Paperback Hero was filmed in 1973. It was directed by Peter Pearson, and starred Keir Dullea and Elizabeth Ashley. It is set in Saskatchewan and portrays the life of a big-fish minor-league hockey player in a little-pond town. It was originally titled Last of the Big Guns, but was renamed to reflect the lyrics of Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind", which was featured on the soundtrack. It won the Canadian Film Awards in 1973 for Film Editing, Overall Sound, and Cinematography. It was selected in 2006 for the Toronto International Film Festival's Canadian Open Vault program, which preserves examples of notable Canadian cinema. The movie is still available on line and at the Saskatoon Public Library local history section.
South of the spot where you are standing was used for the rink location shoot. The outside of the Laura rink which stood where the bluff of trees is on this now empty lot was labelled Delisle Centennial Arena in the movie. The inside action at the rink was filmed in the Rutherford Rink at the U of S in Saskatoon. The general store bus stop scene was filmed at Hahn's store in nearby Donavon and Main Street in the movie was 1st Street in Delisle. Locals were used as extras in the movie in the bar scene and street scenes. This was an exciting event in this area. Camera crews, trailers, actors, and casting calls created a flurry of ACTION and everyone enjoyed Delisle and district's 15 minutes of fame.
