Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Apr-Sep 1918)

THE CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST. Roberts Leaving Regent Theatre Well Known Manager Severs Connection With Prominent House. Mr. Roland Roberts, who for some time past has been manager of the Regent theatre, Toronto, announces to the Digest that he has tendered his resignation to take effect immediately. Mr. Roberts’ successor has not yet been named. Mr. Roberts started his exhibitor career at the Regent. Later he was transferred to the St. Denis theatre, Montreal, and recently came back to Toronto to take the place of Mr. Griffith Mitchell, when that gentleman left for the United States. As manager of the Regent, Mr. Rolerts made many warm personal friends among his ptrons. He was instrumental in securing some good publicity and advertising in conneetion with various Regent attractions on account of his wide acquaintance with Toronto people of note. : Mr. Roberts’ future plans have not yet been announced. Films Suited For Children to be Stamped More .Effective .Plans of Movie Censorship Are Outlined by . Provincial Secretary. Plans for more effective censorship cf moving pictures in Alberta have been announced by Provincial Seeretary Hon. George P. Smith. It is being arranged that all pictures which are suitable for children may be endorsed as such by the ehief censor and the houses then offering them may make use of the censor's endorsement in their advertising. Mr. Smith has also under consideration the certifying of such pictures as are not beneficial to children and they may be prohibited from attending, but this has not yet been brought to maturity. ; Mr. Smith thinks that great benefit will result from the approval of films specially for children and hopes that parents whose children are patrons of the movies will profit by the new move of the government. FILMS PROJECTED ON CEILINGS FOR THE WOUNDED. The problem of how to amuse wounded soldiers who are unable to sit up has been solved in a simple manner, it is declared by the Y.M.C.A,, at the base hospital in the camps. Portable motion picture projectors are so stationed as to use the ceiling as a sereen, and all the patient lying on his back need do is to look up. Don't be bullied into paying more than you can afford. Go gle” PLENTY OF BOOKINGS. More than fifteen houses have already signed with Specialty for Montreal alone for the latest Pathe serial, “‘Hands Up.’’ The Montreal manager of Specialty has just returned from Ottawa with eontracts for the Dominion, Casino, Rex and Cinema theatres, besides a few options. Business certainly looks good for ‘‘Hands Up’’ everywhere in Canada. The Screen is a Great News Agency People Go To Movies for Information as Well as Amusement.’ It has become an established fact that people go to the movies not only for amusement, but for education and information. The news weekly has become a regular feature of nearly every program for that reason. Just as the newspapers supply their public with feature news stories, so the exhibitor is anxious to secure feature news specialties, Now more than ever, particularly sinee the Military Serviee Act has so largely augmented Canada’s fighting forees, Canadians are interested in what the soldier is doing and what he will do after the war, especially if he eomes back badly wounded. The publie is already pretty well aware what he is doing — they have read stories of the fighting line, and seen war films a plenty. But they, and many of-those who are yet to go over* seas, know little of what the soldier will do, particularly if he is wounded—how thousands are being cared for in Canadian hospitals, and how hundreds are already making use of the industrial training courses offered by the government. . This is the story of the five-reel serial “* Canada's Work for Wounded Soldiers,’’ the government film which may be booked free of charge, as announced in an advertisement in this issue of The Digest. The first reel is devoted to hospital treatment, showing methods of treatment and how the men oceupy Page Nine their time during convalescence in gardening and other useful work. The next three reels show the progress of the work in industrial re-education in a large number of the 200 courses approved by the government. The concluding reel shows the manufacture and use of artifificial limbs. The serial, which took eight months to complete, involving trips from coast to coast, is remarkably constructed. It is a thoroughly professional production—the result of the collaboration of an experienced director of educational films, and a representative of the department thoroughly familiar with its” work. RITA JOLIVET MAY INCLUDE FAR EAST IN TRIP. Since the announcement that Rita Jolivet had made arrangements in econnection with the house of Frank Brockliss, to visit various countries in Europe with the prints of the Metro Special ‘‘Lest We Forget’’ some new developments have occured. Miss Jolivet is absolutely insistent upon the production being shown scene for scene just as produced here in America, to insure this fact she has agreed to include practically half the entire world in her trip, immediately following her visit to Europe. Sidney Garrett, president of Frank Brockliss, has asked her to include China, Japan, Egypt, India and Central and South America in her itinerary. ‘‘FOR HUSBANDS ONLY.’’ ‘‘For Husbands Only’’ the latest Jewel production is said to be a surefire winner, and the Canadian Universal have receibed a large number of inquiries from Canadian exhibitors comeerning this production. The title in itself is one that will get the business. Previous Jewel releases in Canada has convinced the exhibitors that these pictures are money-makers, and will attract large crowds to the box office. ‘‘Por Husbands Only’’ its a wonderful attraction from every viewpoint, and doubtless will be one of the most successful pictures ever introdnced to the Canadian Public. THE REASON WHY COPIES OF THE DIGEST GO ASTRAY The Digest from time to time receives complaints from a number of its subscribers to the effect that they do not receive their copies regularly.. Upon checking up our mailing lists here in Toronto ‘we find that their names are on the list and that their copies were mailed promptly. We have investigated several of these complaints for our own satisfaction,’ and have learned that when the copy of The Digest reaches a particular exchange or theatre it is immediately pounced on by some person other than the one to whom it is addressed. Naturally the subscriber does not receive the copy that was addressed to him from this office, and he writes in a letter of complaint, saying shat he has not received his copy of The Digest, and asking the reason why. . The ‘‘Reason Why’’ will likely be found in his particular theatre or exchange Our advice to subscribers is to keep a close watch on their incoming mail-matter, and see to it that no one ‘‘cops’’ off his copy of The Digest. Issue instructions that your copy of The Digest must be placed on your desk UNOPENED... Read it yourself FIRST—then ‘‘pass a good thing along,’’ and give it to the others to read. If some of your people don’t like the idea of getting a second-hand copy of The Digest, tell them to send us One Buck, and we will gladly mail The Digest to