Canadian Moving Picture Digest (May 1, 1940)

Canadian Picture Pioneers CANADIAN EDUCATIONAL Film Booking Office which distributed its product through Canadian Educational, at the time that Oscar Hanson had the idea to make Educational a general film distributing company of many trademarks, including British Films, had its offices at 277 ‘Victoria Street, Toronto. Walter Kennedy joined the Educational and has been associated with Oscar Hanson since that time, being at present in charge of publicity for Empire-Universal. CLAIR HAGUE While on the subject of Empire-Universal, I glance through the biography of Clair Hague, one of the first pioneers of motion pictures in Canada. Clair Hague has been associated with Universal Pictures since 1913, when Universal took over the Canadian Film Company and called it the Canadian Universal Film Exchange. He was General Manager of Universal until August of 1937, when Universal product was taken over by EmpireUniversal Film Company Ltd. He has continued with Universal Pictures as the Canadian Representative since that date. ' HYPNOTIST AND MIND READER Clair Hague is one of the best known men in the film industry in Canada. In 1901, he was touring with the Empire Hypnotic Vaudeville Company, as Hypnotist and Mind Reader. No wonder he always know how much money to ask an exhibitor, he read their mind and then hypnotized them. In 1902 he was assistant to Jack Lee and did a burlesque magic act with Brantford Minstrels. In 1903 Mr. Hague was with Dr. L. R. Lee’s Medicine Show as Motion Picture Operator, following which he had his own Motion Picture Show playing Chatham, etc. In 1904, Mr. Hague was with the Fontaine-Manley Carnival Company opening his tour at Sarnia and touring through Canada. In 1905-6, .Mr. Hague was with the E. R. Benjamin Shows and Patterson Carnival Company. In these days the showman took his machine and films out on the road showing his pictures in the varous towns just as long as the business was good. The “store show” then came into existence because a vacant store could be utilized by the showman for the presentation of his films. John C. Greene of Ottawa, a medicine and magic showman, still: alive and still working, had the first travelling ‘moving picture show. It was custamary to rent chairs for patrons from undertakers, and.when John C. Greene operated his store show he had to do without: the: undertaker’s chairs whenever there was a funeral, therefore, the patrons were obliged to stand. CONGRATULATIONS BOYS! But I defy anybody to get a word in with Haskell Masters and Ray Lewis around. JOHNNY COHN “THE ALLENS” In 1906, Jule and J. J. Allen who were living in Bradford, Penn., saw that the nickel show was proving popular entertainment. Mr. Barney Allen their father had a jewellery shop, but was convinced that the nickel show was a better business. Mr. Jule Allen who had left school when he was about seventeen, heard that at Hamilton, Ontario, factories were going up which would give employment; and that there was no nickel show there. He decided to go to, Hamilton, Ontario, to see if he could rent a store. Hamilton was then a town of about fifty thousand. Mr. Jule Allen found it impossible to get an empty store in ‘Hamilton and took the train for Bradford,,Ontario, thinking that the similarity of name with his own home town might bring luck. Brantford had no Movies and on Colbourne Street, which was one of the town’s main streets, Mr. Allen found an enipty store and rented it, calling the store the Theatorium. At one end of the room a white sheet was tacked on the wall, on a rough board frame, at the other end of the room was the machine. A few hundred chairs were obtained from an} undertaker and the career of The Allens in motion pictures began. The show was continuous, admission five cents, the attendance increased and soon The Allens built the Wonderland Theatre at a cost of a few thousand dollars. The chairs failed to arrive for the opening, so chairs were again borrowed and placed along one side of the theatre, the first patrons getting the seats, the others had to stand. Harry de Kane was brought from Detroit to sing Illustrated Songs at $35.00 per’ week, and The Allen family said they never heard of such a salary, and just for singing. The second theatre venture for The Allens again proved so successful that a third theatre was opened at Brantford, by Bill Karry, who came from London, Ontario. Ernie Moule sang the illustrated songs and his wife played the piano. This is the same Karry of Bowling Alley fame. BEN CRONK Ben Cronk who was born in Brantford, Ontario, joined The Allens when they opened the Theatorium, Mr. Cronk oper ated the machine and later the Wonderland. In 1909, Mr. Cronk, Sr., purchased these two theatres from the Allens, the Theatorium was wrecked by a gas explosion, and on the death of Mr. Cronk, Sr., Mr. Ben Cronk sold out his interest in the Wonderland and rejoined the Allens at the Gem ‘heatre. In 1910 Mr. Cronk went to Calgary to operate at the Monarch. Later on he managed the Monarch the Rex and the Allen Theatres in Calgary, supervising the equipping and openings of the Allens’ Western Theatres. In 1917, Mr. B. Cronk returned to Toronto to open the Allen Theatre at Richmond and Victoria streets, and supervised the opening of all the Allen Theatres in Ontario, in Quebec, at Cleveland, etc., later joining the Famous-Players in 1923 as Theatre Supervisor. Ill-health forced Mr. Cronk to resign his position, until 1925 when Mr. Cronk formed-his own company specializing in theatrical advertising and displays. ALLEN CIRCUIT Returning to the career of the Allen Bros., during the space of a few years Mr. Barney Allen, their late father, and Jule and J. J. Allen, later on Herbert Allen had a chain of theatres from coast to coast in Canada, they had two theatres in two of the most important cities in the United States, and were interested in a theatre proposition for England, in 1919, when the depression slump began to hit the markets and to upset the economic equilibrium of the world. LIGHTNING BOY CARTOONIST Mr. Ben Cronk, who comes from United Empire Loyalist stock and who is of Irish and Dutch ancestry, started in show business at the age of fourteen, booked as the Lightning Boy Cartoonist with the Brantford Minstrels, with which Clair Hague was associated. Later on, Mr. Cronk joined his talents with those of Clair —— Shipping Dept Film Inspection De CANADIAN UNIVERSAL FILM COMPANY Richmond Street, Toronto,