Boxoffice (Sep 29, 1951)

Jacob Miles, 64, Dies, Western Chain Head WINNIPEG—Jacob “Jack” Miles, president of Western Theatres and prominent in exhibition circles for the last 39 years, died at his home here at the age of 64. A pioneer in this city’s theatre industry, Miles built Winnipeg’s sixth house, the Palace, in 1912. In 1949 he brought the first drive-in to the midwest when he constructed the Pembina Drive-In at Fort Garry. Miles became associated with Famous Players Canadian in 1936, with the formation of Western Theatres, of which he was presiden and general manager. The firm now operates 18 houses in greater Winnipeg. Born in Russia, Miles came to Canada in 1905 at the age of 18. He began working as a painting contractor. The following year he opened a bicycle shop and in the next five years expanded the business to three stores. He introduced the Harley Davidson motorcycle to Manitoba. While still in the bicycle business, he became interested in the motion picture industry. After the Palace, he built the Rose, Roxy, Plaza and Uptown up to 1931, the Pembina in 1949 and the Eldorado Drive-In in 1950. During the 1930s he acquired several other houses, including the Lyceum, Starland and College from Universal. Miles was one of the first members and a past president of the Hebrew Sick Benefit Ass’n; one of the founders and past president of the Winnipeg Hebrew Free school; a member of B’nai B'rith; a supporter of the Peretz Folks school; a member of the Jewish Scientific institute, and a past president of the Manitoba Motion Picture Exhibitors Ass’n. He is survived by his wife Esther, three sons and three daughters. Funeral services were held from Shaarey Zedek synagogue. Honorary pallbearers were B. R. Kark, N. Rothstein, S. Weiner, C. Finkelstein, M. Finklestein, J. Blumberg, C. Rhodes-Smith, S. Cohen, G. Sheps, B. Sheps, Mayor Garnet Coulter, E. A. Zorn, J. J. Fitzgibbons, R. W. Bolstad, L. G. Feinstein, J. Huber, I. Dveris, B. K. Beach, M. Tessler, N. J. Weidman. Active pallbearers were S. M. Golden, S. Rosenblat, D. Wolk, D. Dveris, S. Cramen, L. Miles, H. Miles, R. D. Hurwitz. Maritime Ass’n to Meet At Amherst in October ST. JOHN—The Maritime Motion Picture Exhibitors Ass'n will hold its annual convention October 23, 24 at Amherst, the scene of last year’s session. Grocery Quiz to Toronto TORONTO—The Astor, an independent neighborhood theatre, stepped out with a Household Grocery quiz with the double bill, “Little Big Horn” and “Animal Crackers.” Something new for Toronto, the added stunt includes the offer of $150 worth of free groceries and other prizes. TV Towers on Hotel MONTREAL—Television technicians have begun work on erection of towers atop Mount Royal hotel to enable some 750 dealers to see 14 of the new Admiral Corp. receivers in action. If reception is good the hotel may retain the towers and become the first local hostelry to offer TV. BOXOFFICE :: September 29, 1951 VANCOUVER est Van Amusements, operating the Hollyburn Theatre at West Vancouver, has withdrawn its statement of claim filed in British Columbia supreme court, charging that 20th-Fox and Odeon Theatres “did unlawfully combine, conspire and agree ... to injure the plaintiff by violating practices.” Peter Barnes of Toronto, who runs theatres in Canada and the U:S. is president of West Van Amusements. Gordon Dalgleish of the Park staff is in California on a business trip... Bill Watson, RKO auditor, is in town checking the local office . . . Two oldtime theatre executives, Henry Morton and Jake Miles, both of Winnipeg, died recently ... Ted Ross, cashier at JARO, was promoted to booker, succeeding Hugh Kavanagh, who resigned to enter other business. Ross was replaced by Miss Metcalf . Rita McCurrach succeeds Betty Church as secretary at United Artists. Joe Altomare, who is taking over the two theatres at.Grand Forks, B. C., was a Filmrow visitor lining up his bookings . .. Audrey Prowse, JARO stenographer, left for Toronto to join her husband, transferred there by the Federal bank. She was replaced by Mrs. Boyd . . . Wilf Moorhouse, Famous Players sound man who has dabbled in radio for years, has been appointed sectional communications manager for the provincial division of Vanalta, a part of the radio setup of the American Relay league, with a permanent place on the Red Cross, civil defense and disaster service organizations of North America . . . The east side Rex in Vancouver has a new marquee, new