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The Fruit Machine

Some softened by age and sadness, others loud and angry, the voices of the survivors of Canada’s public service homosexual purge are now united, and determined. They are torqued by decades of silence, years of being ignored. They demand justice, and they want to be heard. Theirs is a story of betrayal that is both national and deeply personal. Men and women who dedicated their lives to public service, some signing oaths of allegiance and servitude; casualties of a political tapestry woven in the fibers of acute security measures that somehow became normalized.

Director

Sarah Fodey

Year

Genre

Box Office

N/A

Production

SandBay Entertainment

Awards

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast information not available.

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Explore 387 Clips

POLICE SCANNER CHATTER:
Yes, would you put me out
at 14910. - The Fruit Machine

POLICE SCANNER CHATTER: Yes, would you put me out at 14910.

- You couldn't be gay. - The Fruit Machine

- You couldn't be gay.

- They straight out
would call me - - The Fruit Machine

- They straight out would call me -

- Our field investigation - The Fruit Machine

- Our field investigation

- We were interrogated
like prisoners of war. - The Fruit Machine

- We were interrogated like prisoners of war.

You know, we were thrown
in the back of a car, - The Fruit Machine

You know, we were thrown in the back of a car,

- My war
was within the military, - The Fruit Machine

- My war was within the military,

- And I remember telling
them in one of the interviews, - The Fruit Machine

- And I remember telling them in one of the interviews,

- Prior to WWII,
there was no security screening - The Fruit Machine

- Prior to WWII, there was no security screening

- In your opinion sir
and in your experience, - The Fruit Machine

- In your opinion sir and in your experience,

- You know, on Sept 5th 1945 - The Fruit Machine

- You know, on Sept 5th 1945

And then we find out that
there's a communist spy ring - The Fruit Machine

And then we find out that there's a communist spy ring

And the authorities in the West
figured, ok the KGB is going - The Fruit Machine

And the authorities in the West figured, ok the KGB is going

- Like, someone, you know, is - The Fruit Machine

- Like, someone, you know, is

- It was the key focus,
not just a focus, - The Fruit Machine

- It was the key focus, not just a focus,

The Mounties were,
like, extremely right-wing, - The Fruit Machine

The Mounties were, like, extremely right-wing,

- Societies around
the world have discriminated - The Fruit Machine

- Societies around the world have discriminated

What happened after the second
world war was, you had - The Fruit Machine

What happened after the second world war was, you had

It was pernicious, it was
obnoxious, and in some ways, - The Fruit Machine

It was pernicious, it was obnoxious, and in some ways,

- So, I think you saw
in the late 1940s this kind of - The Fruit Machine

- So, I think you saw in the late 1940s this kind of

- Ralph showed him
some pornographic pictures. - The Fruit Machine

- Ralph showed him some pornographic pictures.

We're not trustworthy,
we're not reliable workers, - The Fruit Machine

We're not trustworthy, we're not reliable workers,

- And at that time, the RCMP - The Fruit Machine

- And at that time, the RCMP

I had a friend that worked for
the RCMP and told me that - The Fruit Machine

I had a friend that worked for the RCMP and told me that

- That's an indication
of what the RCMP also begins - The Fruit Machine

- That's an indication of what the RCMP also begins

They describe how
the previous gay informants - The Fruit Machine

They describe how the previous gay informants

Now, it's not entirely clear
to us whether they gave people - The Fruit Machine

Now, it's not entirely clear to us whether they gave pe...

Were there any public
servants there? Who were they?" - The Fruit Machine

Were there any public servants there? Who were they?"

- There was a - The Fruit Machine

This was - certainly
politicians were aware of it - The Fruit Machine

This was - certainly politicians were aware of it

I think they were told
"Oh this is top secret, - The Fruit Machine

I think they were told "Oh this is top secret,

- If you wore a pinky ring, - The Fruit Machine

- If you wore a pinky ring,

- If you go for a beer,
you sit on the left, - The Fruit Machine

- If you go for a beer, you sit on the left,

Like, the way you sit or the
way you hold your cigarette, - The Fruit Machine

Like, the way you sit or the way you hold your cigarette,

- My old sergeant,
she was told when she was - The Fruit Machine

- My old sergeant, she was told when she was

Apparently us lesbians
are very sporty, I don't know. - The Fruit Machine

Apparently us lesbians are very sporty, I don't know.

- And the other one was don't, - The Fruit Machine

- And the other one was don't,

Is when you carry a binder don't
hold it up over your breasts, - The Fruit Machine

Is when you carry a binder don't hold it up over your b...

[Laughter] - The Fruit Machine

These are practices that people
had to engage in, right, - The Fruit Machine

These are practices that people had to engage in, right,

- There was the official policy - The Fruit Machine

- There was the official policy

The de facto policy
was that if you were homosexual, - The Fruit Machine

The de facto policy was that if you were homosexual,

And the Mounties got
really carried away with this. - The Fruit Machine

And the Mounties got really carried away with this.

My family knew I was gay,
my boss knew I was gay, - The Fruit Machine

My family knew I was gay, my boss knew I was gay,

Did I fear the RCMP? Not unless
they pulled my nails off. - The Fruit Machine

Did I fear the RCMP? Not unless they pulled my nails off.

