The Canadian Independent (Mar 15, 1938)

Mar. 15, 1938 Seemany and Italy Sever Film Pact Severing of the film pact between Germany and Italy seems imminent as the result. of failure of Italian grosses for German product to reach expectations. Also the action of the Italian censor in failing to pass several German features has given rise to friction between the two. ‘Fascist countries. The Reich Film Chamber feels that Italy’s failure to promote German exhibition to a place above the present popularity of American product, which is the biggest grosses, spells a breach of the film accord. Italy has not exported extensively to Germany due to the failure of Italian studios to produce a sufficient number of features satisfactory for foreign trade. Germany finds its foreign market practically closed except for a few pictures. At home the industry is not receiving the support of the masses because of the definite note of propaganda _ injected by the Nazi government. Students Desert Profs for Comics Movie stars on the campus today played havoc with academic life at the University -otCalifornia’ at Los Angeles by causing hundreds of students to stay away from their classes. It was George Burns, Gracie Allen and Edward Everett Horton who offered a powerful counter attraction to the lectures of the professors. The comedians were filming a location sequence of Paramount’s ‘‘College Swing.” So interested were the students and co-eds in the comic’s representation of college life that their num|. bers constituted a problem for Director Raoul Walsh and Producer E. Gensler. Campus police were finally called. to. pep. handle the crowe:of=co: ~ THe CANADIAN Wm (6SUED FOR THE BENEFIT OF | Ga INDEPENDENT THEATRE OWNERS ° BSc eps ee aia au hie ie eee ea Canadian Schools Poorly Equipped for Visual Education According to a report: by R. H. Coats, Dominion Statistician, Canadian schools are only one fourth as well equipped as United States schools for visual education. France has seven or eight times as many film projectors in its schools as Canada, allowing for differences in population, and_ Italy, Russia and Germany are well up in the race. Canadian schools own about 260 motion picture projectors. and another 100 are owned by teachers and used for classroom work. About 1,000 reels of film are now in use in Canada for teaching, these being owned by teachers, schools and Department of Educa tion. Lack of money to spend, INDEPENDENT PATRONIZE THE ADVERTISERS WHO MAINTAIN IT. —_—ame, Rockefellers In RKO The Rockefeller interests, it is rumored, will become a dominant factor in RKO by ‘In¢reasing their present investment. sufficiently to as -sume control. A represent ative of the new interest, itis said, will replace. Leo Spitz, who has resigned. This move is said to be part of a larger plan of the Rockefellers to go into the theatre business in a big way. Their next move is said to be toward establishing other big theatre centres like Radio City. The next likeliest spot being Chicago. The Rockefeller money came in at an opportune -moment in the RKO situa/tion in which conflicting creditor interests had put -the Company in a precarious state. lack of information as to | where desirable films can be obtained. and lack of training in the use of films by teachers are cited as the principal causes for not us-. ing more films in Canadian schools. Anti-Propaganda Films A patriotic American organization, The Nationa: Defenders, has undertaken a program of film production to offset what it claims is the ~ “foreign propaganda”’ contained in certain foreign films shown in the American Market. ‘“‘We The People” was the first in a series to be made by this group which claims 60,000 members. The second film to be released, “The American Way,” is now being distributed in both 35 and 16 mm. On exiting from a local theatre after viewing “Victoria the Great,” we overheard someone ‘comment that he didn’t know the March of Time went back | _ etirat far er: teehee: & et tae ae Wn Ly ty SERVICE p FACILITIES | : Page 7 Film Art Displayed at Toronto Art Gallery Curator Martin Baldwin of the Toronto art gallery has arranged a most interesting display of drawings and photographs of “stills” prepared by art directors for outstanding films such as “Rembrandt” and “Romeo and Juliet.” This display of the basic art work necessary before. a picture goes into produc-” tion is ‘“‘an important contribution in creative art as related to one of the biggest modern industry,” said Mr. Baldwin. ‘Film art is real art, and as such has a place in the Art Galleries of the World.” About a year ago the | Gallery exhibited a series of drawings from the Walt Dis— ney studios showing how Mickey Mouse cartoons are made. a Real DRAWING-CARD For Your Theatre Give your audiences the realism of the new RCA Photophone High Fidelity sound reproduction, It will at once lift your theatre to a new = : ii peak of popular favor. Ca Distributed by For here, for the first time, the full range of music, speech and incidental sound is reproduced completely and naturally. Every sound essential to the full enjoyment of the picture is heard clearly, crisply, distinctly. It will be a new experience for your patrons and a new and profitable experience for YOU. SOUND EQUIPMENT Dominion Sound. Equipments L I M ITE D ‘ ee ‘Head Office: 1626 Notre Dame Street West, Montreal : fo HALUEAX “TononTo A (NATIONAL ea ‘WINNIPEG THEATRE “REGINA CALGARY, SERVICE... VANCOUVER [in