07My dad and David saw that people would pay for high-quality stereo equipment in beautiful furniture.
00:13:14So they started a company to do just that.
00:13:22They called it Claire Tone.
00:13:30They called it Claire Tone.
00:13:33You're walking along the street, you're in a party, or else you're alone and then you suddenly dig.
00:13:42You're looking in someone's eyes, you suddenly realize that this could be the start of something big.
00:14:04It was a long shot for Simpsons to pick up an unknown brand by two Canadian nobodies.
00:14:10Especially since Claire Tone's stereo cost twice as much as the competition.
00:14:17But hey, it looked great, it sounded great, and the head of Simpsons radio and TV department agreed to give
00:14:25it a try.
00:14:40You've heard nothing yet like Claire Tone, a Canadian-built, Canadian-owned company exclusively at Simpsons stores across Canada.
00:14:52The salesman at Simpsons reported that Claire Tone's design was especially popular with women, who saw it as a stylish
00:14:59addition to their homes.
00:15:06Within a few months, David and my dad had orders to build and deliver 82 stereos to stores across Canada.
00:15:13ama
00:15:19s
00:15:20bal
00:15:21bat
00:15:21s
00:15:27ada
00:15:49My dad and David brought their stereos to an industry trade show in New York,
00:15:54and they quickly became the talk of the event.
00:15:57Their modern design and innovative engineering stood out from what the big American companies
00:16:02were offering.
00:16:04By the end of the weekend, they had secured a deal to distribute clair-tone stereos in
00:16:09stores across the U.S.
00:16:28The sales took off from $23,000 a month to $67,000 a month to $300,000 a month.
00:16:42It was wild.
00:16:44Even my dad was amazed.
00:17:12Clare-tone wasn't just a stereo.
00:17:14It was a revolution in allure.
00:17:18It was Canada's most seductive export.
00:17:29The people of Canada are using their resources to build a growing economy.
00:17:37This is a nation of lumbering, of fishing, of mining, of farming, and the manufacture of
00:17:48agricultural machinery.
00:17:50Today, Canadians are looking to a bright future as they find new ways to bring forth the riches
00:17:55they draw from this great land.
00:18:21The most fashionable luxury brands from around the world were always displayed in the big
00:18:27department stores of Manhattan.
00:18:30For a Canadian stereo to be featured in the windows of Bloomingdale's was unimaginable.
00:18:37And yet, there it was.
00:18:43My dad was seen as a trailblazer and soon began getting invitations to speak to Canadian
00:18:49business leaders about Clare-tone's rapid success.
00:18:56Canada's success depends on adopting a bold new attitude.
00:19:01Free of inferiority, proud of the Made in Canada label, and committed to innovation and international
00:19:09trade.
00:19:10And yet, by embracing this new attitude, we can thrive as a confident, competitive nation.
00:19:35Orders flooded it.
00:19:39But the bigger Claire-tone became, the more money it needed.
00:19:43Between the expanding payroll, expensive components, rent, and having to extend credit to retailers
00:19:51who never paid on time, they were always short of cash.
00:19:55To keep them going, David took out a $20,000 mortgage on the house he'd inherited from his parents.
00:20:03But that was just a short-term fix.
00:20:14One day, the tax department demanded immediate payment of $27,000 in overdue sales tax.
00:20:21Or, they'd forced the company into bankruptcy.
00:20:26My dad and David were already overdrawn at the bank.
00:20:31They had borrowed against every asset they had.
00:20:34Their banker refused to advance them another penny.
00:20:40They had five hours to come up with $27,000.
00:20:53Somehow, though, my dad was able to convince a few of his biggest retailers to make immediate
00:21:00advance payments on future deliveries.
00:21:03The buyer at Simpsons, for example, who had been the first to show confidence in them, agreed
00:21:09to help, but only if my dad could deliver 14 stereos by 3 p.m. that day.
00:21:17He pulled it off.
00:21:25Still, it was one financial crisis after another.
00:21:30They were growing faster than ever, but barely staying afloat.
00:21:36They needed to find a long-term solution.
