From the February 19th article "Guelph's connection to Canada's first moving picture shows" by Ed Butts in Guelph Today:
Not much is known about John C. Green’s early years. An article about him that appeared in the Guelph Mercury in 1946 says he was a native of nearby Galt (now part of Cambridge). However, another biographical account says he was born in Boston on March 26, 1866.
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Green worked for circuses, freak shows and touring theatrical troupes. He was especially interested in magic. He learned the tricks of the trade from professional magicians and eventually developed his own act. Green initially billed himself as The Merry Wizard, but finally settled on the name Belzac.
[Editor's note: While Green's stage name is often thought to be "Belsaz" it was "variously spelled Belzac, Belsac, and Belsaz in Ottawa newspapers" according to Hilary Russell in the article "All that Glitters: A Memorial to Ottawa's Capitol Theatre and its Predecessors" last updated on October 24, 2006 at ParksCanadaHistory.com ]
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For a long time, Canadian film histories pointed to that Ottawa event as the first showing of a motion picture in Canada. However, there actually had been an exhibit of motion pictures in Montreal a few weeks earlier.
Still, Green had been part of an historic event.
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In 1913, Green opened the Temple Theatre in Galt. Then about 1918 he took over management of the Regent Theatre on Macdonell St. in Guelph. According to the 1946 Mercury article, Green would appear on stage to lecture on the movie and introduce the songs. This wasn’t unusual in an age in which movie reviews in the newspapers actually told readers almost the entire story, with no spoiler alerts.
Green would add a few magic tricks to his lectures to be sure the audience got their money’s worth.
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Could this be the same John Green?
From the article "Green the Magician" at Elk Point History:
One entertainer I remember well, and one who was in a class all by himself, was a man who went by the title of "Green - the Magician." John Green was small in stature and in his late seventies when he first visited Elk Point during the middle 1940s. He always performed before sellout crowds and always put on an outstanding show. As a rule, if you didn't arrive at the hall early, you stood a chance of not being seated.
Green always traveled by train and usually brought about ten large trunks with him. They contained his costumes as well as other paraphernalia needed for his show. His magical performance always lasted a full two hours and was made up of a variety of acts which kept the large audience fascinated and spellbound throughout the entire evening.
Read more.
