Sisters: A Remembrance of Patricia Nolan-Hall

For THE CAFTAN WOMAN BLOGATHON, I wanted to honor Patricia “Paddy” Nolan-Hall in a special way. I spoke with her sister Maureen Nolan, well-known to the online silent film community as a fan and promoter of Buster Keaton. Here’s a dual portrait of two loving sisters, who shared a family passion for the movies.

It was always a pleasure to see a photo of the Nolan Girls together with their big and beautiful smiles at a screening or film festival. Were you always a movie-going family from the time you were little? Was this a passion your mother and/or father passed on?

I’m pretty sure the Nolans saw every film that made its way to the small town of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. We definitely got the movie gene from our Dad’s side of the family. His dad’s favourite was Fredric March; our Dad was a big fan of Spencer Tracy. If mom saw something once, she never needed to see it again. If Dad lived longer (He passed in 1986), I’m sure he would have had a great DVD collection. I think Paddy and I made up for that with our more than ample physical media.

Do you know what was the first film Paddy saw in a theatre, and do you remember the first film you saw?

Paula (Sister #2, two years younger than Paddy) remembers it being PAPA’S DELICATE CONDITION (1963) or LADY AND THE TRAMP (1955, a rerelease). My first big screen experience was so memorable I even know where we sat! I was four and a bit. Mom told Dad to take the girls out for the day. He drove to near by Stellarton for a rerelease of, get ready–GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)! Eleven-year-old Paddy, nine-year-old Paula, and four-year-old me! I may not have understood much, but it’s still one of my favourites. By the way, Dad didn’t join us, he went to the pub.

Did the two of you ever play hooky from school to watch a movie together?

We never played hooky to go to the movies. I did once to go to a Blue Jays season opener. Mom and Dad said it was okay, but I still got a detention.

Who were your and Paddy’s first cinematic crushes?

Crushes? Definitely Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott. My first was Little Joe Cartwright.

You mentioned previously that Paddy introduced you to Buster Keaton. What film of his did you first share together, and was this at home or in a movie theatre?

I think Buster was an off shoot of HOORAY FOR HAROLD LLOYD (on PBS Buffalo, I think). I honestly don’t recall the first Buster movie, he was always around.

Paddy loved genre movies, particularly westerns. How did she get into westerns so much that she wrote “John Ford is my religion”?

TV westerns were quite the thing when Paddy was growing up. BONANZA, THE BIG VALLEY, WAGON TRAIN, and her absolute favourite GUNSMOKE. We moved to Ontario in 1971, and between TVO (TV Ontario) and CBC our classic movie education flourished. Pappy Ford was a favourite of Dad’s and became a favourite of all his daughters.

Did Paddy have a favorite cinema, and do you have a funny or unusual story from your years of moviegoing together?

I think Paddy enjoyed small, independent theatres best. There are many in Toronto that are around one-hundred-years-old. We attended a monthly silent (with live accompaniment) for many years together. I treasure those memories, can’t image going without her. Also the yearly Toronto Silent Film Festival. For many years I’d attend TIFF, and Paddy usually came to one or two pictures with me. There is local Cineplex where two of my favourite experiences with Paddy took place. A preview of Spielberg’s LINCOLN (2012), we loved it so much we let a bus go by so we could walk and talk about it. The other was the STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE doc WHAT WE LEFT BEHIND (2018). Paddy’s daughter Janet and I are Trekkies because of her, and it was a wonderful screening.

Was Paddy a writer before she started blogging, and how did she get started blogging?

Paddy always wrote. She started blogging to share her love of classic movies and classic TV. It was awesome to find a whole community online with similar tastes.

Your skills complemented each other’s. Paddy documented movies and moviegoing through words, and you capture moments and people from the screenings in photographs. How did you get started with photography, and when did you become a contributor to her blog with your images?

I was interested in photography from a young age, and because of Paddy’s generosity I had my first camera at age ten. With her first paycheck she bought me a Polaroid instant camera. Many photos of baby Tracey were taken! I never felt like a contributor to her blog; she was welcome to use any photos of mine she liked to.

Did Paddy have a piece on her blog that she was proudest of?

I don’t know if Paddy had a favourite blog, but she was always well chuffed (as we all were) when she received a CMBA (Classic Movie Blog Association) award.

What’s your favorite piece of hers?

I especially love LENNY’S LESSON PLAN (June 1, 2011), THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, and Lenny’s first big screen experience THE NAVIGATOR (June 9, 2014).

Many classic film bloggers will remember Paddy as a talented writer well-versed in film and generous with her time in reading other people’s blogs and leaving comments. That’s a wonderful legacy. Is there anything else you would like people to think of when they remember Paddy?

Just to remember her warmly. She was a talented writer, a loving sister, and wonderful mother. She mentioned in her last few weeks that “she hoped the online film community knew that they greatly improved her quality of life.”

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