00:21:44At a party, their accountant was introduced to Irving Gould, a financier who assured them
00:21:51he could raise a quarter of a million dollars by selling a tiny part of Clair Tone on the
00:21:57so-called unlisted market.
00:22:01Within a year, the shares had quadrupled in value.
00:22:11At that moment, my dad and David were millionaires, at least on paper.
00:22:24The first thing my dad did was pay back the $3,000 he'd borrowed from his father-in-law.
00:22:56Coming off a record-breaking year and excited about their new product line, they were
00:23:03making Clair Tone a household name.
00:23:12Ever wonder why advertising is the key to business success?
00:23:17Let's take a look.
00:23:20Imagine you have a great product, but no one knows about it.
00:23:25How can you make it visible?
00:23:28The answer is advertising.
00:23:33When your product is visible, John and Jane Consumer can see it.
00:23:38And that means more sales for you.
00:23:43But how did John and Jane know that Acme was the best widget to buy?
00:23:48Well, there's newspaper advertising.
00:23:52It's aimed at everyone.
00:23:54But there's also magazine advertising.
00:23:57It's aimed at people with special interests.
00:24:01And on top of that, there's radio advertising.
00:24:05Acme widgets are darn good.
00:24:07It reaches John as he's driving to work, and Jane as she cooks dinner or cleans the house.
00:24:13Which one should we buy, John?
00:24:15Well, I've heard that Acme widgets are darn good.
00:24:18Where did you hear that?
00:24:20Hmm, I'm not sure.
00:24:22Yes, John isn't even sure where he heard it.
00:24:26All he knows is that Acme widgets are, well, darn good.
00:24:31So why wait?
00:24:33Invest in advertising today, and watch your business grow.
00:24:43Dalton Camp, the ad man and political strategist, was hired to come up with a brand new advertising campaign for
00:24:51Claire Tone.
00:25:01Instead of focusing on technical specs and sound quality, Dalton Camp's ads focused on David and my dad.
00:25:17Understatement's always been a virtue in Canada.
00:25:20But the Claire Tone boys, as they were known, were anything but understated.
00:25:26They were unapologetic showmen.
00:25:32Dalton Camp also made the most of negative or white space.
00:25:37He used minimal text and minimal color to really emphasize the beauty and modernity of a Claire Tone.
00:25:44To position it as a status symbol.
00:25:58When my dad asked why they were paying for all that white space, Camp told him,
00:26:03it represents the missing note that can only be heard on a Claire Tone because the sound's so great.
00:26:25My dad loved that line.
00:26:28My dad loved that line.
00:26:38Another thing they did is hire Hugh Spencer, a genius designer from England.
00:26:58Another thing they did is hire Hugh Spencer, a genius designer from England.
00:27:06Does anybody have some answers to their students in Australia and their professionals?
00:27:09Put in relation to their children and their few of cures.
00:27:32Dr. Claire Tone's advertising campaign was supposed to be oil spillful.
00:27:34and image building strategy translated into so much new business that they moved into a brand new
00:27:41factory my dad said he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't just dreaming
00:27:56today claire tone sound corporation moved out of the unlisted market and was officially listed on
00:28:01the toronto stock exchange in other news the toronto maple leaves have clinched the stanley cup for the
00:28:06second year in a row will this dynasty ever end
00:28:17from the very beginning claretone fused modern design with the latest technology
00:28:24and in 1963 they introduced the world's first transistor powered stereo
00:28:38the transition from hot and bulky vacuum tubes to solid state transistor components
00:28:46which were far more efficient and didn't need ventilation opened up a whole new world design
00:29:04possibilities
00:29:06claretone sound corporation limited brings you the world's first tubeless stereo console
00:29:12the claretone model t355 features the xp5 solid state transistor receiver all enclosed in a beautiful walnut
00:29:20cabinet this revolutionary advancement in sound technology is only available at select retailers of premium stereo equipment
00:29:34claretone became known as one of the most forward-thinking electronics companies in north america
00:30:10in the 1960s the design of things was changing music clothing everything
00:30:21the
00:30:21c-h-u-m-10-50 toronto
00:30:25the station that keeps you in the door
00:30:29tonight's topic the new city hall seymour north york go ahead speak your mind it's a disgrace looks
00:30:34like some kind of spaceship and with all the hot air coming from the politicians
00:30:38we'll probably lift off interesting dave in yorkville speak your mind groovy man what's inside like a club
00:30:44it's city hall idiot patrick in cork town mo speak your mind uh i just wish they hadn't torn down
00:30:51jimmy's
00:30:52diner best corned beef and cabbage in town patrick it's the 60s something had to go
00:30:57it's the 60s something had to go to the 60s something had to go to the 60s something had to
00:31:08go to the 60s
00:31:08recognizing that the times were changing my dad turned to hugh spencer to design something far out
00:31:16so
00:31:24so
00:31:48Hugh's design had a low-slung rosewood cabinet that floated on a metal base.