They were under
the impression that gay males - The Fruit Machine

They were under the impression that gay males

And I told the RCMP that
I wasn't going to give up names - The Fruit Machine

And I told the RCMP that I wasn't going to give up name...

- The RCMP would
walk into a workplace and say - The Fruit Machine

- The RCMP would walk into a workplace and say

And then firing you." - The Fruit Machine

And then firing you."

- So, I was at work one day
and I get a phone call - The Fruit Machine

- So, I was at work one day and I get a phone call

Two members of the RCMP
in full uniform were downstairs. - The Fruit Machine

Two members of the RCMP in full uniform were downstairs.

An appointment next week, - The Fruit Machine

An appointment next week,

And no, she couldn't because she
was never told what it's about, - The Fruit Machine

And no, she couldn't because she was never told what it...

I went to headquarters
that particular morning. - The Fruit Machine

I went to headquarters that particular morning.

- And they said
"You have many friends - The Fruit Machine

- And they said "You have many friends

I'm only a clerk." - The Fruit Machine

I'm only a clerk."

But it was just slightly big
enough to have a little table - The Fruit Machine

But it was just slightly big enough to have a little table

And... [Laughter] - The Fruit Machine

And... [Laughter]

- Then they said,
"We just want you to look at - The Fruit Machine

- Then they said, "We just want you to look at

The first book they turned, - The Fruit Machine

The first book they turned,

- And he began right off the bat - The Fruit Machine

- And he began right off the bat

It was
just a clear-cut statement: - The Fruit Machine

It was just a clear-cut statement:

But I was very surprised
at the level of detail - The Fruit Machine

But I was very surprised at the level of detail

He wanted to know
about my personal life, - The Fruit Machine

He wanted to know about my personal life,

- After I left there,
I was kind of shaking, you know, - The Fruit Machine

- After I left there, I was kind of shaking, you know,

even if a person wasn't going
to be militant in any way, - The Fruit Machine

even if a person wasn't going to be militant in any way...

- So, it seems like this purge
just developed a life - The Fruit Machine

- So, it seems like this purge just developed a life

I mean my understanding
is they had a whole floor - The Fruit Machine

I mean my understanding is they had a whole floor

- They had this one
program where they would - The Fruit Machine

- They had this one program where they would

And they put dots -
they figure - - The Fruit Machine

And they put dots - they figure -

- National Defence, - The Fruit Machine

- National Defence,

[Laughter] - The Fruit Machine

Public servants
and non-public servants - The Fruit Machine

Public servants and non-public servants

What became apparent to some of
the gay men hanging out there - The Fruit Machine

What became apparent to some of the gay men hanging out ther...

People would
also then realize that - The Fruit Machine

People would also then realize that

My girlfriend and I would go
to the bars in Montreal, - The Fruit Machine

My girlfriend and I would go to the bars in Montreal,

- We did go to the
Montreal bar. - The Fruit Machine

- We did go to the Montreal bar.

There was only one exit.
It was an illegal bar. - The Fruit Machine

There was only one exit. It was an illegal bar.

- And it was back in
the day when you had to ring - The Fruit Machine

- And it was back in the day when you had to ring

- And she'll
look at you and say, - The Fruit Machine

- And she'll look at you and say,

- I was very insecure
and it was very hard - The Fruit Machine

- I was very insecure and it was very hard

- You had to learn
how to behave - The Fruit Machine

- You had to learn how to behave

I had a friend
that worked for the Parole Board - The Fruit Machine

I had a friend that worked for the Parole Board

He said
"We can't go to the Honey Dew, - The Fruit Machine

He said "We can't go to the Honey Dew,

I can't go here,
I might be seen - The Fruit Machine

I can't go here, I might be seen

So, you kind of develop,
not a paranoia, but a fear. - The Fruit Machine

So, you kind of develop, not a paranoia, but a fear.

- I remember this girl saying, - The Fruit Machine

- I remember this girl saying,

- This is the attempt - The Fruit Machine

- This is the attempt

So, from 62 actually, until
67-68, the Canadian government, - The Fruit Machine

So, from 62 actually, until 67-68, the Canadian government,

- Bob Wake,
he designed the tests. - The Fruit Machine

- Bob Wake, he designed the tests.

The Fruit Machine poster

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Some softened by age and sadness, others loud and angry, the voices of the survivors of Canada’s public service homosexual purge are now united, and determined. They are torqued by decades of silence, years of being ignored. They demand justice, and they want to be heard. Theirs is a story of betrayal that is both national and deeply personal. Men and women who dedicated their lives to public service, some signing oaths of allegiance and servitude; casualties of a political tapestry woven in the fibers of acute security measures that somehow became normalized.

User Rating: 0.0 (0 ratings)

Director: Sarah Fodey

Writer: Sarah Fodey

Production: SandBay Entertainment

Genre: documentary

Year: 2018

MetaScore: N/A/100

ImdbRating: 7.9

BoxOffice: N/A

Released: 01 May 2018

Awards: 4 wins & 2 nominations

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