By Bradley Nichols. Feature Image: Ivan Ackery (R) and Alex Philip drinking beer. The reverse is annotated “The two bad boys ?”. [1950s]
Some of the earliest photographs donated to the Museum’s archival collection capture the heyday of Rainbow Lodge, Whistler’s first tourist destination, during the 1920s and 1930s. These images have become invaluable tools for understanding both the atmosphere of the resort and the people who helped shape its story. Fortunately, Alex and Myrtle Philip took care to identify many of the individuals who appeared in their photographs.
One name appears time and again: Ivan Ackery.
Today, Ackery is remembered as one of the most influential figures in British Columbia’s entertainment industry. For more than fifty years, he worked in theatres and film promotion, witnessing the transition from vaudeville to silent films and eventually to talking pictures. Yet long before he became known as “Mr. Showbiz”, a nickname referenced in his 1980 autobiography Fifty Years on Theatre Row, Ackery was a regular visitor to Alta Lake and a close friend of Rainbow Lodge owners Alex and Myrtle Philip.
Born in Bristol, England, Ackery immigrated to Canada in 1914. After serving in the First World War, he entered the theatre business, working his way up from usher to theatre manager. By the late 1920s, when he was spending time at Rainbow Lodge, Ackery had established himself as one of western Canada’s leading theatre promoters, known for his creativity and flair for publicity.
Photographs in the museum’s collection show Ackery participating in lodge life and outdoor activities. Like many visitors, he was drawn by the Philips’ hospitality and the area’s natural beauty. Unlike most guests, however, his friendship with Alex Philip would eventually connect him to a small but significant chapter in Canadian film history.
In 1933, filmmaker Kenneth Bishop arrived in Victoria with plans to produce motion pictures in British Columbia. Taking advantage of British Empire film quotas that required a portion of films shown in U.K. theatres to be produced within the Empire, Bishop established Commonwealth Productions. One of its first projects was Crimson Paradise, an adaptation of a novel by Alex Philip that became Canada’s first talking-picture feature film.
The production was ambitious for its time. Financial support came from Kathleen Dunsmuir, daughter of former British Columbia Premier James Dunsmuir, who also appeared in the film. scenes were filmed at the Dunsmuir family residence in Victoria, while a studio was established at the old Willows Exhibition Grounds in Oak Bay. Additional filming took place at Beacon Hill Park and Cowichan Lake.
When the film was completed, Ackery found himself at the center of its historic premiere.
As manager of Victoria’s Capitol Theatre, he was entrusted with presenting the world premiere of Crimson Paradise on December 14, 1933. Looking back decades later, Ackery recalled the event as one of the proudest moments of his career. Floodlights illuminated the theatre, bands played outside, and distinguished guests arrived for the gala screening. Hollywood actors Nick Stuart and Lucille Browne travelled north to attend, bringing a touch of glamour to Depression-era Victoria.
Ackery personally introduced the cast, producers, and special guests from the stage before the film began. The audience included politicians, military officers, business leaders, and prominent members of Victoria society. The premiere generated tremendous local interest, and Ackery later noted that Crimson Paradise earned more money at the Victoria box office that week than any other theatre attraction in Canada.
Although the film was not a lasting commercial success, it demonstrated that motion pictures could be produced in British Columbia and helped pave the way for additional productions in Victoria during the 1930s.
Ackery’s own career continued to flourish. In 1935, he became manager of Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre, a position he held for more than three decades. Following his retirement, he played a leading role in the campaign to save the Orpheum from demolition in 1973, helping preserve one of Vancouver’s most important historic landmarks.
Today, Ackery’s name survives in Vancouver’s Ackery’s Alley. The photographs preserved in the Whistler Museum’s collection reveal a lesser-known side of his life: summers spent at Rainbow Lodge, friendships formed around Alta Lake, and a connection to Alex Philip that linked a small fishing lodge to one of the earliest milestones in Canadian cinema.
Sometimes the names written on the backs of old photographs lead to remarkable stories. Ivan Ackery is one of them.