00:31:53And cantilevered at either end two rotating black aluminum sound globes that projected
00:32:05340 degrees of sound.
00:32:27It didn't look like any other stereo.
00:32:31It looked like it came from outer space.
00:32:53My dad and David launched the G at the National Furniture Show in Chicago.
00:32:59And then they personally introduced it to every major retail executive in North America.
00:33:09No one had seen anything remotely like it before.
00:33:21On a wonderful day like today, I defy any cloud to appear in the sky.
00:33:30They hired a product placement agency in Hollywood.
00:33:35Their first coup was getting a Project G into a major movie.
00:33:41Marriage on the Rocks, starring Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
00:33:46Open fireplace with a real fire.
00:33:57Just the right kind of music.
00:34:03Far, not too far from the action.
00:34:09Other films quickly followed.
00:34:25And then Claire Tone sought and got endorsements from some very enthusiastic celebrities.
00:34:39Oscar Peterson said his music sounded as good on a Project G as it did live.
00:34:51Sinatra liked the Project G so much, he ordered a half dozen for his Rat Pack friends.
00:34:56Two in love can make it take my heart and please don't break it.
00:35:05Hugh Hefner bought one for the Playboy Mansion to play at all his parties.
00:35:31Congratulations on the purchase of your new Claire Tone console stereo system.
00:35:36We thought you might like to hold a party for your new Claire Tone.
00:35:39So we've enclosed everything you need to get started.
00:35:42Cue the music, dim the lights, and let the good times spin.
00:35:46He don't act like he don't.
00:35:49Oh no.
00:35:49She belongs to me.
00:35:52Yeah.
00:35:53Now look at Bobby Wawa.
00:35:56Uh huh.
00:35:57He's the best man in town.
00:36:00Oh yeah.
00:36:01I think I'm in trouble.
00:36:04Oh no.
00:36:04I forget that I'm around.
00:36:07Yeah.
00:36:08Yeah.
00:36:09Yeah.
00:36:09Yeah.
00:36:10Yeah.
00:36:21We here at Claire Tone want to congratulate you, our dealers across North America, for your record-breaking sales of
00:36:28Claire Tone's award-winning Project G stereos.
00:36:33Now, for 1966's modern consumer, we present the lower, sleeker G2 series, with removable speaker globes that can be positioned
00:36:44anywhere.
00:36:50And for the space-conscious consumer, there's the G3, our smallest console yet, perfect for the go-go generation as
00:36:58they prepare for their Saturday night dance parties.
00:37:20The more I see you, the more I want you.
00:37:32It's simple drop out in 10, the more I get you.
00:37:43It's matured in 10 to 12 months.
00:37:44The more I decide.
00:37:45What'sWithout with your equivalent of, aggiorn me in 17.
00:37:47And I think we could change.
00:37:51By other covered glass and 시간이 times, you村 Ramoso for chicken.
00:37:55I feel listened to our formal American women
00:37:56because we're all today.
00:37:56People want to see you in their right sudd infections.
00:38:06But the bigger Claire Tone became, the more money it needed.
00:38:12Most of the cash flow was going to pay outside suppliers who had to be paid in advance.
