The Canadian Motion Picture Exhibitor (Jun 1, 1941)

June Ist, 1941 Din On For Disney Dragon A vigorous drum-beating and hollering of wares is on for the new Walt Disney feature, ‘“The Reluctant Dragon,” Ned EK. Depinet announces from New York. RKO is spending top money for the buildup in an attempt to repeat the box-office success of Disney’s first full-length feature, ‘Snow White.” The first big noise in the general campaign was a full page of colored stills in “This Week Magazine.’”’ That periodical is a slip-in section that reaches. 5,844,092 readers through 24 big-city Sunday papers. According to content, the magazine is aimed at adults, but the whole family usually riffles through the week-end papers. The title, ‘‘The Reluctant Dragon,” seems somewhat suggestive of the conduct of Ferdinand’s bull. It isn’t a bit provocative. But the picture is completely different from any previous Disney big-scale effort. It is a series of subjects tied together by an ink-and-paint Bob Benchley, who whirls through a series of escapades in the Disney plant. Yes, that’s the locale. Though ordinary films turn infrequently to Hollywood subjects, the short cartoons have consistently paraded film characters. Now Disney has gone all the way. The title is based on a sequence in the film, drawn from a kidding of the St. George legend by Kenneth Grahame. The whole idea had plenty of. possibilities. The RKO exploiters are making much of the fact that the picture blends the use of living characters with cartoon creations. Also its movel introduction. What these things mean to the public is a question that the boxoffice will answer. The new type of subject may take the film over the heads of the lollipop trade. And the juvenile custom is indispensable to Disney full-length features. RKO will bet that this is ia bonanza. And it’s spending plenty of money on advertising to support that opinion. Student's Poll Pulls for Doubles A poll of American high school students on the double feature showed a majority for it. The Campfire Girls of America, who sponsored the sizeup, asked 16,000 for their opinions. There is a powerful minority against the dual bill, which leaves the exhibitor in the middle. It was also revealed that most attend movies once a week and pick their pictures by the players, titles and reviews. The Exhibitor Picture Pickups By TAP KEYES A living double-feature is Robert Emmet, writer, and Robert Tansey, producer. He’s both amd the same man—a Siamese twins. Emmet, to give his right name the preference, is a presto producer of Westerns, having completed more than fifty last year. Right now he is getting up a few fast orders for Monogram release. He and his boys go anywhere that hasn’t got a billboard in the way and start grinding. Oh, yes—the reason for the double identity. The backers thought Robert Emmet was getting too much money. So he took the cut and added Robert Tansey to the payroll, drawing two cheques. Cute kid, eh? Be ok # st Ba That fountain of music, Irving Berlin, will do 15 songs for Paramount’s “Holiday Inn.”” Crosby and Astaire will sing and dance them. Crosby may wind up with corns on his vocal cords and Astaire with growls from his arches. . . . Hollywood is turning the camera on itself. A coming film biog will be “In Rudolph Valentino’s Day.” That ought to drag the people who haven’t seen a film since the silents out of their armchairs . .. Buster Crabbe, the aquatician, will be Billy the Kid in a series of Westerns. Maybe Gene Autry will take up swimming in retaliation. Meanwhile MGM has Robert Taylor in a big budget version of the same subject. * * * a k Ted Friend, night club editor of the New York Mirror, just turned up a grand idea. He’s negotiating with several film companies to make 16 mm. reels of British child evacuees, to be shipped to their parents for showing. . .. Disney’s new long feature has a baby in it. His current. feature is “Fantasia.” Why not call the new one “Infantasia”? ... Technicolor production is increased 100 per cent over 1940. Maybe some enterprising exhibitor will hand out special specs for color-blind fans. After all, certain shows offer earphones to deaf folks. ok cS ok * Do Canada’s Gene Lockhart, who wrote the lyrics for “The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise’ has a new tune titled “A Letter from London.” He’s busy at Aid-to-Britain activity, enlisting the film colony in support of his varied ventures, the most recent one having been a musical colcmy. Gene is set in “International Lady,” a sort of G-Man vs. Scotland Yard idea ... They’re making a musical with an allcolored cast, “Jump for Joy,” and Duke Ellington will star. Joe Pasternak is one of the backers and they expect a Broadway showing in the fall. * ok * bo * Penny Singleton, of Blondie fame, will leave Columbia temporarily to da “Cowboy Joe.’”’ Screen fans haven’t seen all her talents. She’s a gifted girl. The question is whether she will seem like the same person to “Blondie” following after a different role... . Since the war 450 theatres have closed down in England. ... Man and wife combinations in the films are rare. Laughton and Lanchester are one example. They’re more often hits apart than together. Now Gene Raymond and frau Jeannette MacDonald will do a remake of ‘Smilin’ Through” ... They’ve done away with the question of how to pronounce “Dildo Cay” by renaming it “Bahama Passage.” k ae * bo co Exhibitors who worry about the future of amusements might be interested in learning that, in the year which ended on March 1, 1940, Ontario poured down 27,350,306 gallons of beer. The brew was worth $29,439,979. The folks must have their fun. . . . Pierre van Paasen, Canadian correspondent and lecturer, was the principal speaker at the recent open meeting of New York’s Cinema Lodge of B’nai B’rith... The opening of any new G. B. Shaw stage drama has always been a big event, especially for ritzy culturites. The movie translations of Shaw’s stuff, such as “Major Barbara,” now provide the proud premieres. Canadians, deep in war work and worries, may not respond to fuss-and-feather unveilings. However, the picture is warm and human and, gala get-together or modest debut, it will still do good business. Incidentally, the 85-year-old Shaw speaks a prologue piece that sounds like his adieu. 3 *# * # * Hollywood memory: A theatre with a horror double-feature, ‘“Dracula and Frankenstein.” The sign outside read: ‘Special Children’s Matinee Today.” ... Detroit theatres are collecting books iand magazines for the boys in camp... Gracie Fields is on her second CanadianAmerican tour. The first one netted almost $400,000 for British War Relief . . . Most loyal film fan in Toronto is an elderly and asthmatic millionaire. Hot weather means tough times to him. He tried an ice-cooled movie house. Now, when it’s torrid, he brings his lunch | and parks in one show or the other from morn to night. RE en ee Ee eae ee eee eee TN On TO RE Oe IOS a a a SI I I a eT Page 5 Flees Fowl World Does Daley's Polly Make way for a mourner, brother. Get out your hanky. The sad news is here. It’s late but it’s here. Tom Daley’s Imperial Polly, a veteran of show business, has passed on to parrot paradise. They say it came in with the first furniture. No one knew its age. Every night Tom went over to its cage to say good-night and spend a few: minutes chatting. They were probably disputing which had been longer in the business. For over twenty years Polly cracked sunflower seeds on the mezzanine and squawked at kids who tried to steal them. Why, in a few years the bloated birdocrat would have been eligible for the Canadian Picture Pioneers. It seemed to be always shaking its head and pondering the people who directed sweet and stereotyped phrases at it, Perhaps it was meditating on what fools these mortals be. It studied them with one blase eye. A long time ago a no-good guy jabbed a pencil into the other. On one occasion Tom, who likes parrots and has one at home, put the bounce on a heel who pushed: a lighted cigarette into the cage. It was found dead one morning. Likely bored to death from hearing: “Pollywan’acracker?” flung at it thousands of times per week. Who wouldn’t be? Pascal Will Move To Montreal Montreal will become the pro duction centre for Gabriel Pascal’s filmization of G. B. Shaw’s plays. The producer and his staff of technicians surveyed two other cities, Toronto and Ottawa, before making a decision. 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