Boxoffice (Jul 7, 1951)

; ola KS 2 ; —— Calgary 500-Seater Begun; Odeon Opens VANCOUVER—M. E. Jenkins has started construction on a new 500-seat, suburban theatre at Calgary, Alta. It is expected to be open by late fall. The 700-car Tillicum Drive-In, recently opened near Victoria, now has accommodations for 150 walk-in patrons. The Odeon circuit will completely remodel its Olympia Theatre in Vancouver. Plans have been drawn up by H. H. Simmons, local architect, who has built several Odeon theatres in British Columbia. The official opening was celebrated recently of the Odeon Uptown Theatre in Calgary, built by Jack Barron, who will operate the uptown 1,200-seater in partnership with the chain. Leonard Brockington, Odeon president, came from Toronto headquarters to attend the opening. Barron also operates the Grand Theatre in Calgary in partnership with Odeon. Abe Garson Recuperates After Lengthy Illness ST. JOHN, N. B.—Abe Garson, maritime manager for Odeon and owner of three maritime theatres in that circuit, is convalescing at St. Andrews, N. B., after an illness of several months. Garson was confined to his bed at home late last fall soon after taking over the Strand from the local Spencer interests. His illness prevented him from making his usual winter trip to Miami Beach, but he plans to go there late this fall. The present Strand manager is J. Glowes, and supervisory manager for Odeon is Lee April, a son-in-law of the Maritime head of Odeon. Besides the Strand, the Garrick and Oxford in Halifax are Garson units in the Odeon hookup. FPC Remodels, Reopens Capitol at Peterboro TORONTO—Famous Players Canadian has reopened the Capitol at Peterboro, Ont., after extensive improvements. The 1,000-seat theatre now has new seats, drapes, lighting equipment and redecoration. The former Palace in the eastern suburbs of London, Ont., has been transferred to 20th Century Theatres, an affiliated circuit, and the house has become the Park after reconstruction. Kiwanians Cite Exhibitor HALIFAX—Pat Dwyer, manager of the Family Theatre here, was cited by the Kiwanis club of Dartmouth, his home town located across the harbor from here, for a perfect club attendance record. Dwyer was a charter member of the club which was founded here eight years ago. Of the four Franklin & Herschorn theatres in Halifax and Dartmouth three are managed by residents of Dartmouth. John Duff Johnstone Dies VANCOUVER—John Duff Johnstone, past president of Canadian Picture Pioneers, a former theatre owner in Toronto before he came to Vancouver in 1941, died suddenly last week at the age of 51. He also operated several restaurants here. Theatre and film business were well represented at the funeral services. BOXOFFICE :: July 7, 1951 Even the Premier Rates Error on Geography St. John, N. B—Newfoundlanders are peeved at Warner Bros. studio, and it’s all on account of a travelog they put out. “The Neighbor Next Door,” a scenic short, is all mixed up, the natives contend, in its words and pictures about Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. For instance, scenes of St. John’s harbor, the Narrows and Signal Hill are shown but dialog refers to them as in “St. John’s, N. B.” Another shot shows a Nova Scotian marine scene but the narrator places it in Newfoundland. When asked about the “‘short-comings,” Norman Moray of New York, who was in St. John on an auto tour with his wife and family, said that three Canadian cameramen were hired to shoot the reel, Canadian government representatives at Hollywood approved the travelog in full and, finally, it was approved at Ottawa by Prime Minister St. Laurent and the government. Nobody noticed the errors. Outdoor Bingo Attracts 20,000 Ottawa Players OTTAWA—Theatremen took notice of bingo competition here when a monster outdoor game was staged Thursday night (28) in the neighboring municipality of Eastview. The event drew an estimated 20,000 participants from the whole district, including Ottawa and Hull. The outdoor bingo was sponsored by the Richelieu club and the array of prizes included five new Chevrolets. Some 400 persons handled arrangements for the throng and it was believed that receipts ran well over $30,000 through the sale of bingo cards. Previous indoor bingo games in Ottawa have drawn an attendance as high as 7,000, but such games did not begin to compare with the outdoor event. Another new menace for theatres is drive-in bingo which is being introduced in athletic and other parks. Four drive-in bingos already have been staged at Windsor, Ont., with prizes amounting to as much as $1,750. The federal statutes stipulate that bingo nights can be conducted occasionally for charity, but the value of individual prizes is limited to $50 under the law. The developments are being studied by members of the Motion Picture Theatres Ass’n of Ontario. Film Board Acquires Site For Montreal Quarters OTTAWA—R. H. Winters, minister of resources and development, said that a $300,000 site has been acquired in Montreal for the construction of a new studio to which the government's National Film Board will be moved from Ottawa as soon as building materials can be secured for construction. Winters also told parliament that the film board is spending $250,000 this fiscal year for the production of a new series of films called Freedom Speaks, for distribution in foreign countries to demonstrate how Canadians live under democratic rule. During the last year, NFB had a laboratory output of 11,278,000 feet of film. K Tent 28 Gets $48 000 From Baseball Game TORONTO—The Toronto Variety baseball night, held for the third year at Maple Leaf stadium as a benefit for the Variety Village school for crippled boys, proved a great financial success although rain interrupted the program so that the ball game did not end until 12:20 a. m. Joe Ziegler, chairman of a special baseball committee for Tent 28, announced that receipts totaled $48,000, compared with $32,000 a year ago and with $42,000 in 1949. The revenue was derived from admission tickets, many of which were sold in advance, and from souvenir programs. The official attendance figure was 13,403, but the capacity of the stadium is close to 25,000. Among the added attractions was Rudy Vallee and his vaudeville unit which was unable to complete its program because of the weather. A preliminary feature, a comedy game between press and radio commentators and the National Hockey league baseballers, was good for many laughs until it came to a sudden halt when Ruby Mann, Miss Toronto of 1950, appeared on the third base line. Odd Canadiana Featured In New Cameo ‘Spotlight’ MONTREAL—Associated Screen’s latest Canadian Cameo short subject release, “Spotlight No. 2,” contains a wealth of information and little known facts concerning odd Canadiana. How many Canadians know that there is a town in their country that has streets literally paved with gold; which has more taxis per capita than any other spot in Canada and yet these cabs have only seven miles of roads on which to travel. The town ils Yellowknife in the Northwest Territorles, whose streets are constructed of low-grade gold ore. Featured in the reel is John Pratt, inimitable Canadian comedian, who gives a whimsical and humorous resume of his life, ending up with a new twist to his hilarious “Navy Show” song hit. “You'll Get Used to It.” The camera then covers the social activities of a group of human skyscrapers, who have banded together into an organization known as the Tip Toppers club of Toronto. The prime requisite for admission into this unique club is height—and plenty of it. Male applicants have to tower six feet, two inches or better, while the target for the fairer sex is five feet, eight inches and up. The reel then throws a spotlight on some faces that are being scanned every hour of the day—unusual clock faces in different cities in Canada. “Spotlight No. 2” was directed by Gordon Sparling. Prices Up at Yarmouth YARMOUTH, N. 8S, — The Odeon-owned Capitol and the F&H Community here have raised admissions prices simultaneously. New rates are afternoons, adults, 30, and children, 10 cents; nights, adults, 45, and children, 17, except Saturdays, when the fare is 20 cents. The new prices involve an increase of a nickel for adults, afternoons and nights, The Capitol shows both single and double bills, while the Community policy calls for duals, with occasional exceptions. 39