00:38:18But the income from sales didn't arrive until months later.
00:38:23It was an impossible situation.
00:38:30Determined as always, David and my dad decided the solution was to become even bigger, to
00:38:38become an industrial giant like a Zenith or an RCA Victor.
00:38:43To do that, they needed an enormous factory, big enough to bring every part of the manufacturing
00:38:50process under one roof, the cabinets, the electronics, everything.
00:38:56There was only one problem.
00:38:59If Claire Tone could barely fund its day-to-day operations, what were the chances of financing
00:39:06a multi-million dollar factory?
00:39:38Closed Captioning by the video
00:39:38the tree of life i just picked me a plum at a crossroads david and my dad were determined to
00:39:48find money to build a new factory then out of nowhere an opportunity came their way the best
00:39:58is yet to come not too long ago nova scotia looked to its primary industries fishing forestry farming
00:40:18and mining as the most important factors in its economy
00:40:24but something new has been happening in this province by the sea manufacturing has become
00:40:31the largest single industry money is being placed in new projects by the province through industrial
00:40:38estates limited industrial estates limited operates like a private industrial development company
00:40:47if a company wishes to build a new manufacturing plant in nova scotia
00:40:52iel will finance the construction of the building attracting the industries of tomorrow
00:40:57and ensuring economic progress for the working men and women of nova scotia
00:41:11to attract new industries and jobs to the province robert stanfield the premier of nova scotia
00:41:18set up an ambitious development agency they called iel
00:41:25to run it he hired frank sobe a respected business leader who shared stanfield's vision for nova scotia's
00:41:42and sobe knew that landing an innovative company like clartone would be a shot in the arm for the entire
00:41:48province
00:41:49so they offered my dad a sweetheart deal nova scotia would build clartone a new factory if they'd move their
00:41:57entire
00:41:58operation from toronto to the depressed backwater of pick two county it was too good an offer to turn down
00:42:09mr munt why did your company select nova scotia because we felt that the industrial and economic
00:42:14climate was just right for a growing company in our industry because we felt that the people of nova scotia
00:42:22seem to have a steeped in tradition of integrity craftsmanship the people are artisans who appreciate
00:42:32the quality which are inherent in our products and because of the geographical location which is so
00:42:39favorable in our case because most of our output is being shipped to the eastern seaboard of the united states
00:42:56there's a place i'll always cherish near the blue atlantic skies where the shores down in cape brenton
00:43:04bids the golden sun to rise and the fragrance of the apple blossom sprays the dewkiss law back in
00:43:11near old nova scotia a place where i was born
00:43:24premier stanfield mr sobe let me offer a pledge we shall not let you down we shall be in the
00:43:33forefront
00:43:34of your industrial revolution we shall be in the vanguard of the change a change which will put this
00:43:40region into the economic mainstream of canada's total economic and industrial revolution
00:44:02the stellerton factory stretched out over seven acres
00:44:07it was so big you couldn't see from one end to the other
00:44:15the equipment was state of the art with the latest technology imported from germany
00:44:24it employed 1200 workers 60 of them were women who'd been specially trained
00:44:38in a town that had once been dependent on the coal industry
00:44:43the clartone factory brought stellerton back to life
00:44:54oh something else my dad persuaded stanfield to let him use a million dollars of the government's money to
00:45:02bring japanese car manufacturing to nova scotia what do cars have to do with stereo manufacturing
00:45:11not a whole lot but because my dad's eyes were always on the future he got involved with a group
00:45:17that managed to secure an exclusive license to assemble and sell toyota cars in canada
00:45:24and he wrapped it all into the clartone deal
00:45:31i'm proud to announce the formation of canadian motor industries limited
00:45:36and we want to thank the government of nova scotia and the clartone company for their investment
00:45:42like clartone we are determined to be a key factor in nova scotia's industrial resurgence
00:45:50when premier stanfield approached me with the idea of expanding the automotive
00:45:54with their control of cmi clartone was about to become an industrial giant
00:46:19the following is a color presentation
