Boxoffice (Jul 7, 1951)

Drive-In 1950 Receipts Nearly Twice 1949 MONTREAL—Canadian drive-in theatres almost doubled their business in 1950 to send theatre receipts to a record high. The Dominion bureau of statistics reported that receipts, exclusive of taxes, totaled $86,400,000, an increase of 8 per cent over the previous high of $79,853,000 in 1949. Drive-in theatres accounted for $2,200,000 of the total receipts as against $1,393,000 in 1949. There were 4,700,000 paid admissions compared with 3,091,000 a year ago. Paid attendance at theatres and halls providing motion picture entertainment totaled 245,000,000, an increase of 4 per cent over the 1949 figure of 236,090,000. There were 2,360 theatres in 1950 against 2,230 in 1949, and drive-ins totaled 56 compared with 30. TORONTO Executive Secretary Arch H. Jolley of the Motion Picture Theatres Ass’n of Ontario will be on the job alone during the next four weeks because Mrs. E. Chinn, his general office assistant, is taking a vacation... Manager Jack Clark of Loew’s provided a treat for 30 blind persons and their companions when they were his guests for a performance of “The Great Caruso.” Sam Ulster conducted an all-night session at the downtown Rio when performances were run throughout the night prior to Dominion day (2). The Rio is continuing to specialize in triple bills . . . Mrs. Yvonne Taylor's Summer Film festival at the International Cinema is doing nicely with double revival programs in six-day engagements. The latest pair was “Tight Little Island” and “Carmen.” Repeated rains have brought some hindrance to Melody Fair, the tent show at Dufferin racetrack, the latest form of competition for regular theatres. A deluge also brought too much water for the Water Follies of 1951 one night at the Toronto Exhibition grandstand ... Ernest Taylor, 20th Century Theatres manager at Chatham, has been appointed manager of the Vanity, Windsor, succeeding Robert Brown, who has moved to California. Frank Reid, manager of the Centre, Chatham, will supervise the Park, formerly managed by Taylor. Howard Hager, 69, died at Hagersville, Ont., where he was owner of the Regah for many years. The village was named after his grandfather . . . Lionel Ginsler, second son of Harry Ginsler, Toronto film exchange official, has married Eleanor Schwab, daughter of & prominent Toronto physician . . Fred Fink, manager of the Crown in the east end, Was a speaker at a meeting of the Gerrard Businessmen's Ass'n... Manager Paul of the Park at St. Catharines advertised books of theatre tickets as suitable gifts for children who passed school examinations. To Be Guest of Honor Alfred Hitchcock, director of Warners’ “Strangers on a Train,” is scheduled to be & guest of honor at a press reception in Detroit. BOXOFFICE :: July 7, 1951 VANCOUVER rt Lorimer of the Stanley Theatre staff Was promoted to assistant manager of the downtown International Cinema, replacing Earl Barlow, who moved to the Alma as manager ... Johnny Bernard, Odeon district booker, is acting as relief manager at the Olympia ... Natalie Miller is head usheret at the Orpheum, replacing Dorice Walls, who moves up to the boxoffice . .. Judy Kennedy will be in charge of the Plaza while Manager Art Grayburn holidays south of the border . . . Micky Goldin, Studio manager, has left for eastern Canada on vacation. Sydney Freedman, his assistant, will be in charge of the Studio during Goldin’s absence. Harry Woolfe, United Artists manager in British Columbia, and his staff won the Canadian Grad Sears drive. Woolfe and his crew broke all previous booking records to win the cash award by a big margin. Buster Radis of the Calgary branch was third in the drive Bob Murphy, Paramount British Columbia manager, also finished first in the Golden Harvest sales contest in the Canadian section, aided by booker-salesman Mike Stevenson ...A local theatreman said “Two of the steadiest marquee draws are: ‘In Technicolor’ and ‘Preview Tonight.’” and claims he can prove it by his grosses. Going or coming from vacations are Perry Wright, Empire-Universal manager; Jack Reid, JARO manager; Mary Easton and Geniver Combes, Warner Bros.; Bill Grant, RKO; George Gerrard and Irma Miotto, Strand Theatre; Harvey Levin, UA; Keith Watley, Paramount; Nora Flood, Paradise Theatre; Art Grayburn, Plaza manager, motoring to California; Tom Backus sr., Rio Theatre manager, and Tom Backus jr. of 20th-Fox away to Calgary for the stampede . . . G. Lee Brewerton of the Capitol, Raymond, Alberta, was a local yisitor. Sydney Walker of RKO, 29 years in show business, is a new member of Canadian Motion Picture Pioneers . . . The Vancouver Sun, evening paper, has bought a controlling interest in the Vancouver News Herald, the only local morning newspaper .. . Retired exhibitor Isaac Joseph, 74, died recently in Sioux Lookout. Interment was at Wadena, Minn. Marguerite Smedley Hastings, candy counter girl, will marry Roy Dick of Vancouver on September 29 . . Bernice Bobay, Vogue cashier, will also be married in September. Lon Chaney, Hollywood actor, was on a fishing trip to Campbell river and Cowichan bay on Vancouver island ... Sovereign Films has moved into its new modern quarters at Broadway and Granville ... Norah Hutchinson, Columbia Pictures cashier, resigned and will become a housewife . . . Harvey Levin of UA resigned and will join Famous Players Art Shop ... Myron McLeod of the Patricia Theatre, Powell river, 100 miles upcoast from here, has no transportation problems. He owns a 45-foot boat which he uses on his film buying trips . Alan Young, Paramount Pictures and TV star and also a Vancouver boy, is in town on a visit to his parents in west Vancouver. Lyle Bettger has been handed a starring role in Paramount's “The Denver & Rio Grande.” Hudson's Bay Co. Boosts Roy Rogers Cowboy Show WINNIPEG—One of the largest cooperative hookups to be engineered in these parts for some time has been formulated by Max Shnier of the Northmain Drive-In with Winnipeg’s second largest department store, the Hudson’s Bay Co. The store maintains a large Roy Rogers corral in the boys’ clothing department. A quarter-page ad by the Bay proclaimed that the store would present a Roy Rogers contest party for the best dressed cowboy at the Northmain Drive-In Tuesday (3) at 7:30 p. m. All children between 4 and 12 were admitted free. A new bicycle was first prize for the best dressed cowboy and free Roy Rogers rings were given to the first 500 boys between 4 and under 12 arriving at the ozoner. All other boys received a free autographed photo of Roy Rogers. There were other consolation prizes, door prizes and novelty prizes. On the screen was ‘The Golden Stallion.” The ad contained a coupon to be filled in and taken to the Roy Rogers corral in the store to be exchanged for ticket to be retained for the party at the drive-in. Incidental cowboy music keynoted the atmosphere, and radio announcer Cliff Gardner was master of ceremonies. The airer’s miniature train was renamed the Hudson's Bay express for the occasion. Prior and following the contest free rides were given on the ozoner’s ponies. 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