Phyllis Diller, best known in Canada for the television series, The Beautiful Phyllis Diller, arrived on Prince Edward Island last night to guest star in the tenth episode of the new family drama series, Emily of New Moon.
The episode, entitled The Ghost of Whyther Grange, will star Ms. Diller as Emily's Great Aunt Nancy Priest. In the episode, Emily visits Nancy at her mysterious old house in Priest Pond. The character she portrays is a rich, colourful, funny woman who has been widowed by many husbands.
Ms. Diller, 79, was the first female stand-up comic in the industry and is presently playing a recurring role in the soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful. She tours 40 weeks of the year doing comedy and lecturing on the Power of Positive Thinking.
Premier Pat Binns and Economic Development and Tourism Minister Wes MacAleer visited the set this morning to welcome Ms. Diller and to congratulate staff on the Emily set on the news that they have been renewed for an additional 13 episodes by WIC Entertainment.
"The announcement of the renewal of the Emily series is good news for the Prince Edward Island economy," said Wes MacAleer, Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. "Not only does the series provide an opportunity for employment and economic expenditure, but it also opens up a whole new industry in PEI."
"We are thrilled to be bringing this incredible family series to Canadian viewers," said Dale A. Andrews, Executive Vice-President of WIC Entertainment, in a release issued yesterday. "The first 13 episodes are currently being shot in Prince Edward Island and we were so impressed with them we have already decided to move ahead with a further 13 episodes for a full season of 26 new shows."
The series, based on the books by Anne of Green Gables author Lucy Maud Montgomery, is scheduled to debut on WIC television stations and in syndication across Canada in the fall of 1997. The series is a co-production between Salter Street Films of Halifax and CINAR Films of Montreal with cast and crew coming principally from PEI, Nova Scotia and Quebec.