00:46:24by the mid 60s color television was being introduced
00:46:28and everyone was convinced it was going to be the next big thing
00:46:37imagine a world where every moment burst to life in brilliant vivid color
00:46:45your favorite programs are now more lifelike than ever before
00:46:48the ordinary becomes extraordinary in living color
00:47:14so
00:47:15knowing it would create even more jobs stanfield and sobe offered clartone an additional three million
00:47:20dollars if it committed to manufacturing color televisions
00:47:25so with the enthusiastic backing of the government clartone jumped headlong into the color tv business
00:47:41my dad hired designer tony mann to come up with a television that matched clartone's aesthetic
00:47:51tony's design featured a premium 25-inch picture tube set in a modular chassis
00:47:58all encased in beautiful brazilian rosewood and luxurious black leather
00:48:06it sat on a unique aluminum swivel base
00:48:09it sat on a unique aluminum swivel base
00:48:10and came with a snappy remote control
00:48:24good morning
00:48:24the sun is shining the birds are singing and it's shaping up to be another gorgeous day in our own
00:48:28little slice of paradise
00:48:30here's the maritime zone katie mckinnon to tell us what kind of morning she's having
00:48:35it's a beautiful morning
00:48:41i think i'll go outside for a while
00:48:45and just smile
00:48:48taking some clean fresh air for
00:48:52no money staying inside
00:48:54if the weather's fine
00:48:56and you've got the time
00:48:59it's your chance to wake up and plan another brand new day
00:49:05it's a beautiful morning
00:49:11each bird keeps singing his own song
00:49:24the finest color tv you can buy is a clartone
00:49:29these two men insist on factory testing every clartone for one week so they can guarantee the
00:49:35performance peter monk president and director of engineering david gilmore executive vice president
00:49:41director of styling and merchandising look into clartone color soon smart people won't settle for anything less
00:49:51would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon would you like to glide in my beautiful balloon
00:50:03we could float among the stars together you and i
00:50:09we could float in my beautiful
00:50:11we could fly
00:50:13expo 67 showcased the boldest designs from every country in the world
00:50:19and clartone's g-series was selected as the official television
00:50:37with the gtv's high profile promotional campaign my dad was certain that sales would take off
00:50:43and soar
00:51:07but by the fall of 1967
00:51:10it was evident that something was amiss in the marketplace
00:51:14the booming sales of color tvs that the industry had geared up for just wasn't happening
00:51:30on top of that japanese companies started flooding the market with low-cost stereo components
00:51:36it's psycho mike's sickest stereo sale ever we've got sony sensui hitachi hibachi yamaha
00:51:42omaha kenwood flywood and pioneer pioneer pioneer every speaker every app every preamp receiver tape deck
00:51:48on sale at 10 20 30 off i can't believe i'm doing this i must be psycho i am psycho
00:51:54i'm psycho mike
00:52:01to make matters even worse it turns out clartone had built that big modern factory
00:52:07in a place totally unsuited for manufacturing
00:52:14the inexperienced workforce had a hard time transitioning to the demands of a modern assembly
00:52:19plant
00:52:36and there were other problems
00:52:39the road to stellerton was so bad that clartone stereos and tvs got damaged on the way to halifax
00:52:49and because the factory was so remote it took forever to get parts which caused endless production delays
00:52:57inventory went missing union issues threatened to shut down the plant
00:53:03cost control was impossible
00:53:07cost control was impossible
00:53:23as the problems compounded
00:53:30and they tried to raise money through a merger with the singer sewing machine company
00:53:42but that deal fell through
00:53:48and their plans to build japanese cars
00:53:53that was years away from generating any income
00:54:01robert stanfield
00:54:02robert stanfield their biggest supporter was no help
00:54:06he'd left nova scotia to run for leadership of the federal conservative party
00:54:10the result of the fifth and final ballot
00:54:16and the new leader of the progressive conservative party
00:54:21bob stanford
00:54:36clartone was definitely the last thing on bob stanfield's mind
00:54:44mr
00:54:45to save the company from going under
00:54:48frank sobe offered my dad a deal
00:54:52nova scotia's development agency would advance another two million dollars
00:54:57but only on the condition that my father and david surrender control of the company
00:55:28My dad and David were forced to step down.
