Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1945)

Canada Gains in Film World (From Canadian Edition) MONTREAL — Never has the motion picture industry offered Canadian writers the opportunities which now exist for themes dealing with the Dominion provided they have boxoffice appeal, John Grierson, commissioner of the National Film Board, said in an interview here. He was just back from a fortnight’s visit to Hollywood and he said Canada had assumed a new status in the eyes of Americans, and for this several factors are responsible. These are the wide publicizing of the Dominion’s war activities, an accumulation of the Canadian colony in Los Angeles and an increase in its representation in the producing, directional, writing and acting branches of Hollywood’s film industry, a realization by U.S. producers of the importance of the Canadian market and an “extraordinary goodwill” which has been manifested toward Canada. Canada a Large Producer Grierson said Canada now is one of the largest producers of film shorts nationally and internationally. In the past she has depended upon the initiative of London and Hollywood so far as feature films are concerned. Hollywood always has been interested in themes dealing with the Canadian Mounted Police and since the war has had films on the Canadian air force and navy. “Captains of the Clouds” and “Corvette K-225” already have been produced. Because of the similar tastes of the two countries, Canada is regarded as the “safest” market for American films. “Hollywood is conscious of the new manner of trading,” said Grierson. “You have not only got to go into a country but you must be a good citizen of it as well.” The Film Board has been able to widen the popularity its short subjects enjoy on the British screen, and any flow of ideas to the London studios will be sympathetically considered. “The economies of the situation are the Magna Carta for writers,” Grierson said. The Canadian market is worth $15,000,000 to American producers and Ontario alone represents as good a market as that afforded by Brazil, he asserted. Col. John Cooper Says 15-Million Valuation Is "More Like Eight" TORONTO — Col. John A. Cooper of Toronto, long a prominent figure in the Canadian film industry, immediately took exception to the valuation by John Grierson, NFB commissioner, of the Canadian film market at $15,000,000, saying that the figure was “more like $8,000,000,” and that the NFB commissioner had overestimated Canadian returns to U.S. producing companies. Canadian Film Revenue to England Colonel Cooper volunteered the information that approximately $1,000,000 of Canadian film revenue went to England and countries other than the United States; that the cost of positive prints in a year could be placed at another $1,000,000, with most of these prints being made in the Dominion from master negatives; that the administration and operating costs of film exchanges in Canada accounted for another $4,000,000; that $500,000 was spent annually by distributors under the heading of advertising; that censorship fees in eight provinces represented an expenditure of $250,000 each year and, in addition, there was the five per cent federal remittance tax on all payments to home of fices in the States as well as corporation income taxation. The revenue paid to U.S. producing companies from Canada was more like $8,000,000 than the $15,000,000 quoted by Commissioner Grierson, he said, inferring that a wrong impression would result from Grierson’s estimate of Canada’s contribution to U.S. companies. Colonel Cooper pointed out that he was not seeking publicity in the matter, as usual, but he could be quoted as the authority for the breakdown of Canadian film industry costs and the estimate of the annual revenue to American companies. Omahans Eager to Get Old Film Containers (From Midwest Edition) OMAHA — Requests for more than a thousand old film containers poured into the Monogram office here as a result of the offer by Branch Manager Mike Comer to give them to Omahans wishing to ship or store holiday edibles. “We have found,” he said, “that these cans were destined to England, Italy, Africa, France, South Pacific, Hawaii and camps in the United States. “The principal of Washington School is interested to the extent of working out a Red Cross project. The kindergarten of Saunders School intends using the cans for a project this month. “Many of them,” he continued, “were used to ship sweets to service centers. News about the cans swept everywhere and the collector of internal revenue took nearly one hundred of them. There were others too numerous to mention. “On behalf of all of those we were fortunate to serve, we thank you and extend the season’s greeting. Already the whole thing has been liberally spread in the trade press.” fetoUliesi, can uo-u i^xoAe tonne time? Others like to know what you are doing — what changes you are making at your theatre, etc. Send in the news and we'll relay it to the industry. Buying? Installing? Remodeling? Redecorating? Rebuilding? Transferring? Exploiting? Hiring? Promoting? GIVE US THE FACTS. WE WILL DO THE REST. Name Position Theatre Location Mail to BOXOFFICE 825 Van Brunt Blvd., Kansas City 1, Mo. 98 BOXOFFICE : : January 20, 1945