The Canadian Motion Picture Exhibitor (Dec 1, 1941)

r December Ist, 1941 Ark Royal In Film Britain’s most famed aircraft carrier, H.M.S. Ark Royal, which was sunk recently after an heroic career in this war, will be featured in a forthcoming English film, “Ships With Wings.” It gets official billing as a featured player in the credit titles of “Ships With Wings,’’ Michael Balcon’s new Fleet Air Arm film, starring John Clements, Jane Baxter, Leslie Banks, Ann Todd, Michael Wilding and cast of hundreds, just completed at Ealing Studios and due for early showing. The credit titles give the Carrier a “card” all to itself, and the film is dedicated to the ship and to.the officers and men of the Fleet Air Arm, whose co-operation made the production possible. Strangely enough, the Ark Royal does not technically appear as itself, but it plays a character part. It portrays an aircraft carrier called “H.M.S. Invincible.” But the formal statement on the screen denying that there is any reference to real persons in the story has no foundation in fact in this particular case. Although the story and characters are entirely fictional, the aircraft carrier is undoubtedly the Ark Royal itself. The “Invincible” in the film, is the first specially designed Aircraft Carrier; and that is just what the Ark Royal was. And it is the Ark Royal “in person” that is seen on the screen. The Admiralty co-operated with Ealing Studios in the production of “Ships With Wings.” Director Sergei Nolbandov was given every opportunity to make his scenes authentic. Large-scale reproductions of the Ark Royal were built in the studio—the flight deck alone took up most of the largest sound stage. Technical experts were always present to guarantee authenticity. FOR BRIGHTER MORE DEPENDABLE LIGHT USE EDISON MAZDA LAMPS MADE IN CANADA CANADIAN GENERAL ELECTRIC Ci... The Exhibitor Picture Pickups By TAP KEYES This is a yarn about yarn. Even if you’re a mere male and not overly-bright, it isn’t hard to see that the cross-stab and stitch kids have the floor. The call to duty has set the girls to weaving artistic and useful articles of wool in their off-hours. More than that. The wool has confounded wooers, what with most femmes being fenced in by yarn in a state of transformation. The girls in the head office of Empire-Universal have been giving their spare noon time to “Sittin’ and Knittin’ for Britain.” They buy the wool themselves. They’ve had letters of thanks from the Lord Mayor of Manchester and. others. % *K Ba Ba x Eo CS * But one letter they got nourished their souls and intensified their patriotism. Mrs. Janet H. Allen of Dennistown, Glasgow, sent it. To the girls at Empire-Universal it’s a passport to pride, a visa to victory. You’ll understand why when you read this deeply human document. * * * * E4 “My dear girls,’ writes Mrs. Allen. “I, as a very humble member of our Women’s Voluntary Services for Civil Defence (WVS), wish to thank you for a box of the most beautiful woollies etc., which I had the very great privilege of opening at one of our rest centres. They were received by our Lord Provost and distributed to a district which well knows the horrors of this war. I can assure you that some mother will think of you most gratefully, and, could you have seen the joy of my fellow-workers and heard their comments and praises of your beautiful work, I believe you would have thought it all worth while. We are indeed grateful to you for enabling us to give to some sorely distressed mother the the joy of receiving such lovely baby things. cy og * % oy “Even now, though, as winter draws on, and we well know what to expect from our enmies, and the need we shall have of such good friends as yourselves, we are not downhearted and we can look forward and beyond the winter to the time when all this will be a memory. You would see, could you visit us, no sign of despair. We are one great family on our little isle, working together cheerfully and without tiring, so as to be able to join all the sooner in the ‘Victory Brawl.’ “In our Service we have an information staff of which I am a member who give what time they can to meeting the trains and supplying the necessary information and help to the boys in the Forces. We get so many of your boys and we are proud and happy to do all we can to make them feel at home in our midst. They are grand fellows and we find it easy to be kind to them. Those of you who have husbands, brothers, sons or sweethearts in the mother country, be assured that they are happy. We have clubs where they are well cared for, and where they have their own papers, meet their friends and are entertained, I think to most of them it is a great adventure they would not have missed, and I wish you could sometimes hear the echo of their songs. By the volume of these songs sometimes, I am sure you almost could. * % + Eo * “They tell us they like it here, and I am sure, when we so gratefully send them back to you, with the freedom they have fought for so well and truly won, they will tell you the same. Their frequent expression is ‘this is a swell country.’ And again I would say, those of you who have loved ones over here and are worrying over them, DON’T. “T am enclosing a sprig of heather, which I hope will bring you all the good luck we all wish ourselves. Continue your splendid work, girls. You could give no more valuable aid if you were here among us. We all send the thanks which there are no words to express. Such gifts make us feel that we are surely not forgotten, and help us through the blackest times. “Perhaps I should say that the box I had the pleasure of opening contained, among all the other beautiful things, a little pink bonnet. To the maker of this, especial thanks. * % * * * “May God, whose help shall come, not too soon, and not too late, but just when it is most needed, bless you, and keep you from all the horrors of war until this cause prevails, and the nations are again free. “Again—‘thank you.’ ” Page 9 Maybe the Picture Deserved It? Al Liscombe, now a projectionist, was an exhibitor in the strong, silent days—when $7.00 per ton of coal made dad mad at the high cost of living caused by the war. The last one. Al owned the Greenwood, now the Guild, in Toronto. _ In the pre-giveaway days the exhibitor was often the projectionist. He was of a hardy breed. None of your cushy booths of these push-button days. Liscombe recalls that most rooms had an opening in the roof to let the smoke out. At the end of the winter playing day the snow had to be shovelled out of the booth. Liscombe’s greatest thrill in the business came the night a bolt of lightning shot through the opening at the Orpheum. Just made a melted mess of metal out of the projection machine. But spared him. Heavenly film criticism ? “Them wuz the days,” says Al. “And you can have ’em.” Show TB Trailer This year again Canadian theatres are donating screening time in aid of the Christmas Seal campaign of the Canadian Tuberculosis Association. This year’s special trailer features the four links in the chain of victory: men, money, munitions, and morale. The importance of morale is stressed, and the fact that health of the nation has a large bearing on that link in the chain. CONTRACT SALES OFFICE PHONE TR.1257 G™4 FLOOR 8 ge Sia