00:55:32The Nova Scotia government took over.
00:55:36It was devastating.
00:56:30The Nova Scotia government took over.
00:56:49The Nova Scotia government hired a new CEO for Claire Tone.
00:56:54Mangles was his name.
00:56:56He came from Olin Corporation, a big American chemical company.
00:57:04Mangles believed the way to turn things around was to go high volume and low cost.
00:57:12Claire Tone started pumping out mass market stereos and cheap little radios.
00:57:20It was a complete 180 from sophisticated technology and elegant design to disposable junk.
00:57:45Customers who loved Claire Tone for its high quality and sophisticated style were not only confused,
00:57:52they were aghast.
00:57:58Mangles only lasted a year, but in that time, he destroyed everything that David and my father had created.
00:58:18My dad retreated to a small cottage in Georgian Bay
00:58:21to reflect and try to understand what went wrong.
00:58:47My parents were forced to sell their house and move into a rental apartment.
00:58:51When my father's friends disappeared, the speaking engagement stopped.
00:58:57And he began to wonder if it had all just been a fluke.
00:59:07That's when I was born.
00:59:16This new Claire Tone plant opened at Stellerton in 1966.
00:59:22It was a showpiece of its time.
00:59:24But even as the plant opened, Claire Tone was in trouble.
00:59:28Barely a year later, IEL took it over for the province.
00:59:32And by 1970, it was closed.
00:59:35A thousand jobs gone.
00:59:37A dream ended.
00:59:39What went wrong?
00:59:42What went wrong?
00:59:43What went wrong was that I forgot my script.
01:00:00In an effort to cut their losses, Claire Tone will have to sell off approximately 5,000 unsold color televisions
01:00:06currently sitting in their warehouse.
01:00:07This may prove difficult, especially since Simpsons and Eaton's department stores announced today
01:00:11that they would no longer carry the Claire Tone product line.
01:00:24It wasn't very long after you took charge that things began to go sour.
01:00:30I don't like the way you put that.
01:00:32You sound as though you were suggesting that I was to blame for it going sour.
01:00:37I think it is true, however, that in 67, the good picture that had been projected began to look not
01:00:49so good.
01:00:51Claire Tone's annual report issued today indicated that losses from all manufactured products were much greater than anticipated.
01:01:01Claire Tone has had much worse troubles and much greater losses after the government took over control rather than before.
01:01:12Following the suspension of Claire Tone's lines of credit, new Claire Tone boss G.A. McDonald announced today
01:01:18that all unsold inventory would be liquidated immediately.
01:01:22Trading in Claire Tone shares was suspended today as the company was delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange.
01:01:27From a peak of over $15, the value of a share had fallen to less than 30 cents.
01:01:34It was a dark day at the Claire Tone factory as employees left after punching out for the final time.
01:01:41Some spoke of looking for work in Ontario, but many will wake up tomorrow with no jobs and no prospect
01:01:48of future employment.
01:02:10After selling off Claire Tone's assets and the Stellerton factory,
01:02:14the government of Nova Scotia had lost over $23 million.
01:02:40Looking back, what would you say was so special about Claire Tone?
01:02:44It was the best product at that time, and it was a great amount of satisfaction and thrill
01:02:49to see a product portly designed and made in Canada in a country that suffered traditionally
01:02:54from an inferiority complex vis-a-vis their American and European counterparts.
01:02:58To be able to design something, conceive it, design it, both from an exterior point of view
01:03:03as well as from an engineering point of view, which, against any prize competition,
01:03:07stood up internationally as the best product.
01:03:09And people, when people like Frank Sinatra or Hugh Hefner or the Beatles had bought a Claire Tone,
01:03:15it was not because they had Canadian nationalism, it was because somebody said, buy Canadian.
01:03:19It was bought because it was the best product available at any price.
01:03:57But my dad's story didn't end with Claire Tone.
