Toronto-based Don Shebib, noted for directing the Bill Fruet-scripted, 1970 feature "Goin' Down The Road", has received Telefilm funding for a new screenplay, titled "Goin' Down The Road Again".
"Goin' Down the Road", showcasing downtown Toronto, circa 1969, chronicled the lives of two men from the Maritimes who move to Toronto to find 'a better life'.The film's ensemble cast included actors Doug McGrath, the late Paul Bradley, Jayne Eastwood and Cayle Chernin.
Despite its low budget, the film is generally regarded as the most influential Canadian film of all time, receiving critical acclaim for its real-life performances.
"...'Pete' and 'Joey' drive their 1960 Chevrolet Impala from their home in the Maritimes to Toronto with the hope of meeting up with their relatives in the city who can find them a job.However, their relatives hide from what they perceive to be their uncouth behaviour, and they are set adrift in the city.
The men find minimum wage jobs ($2 per hour for a 40 hour week) - which still pay much better than anything they could find back home.
They soon turn their good fortune into residency in a small apartment. Both men start romances, and Joey decides to get married when he gets his girlfriend (Eastwood) pregnant.
He pursues a lifestyle undreamt of at home with his new wife, but the larger apartment and payments on his new stereo and television start to strain his finances.
He becomes desperate as his child's birth approaches and the expenses start to mount.
Disaster strikes when Peter and Joey get laid off at the end of the summer. Unable to find steady work and having bills to pay and a baby on the way, they come up with a harebrained scheme to rob groceries from a Loblaws supermarket, which inevitably results in disaster..."
