SCTV vs. the DSM: Body snatchers pursue Rosato; Robin Duke prepares for attack by invisible invaders
Fairly obscure SCTV and Saturday Night Live legacy Tony Rosato has apparently gone bonkers and is at the center of a fascinating miscarriage of justice north of the border. Back in the Carter-Reagan era, Rosato made a brief splash when he and Robin Duke joined the SCTV cast at the end of its first-era instantiation. (I've always found the crabbed releasing and syndication history of SCTV impossible to untangle, but Rosato, I think, was there in the post-Harold Ramis/pre-Rick-Moranis interregnum.) And he was pretty funny, there and later at SNL. Like all the SCTV vets, Rosato ended up having a career about a tenth as large as it should have been, but things really began to head south a few years ago:
According to his Toronto lawyer, Daniel Brodsky, Rosato was arrested after repeatedly complaining to police that, in a scenario reminiscent of the film Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the actor's wife and their infant daughter had gone missing, having been replaced by imposters.
Initially charged with public mischief for trying to get the police involved in the search for his changeling wife, Rosato eventually saw that charge dropped and was charged instead with harassment. They take a different view of public records in the Great White North, so some of Rosato's court records are unavailable. Thus it's not entirely clear why he has been in jail for more than two years without trial, but some elements are known:
Arraignment documents show Rosato was denied bail almost three months after his arrest, after undergoing a mental fitness assessment.
He has never had a bail review, and his trial (by judge alone) isn't scheduled until Nov. 13.
Whole story. His lawyer notes that the period Rosato has spent in jail awaiting trial exceeds the prison sentence for people actually convicted of criminal harassment in Canada. Is this out of concern for the estranged wife's safety? Dissatisfaction with the pace of SCTV releases on DVD? The curse of the Not Ready For Prime-Time Players? Just about everybody quoted here seems to believe Rosato belongs in a mental hospital, not a jail (with the notable exception of Rostao himself).
Tony Rosato's trial starts on August 7, 2007 in Kingston, ON
Daniel J. Brodsky
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From: Larissa Banting [mailto:lbanting@hotmail.com]
Sent: July 24, 2007 6:07 PM
To: Daniel Brodsky
Subject: Tony Rosato case
Dear Daniel
Dale Anne Freed gave me your email address.
I have just learned about the unfortunate case of Tony Rosato (I have been living in Costa Rica for the past 6 years) as I just stumbled upon Dale's article. I'm shocked to say the least. As someone who has a personal history with him (although brief), my heart goes out to him.
Tony had been living in Toronto since the late 1990's and I'd first met him in August of 2000 on set the set of Mendors when he guest starred on a children's tv show I was working on in Edmonton - he was playing Casanova and he gave an outstanding performance, adding in layers and nuances as well as additions to dialogue that took the episode beyond what was originally on the page. He was an absolute joy to work with - funny, warm, loved the child actors and really took time to be with them and pass along advice. No ego, no tantrums, no green M & Ms - just a professional artist focusing on his craft.
He is a very charismatic person with an intense presence and a brilliant mind. Towards the end of 2001, he was working on getting his green card to work in the US again and felt ready to head back to LA. He sold his house in Cabbagetown (he'd owned it since the 80's) but was on hard financial times and the permanent move to LA was in flux. By December 2001, we ended up going our separate ways.
Tony told me about the drugs back in the SNL days, how the coke kept him going to meet the punishing deadlines of writing and rehearsing the show demanded on a weekly basis - it was also the 80's and it was the drug of choice. He'd quit that years and years ago. While I knew him, he didn't even drink wine. He had a very clean lifestyle - spent time writing, doing voice over work, working as an actor, doing tarot card readings, playing the piano. His only vice was the odd joint now and then. And he certainly was not violent - never saw the slightest inkling of anger or violence.
He was passionate about justice and the injustice of his situation is beyond epic proportions. It is as if he is stuck in a cruel story by Kafka or Orwell.
Tony Rosato is not a criminal or a threat to the community - he is a genius whose mind has unfortunately fallen into an abyss.
I'm thankful to Dale for being the torch bearer and shedding light into this dark chapter of Canadian judicial history - it's shocking, it's sad and it shouldn't happen to anyone, least of all someone who clearly is in need of psychiatric treatment.
And thank you, Daniel, for taking on this case. I'm sure it's not been easy, given Tony's state right now which being in maximum prison for two years has only exasperated. I wish you the very best in your upcoming battle.
Please pass along my wishes of support to Tony (he didn't have email when we were in contact). I'm sure he could use all the positive words of encouragement he can get right now.
And thanks for reading this email - it's such a horrible story, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it. He is a good man - I just hope he gets the help he desperately needs so he can go on to create the things of beauty and truth he so believes in.
Best,
Larissa Banting
Posted by: Daniel Brodsky | August 04, 2007 at 05:14 PM
What a sad tale about Rosato. But that's a legitimate disorder to psychiatrists. This is a pretty good overview of Capgras' syndrome.
Posted by: Ben Sullivan | May 21, 2007 at 12:50 PM