01:04:07I've got an island in the Pacific
01:04:10And everything about it is terrific
01:04:14I've got the sun to tan me, palms to fan me, and
01:04:20an occasional man
01:04:24I've got an island, it's very lazy
01:04:28If I should ever leave it, I'd be crazy
01:04:31Back in 1962, when they'd had some money,
01:04:35David and my dad bought two parcels of beachfront land in Fiji
01:04:39on a whim, sight unseen.
01:04:44Turning their attention to this last thing they owned together,
01:04:48they got financing to build a luxury resort.
01:04:53And within a few years, they'd expanded it into a chain of hotels and resorts across the South Pacific,
01:05:03which they sold in 1980.
01:05:20With their profits, David and my dad then started a commercial real estate company.
01:05:32Which they sold in 2006.
01:05:54And they also founded one of the biggest gold mining companies in the world, Barrick Gold.
01:06:29My dad never forgot that Canada took him in when he had nothing.
01:06:33My dad never forgot that Canada took him in when he had nothing.
01:06:37My dad never forgot that Canada took him in when he was a man.
01:06:38As soon as he could, he began to donate hundreds of millions of dollars to support healthcare, education, and public
01:06:46policy.
01:06:58my dad died in march of 2018 at the age of 90. david gilmore died five years later at 91.
01:07:09from the day they met until the day my dad died he and david remained the closest of friends
01:07:23so
01:07:31so
01:07:48That's life
01:07:51That's what all the people say
01:07:55You're riding high in April
01:07:58Shot down in May
01:08:00But I know I'm gonna change that tune
01:08:07When I'm back on top
01:08:09Back on top in June
01:08:11I said that's life
01:08:17And as funny as it may seem
01:08:21Some people get their kicks
01:08:25Stomping on a dream
01:08:28But I don't let it
01:08:29Let it get me down
01:08:33Cause this fine old world
01:08:36It keeps spinning around
01:08:39I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet
01:08:43A pawn and a king
01:08:46I've been up and down and over and out
01:08:50And I know one thing
01:08:52Each time I find myself
01:08:56Flat on my face
01:08:59I pick myself up and get back in the race
01:09:05That's life
01:09:07That's life
01:09:08I tell you
01:09:09I can't deny it
01:09:13I thought of quitting, baby
01:09:16But my heart just ain't gonna buy it
01:09:19And if I didn't think it was worth one single try
01:09:25I'd jump right on a big bird
01:09:27And then I'd fly
01:09:31I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet
01:09:35A pawn and a king
01:09:38I've been up and down and over and out
01:09:42And I know one thing
01:09:44Each time I find myself
01:09:47Laying flat on my face
01:09:50I just pick myself up and get back in the race
01:09:57That's life
01:09:58That's life
01:10:00That's life
01:10:01And I can't deny it
01:10:04Many times
01:10:06I thought of cutting out but my heart won't buy it
01:10:10But if there's nothing shaking come this here July
01:10:17I'm gonna roll myself up in a big ball
01:10:24And I
01:10:33My, my
01:10:48The sun was setting in the west
01:10:53The birds were singing on every tree
01:10:57All nature seemed inclined for a rest
01:11:03But still there was no rest for me
01:11:11Farewell to Nova Scotia, the sea-bound coast
01:11:15Let your mountains dark and dreary be
01:11:20For when I'm far away on the briny ocean toss
01:11:26Will you ever heave a sigh and a wish for me
01:11:33I grieve to leave my native land
01:11:38I grieve to leave my comrades all
01:11:43And my parents who I held so dear
01:11:48And the bonny, bonny lad that I do adore
01:11:56Farewell to Nova Scotia, the sea-bound coast
01:12:00Let your mountains dark and dreary be
01:12:05For when I'm far away on the briny ocean toss
01:12:11Will you ever heave a sigh and a wish for me
01:12:15Will you ever heave a sigh and a wish for me
01:12:21Will you ever heave a sigh and a wish for me
01:12:21Will you ever heave a sigh and a wish for me
01:12:24Alright
01:12:39Buy my
01:12:41Will you ever heave a sigh and a wish for me
Comments