seats and an all-glass boxoffice installed by the new owner, Army & Navy stores, which recently acquired the theatre. Len Brewer of the Paradise staff is back from a three-month trip to England and France ... Lilian Nicholson of WB has resigned . . . Bill McMillan of the Dominion staff is hospitalized following a heart attack . . . Dick Pantages of the Kingsway is also in the hospital for an operation . . . John C. Green died at the age of 85. He was in show business for more than 50 years and had been living in retirement at Mundare, Alta., since quitting theatre business in Ontario for the last ten years 3 Rod. Pantages, son of Lloyd Pantages of the Hastings; is rated as one of Canada’s top football players and is now playing for a Montreal professional team. Bill Reub and Leo Kneller have opened a theatre at Trochu, Alta. Theatre is of concrete block construction and will seat 400. Sharp's Theatre Supply Co. of Calgary installed the booth equipment, which included Holmes projectors, Strong lamps, a Ballantyne amplifier and an Altec speaker system ... Cliff Palmer of Vancouver has taken over the 210-seat Community at the interior town of Keremeos from Charles Gough ... William Zaparaniuk of Prince Albert recently opened his Park Theatre at Waskesiu, a summer resort north of Prince Albert. It seats 300. David Johnstone has sold his old Star Theatre at Coronation, Alta., to the Alberta Seed Growers Cooperative Ass'n and has opened his new Avalon at Coronation which seats 350... Paul Gauthier is building a new 600-seat theatre at Quesnel in the Cariboo district of British Columbia. It will replace his present 200-seat Rex in the lumber and cattle town. The Rex is town’s only theatre. Bill Clayton, Camble Theatre projectionist, is the father of a baby girl, his first child Charlie Hatton, Odeon maintenance man, lost a finger in an accident this week ... Art Crute, a member of Local 348, is the first projectionist to receive the governor general's citation of merit for donating 21 pints of blood to the Red Cross. He has been donating since the start of World War II. Crute is in the Plaza Theatre booth. The Plaza projectionists are now a happy gang since Marvin Thoreau, Odeon maintenance head, has equipped the booth with a new cooling system. The Film Exchange Bowling league started its 30-week 1951-52 season. Teams are United Artists, 20th-Fox, Warner Bros., JARO, Paramount, RKO, Perkins Electric and Empire-Universal. MGM last year’s winners did not enter a team this year... Jack Reid, JARO manager, and Earl Dalgleish, WB manager, were pallbearers at the funeral of Herb Call, former Columbia manager, who died in Vancouver ... After a few days of rain, hot weather returned to British Columbia and the forest closure is again in effect throwing out of work over 10,000 lumber workers. OTTAWA t is not very often that the Capitol, largest Famous Players’ unit here, holds over a picture but Manager T. R. Tubman did it on “Show Boat” was kept for a second week. Another holdover here had been “The Great Caruso”... The Regent is drawing throngs for “David and Bathsheba,” according to Manager Henry Marshall Manager Gordon D. Beavis is enthused over the turnout for “The Browning Version.” His wife continues seriously ill. Morris Berlin, proprietor of the Somerset, featured a pair of reissues, “That Midnight Kiss” and “Words and Music,” which did so well he held them an extra two days .. Graeme Fraser, sales manager for Crawley Films, was in Montreal for a meeting of the Ass’n of Motion Picture Producers and Laboratories of Canada to continue discussions which had been held with the Ass'n of Canadian Advertisers and the advertising agencies regarding the promotion of commercially sponsored films. The MPLC also laid plans for their approaching annual convention. S. Dean Peterson of Toronto is the association secretary, Introduced by a private preview for a selected audience, “Lady With a Lamp,” a British production based on the lIfe of Florence Nightingale, has been booked into the Famous Players’ Capitol. The Odeon at Kingston carried on a neat teaser campaign for “The Browning Version” in which a play was made with the letters “TB.V.” .. . The Eastview, owned by the estate of Terry Lewis, has added a cartoon show for kids on top of the double bill on Saturday afternoons ... Hyman Bessin of the Glebe staged a juvenile show September 22 in cooperation with the local Kiwanis clubs for National Kids day. 4}