I have been asked by Paul Whitney to run the following story and as we have a number of Canadians and Big Band enthusiasts I thought it would be of interest. Do not email me but use the website address, please.
Today if Canadians want to dance, they watch someone else do it on television. But in the 40s, 50s and 60s, when Canadians wanted to dance they looked for an orchestra… and there was one orchestra that everyone wanted to dance to… Moxie Whitney.
“He was a music icon in his day,” says actor and filmmaker Paul Whitney, also one of Moxie’s sons. “He played the biggest showrooms, in glamorous locations. Banff Springs, Royal York, the Royal Hawaiian to name a few. He played for and with the most incredible stars. Bing Crosby, Jack Benny, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Anne Murray… there were so many stars… and so
many stories!”
“He’s 18, backstage at the CNE Big Band Tent listening to a very young Frank Sinatra and he predicts, ‘That kid Frank… he’ll never make it in show business!’ He’d laugh like crazy remembering that. The amazing part is that fifty years later, in Ottawa, Moxie and his orchestra share the stage with longtime friend Rich Little and… you guessed it, Frank Sinatra.”
Paul is making a film called MOXIE! about his father’s incredible career and that amazing, colourful period of Canadian entertainment history. Two years ago the family donated Moxie’s huge collection of memorabilia to Library and Archives Canada; thousands of photos, films, tapes, records and clippings. Paul adds, “It’s more than a collection, it’s a great story!”
“As a kid, I knew that Moxie Whitney was well known by lots of people, even famous, but to me he was just a great dad who worked nights. What I really didn’t understand was that he overcame many hardships and a permanent disability. Dad’s story is a real life example of what it takes to keep following your dreams when the cards are stacked against you – something called Moxie!”
They are looking for anyone who remembers Moxie Whitney & his Orchestra. Almost anyone over 50 will remember him… likely danced to his music… or has a Big Band reminiscence. If you have something to add to the MOXIE! story, the producers want to hear from you! Their website is www.moxiewhitney.com. Go to the Memories page and add your story to the website. If they really like it… who knows you might be in the movie!
The process of making this film is expensive, especially if you want to do it well. Paul and his team have spent the past 2 years in collecting and digitising the material. Along with writer/producer Fred Yackman they’ve written a great script. Now it’s time to put it all together. They’re appealing to all Big Band fans to pitch in and pledge a donation through a new but popular idea called ‘crowd sourcing’. You donate some money to make the film and they give you a ‘Perk’ as a thank you. MOXIE! has terrific Big Band memorabilia like original cards, posters, broadcasts, even vintage record albums. Truly unique www.indiegogo.com/moxie-1
One thing’s for certain, this is a passionate project about a highly entertaining and glamorous period of Canadian history. Who wouldn’t want to be a part
of that?

For more information contact:
Paul Whitney
MoxiEntertainment Inc
Unit 77 – 860 Cahill Drive West
Ottawa, Ontario
K1V 9A3
Office: 613-526-0928
Cell: 613-866-0445
[email protected]