Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Mar 6, 1954)

MARCH 6, 1954 CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST Kay Presents HAVE never heard Mr. Herbert J. Yates discussing our business in a pessimistic tone. I have never seen Mr. Yates “down in the mouth,” which expression I interpret to mean, crying bad times. I have seen and talked with Mr. Yates many times, dating back to our early years, and I have always admired his optimistic spirit, his sense of values, his down-to-earth policies, his showmanship and his spirit of perpetual youth. I have known him a sufficient number of years, to know how old he is, but what he has done to the March of Time, is to have pushed the years back, walked up at the head of the march, keeping in step with the youngest of our leaders. HIS always happens, when the creative forces are kept active, and our, objective is not directed towards waiting for the day, when we can retire. Nursing that thought, can make any one of us grow old, and incapacitated, quicker than any other thought of which I know. It is harassing and tiring, not to have sufficient time to breathe deeply, and this condition is not conducive towards maintaining good health, it may even fertilize a crop of ulcers, but the dead weight of, all the time in the world, and no job, nor responsibility, is the fastest way, in which we can melt away, of which I know. IME is something which we cannot touch, taste, sec, hear or smell, unless you wish to argue, that the rising and setting of the sun, is something, which we see, and with which we can measure time. But there is time, after the sun sets, and we have calendars, which mark weeks, months and years for us, all computed in the measure of Time. But all of these are not Time, Time which is, but without an existence, and Time which can accumulate to such a state of weight, if not used, that its pressure can weigh us down. HERE must be something of the Elixir of Life flowing through Show Business, which keeps the veterans of it actively alive. A stamina which belongs to that generation, we call our Mothers’ and Fathers’, and which some of us inherited, despite scientific and statistical reports, which reveal the life-span has increased today. Perhaps, the life-span has for the people in other businesses, but for Show Folks, who talks about how old you are? Who cares? ; The only tune, we become conscious of our years, is when we do something which we regret, or we have, as we say, “missed the bus’, then we say to ourselves, “I am old enough to have known better.” UT to return to our still young, Herbert Yates, who with Mrs. Yates, left recently for Europe. f Mr. Yates attributes increased box-office returns, on pic tures, to the better quality of pictures which are being presented, plus the added appeal in the stories selected, which better pictures, Mr. Yates calls, “the lifeline of the Industry.” In commenting on Republic’s product, the president of the company stated, that producers are aware, that pictures cannot be just manufactured, they must, if they are to get big results, be hand-tooled. Republic pictures already completed are at a production cost of $15,000,000, stated Mr. Yates, and include Jubilee Trail, starring Vera Ralston; Joan Crawford in Johnny Guitar and Make Haste To Live; Laughing Anne and Trouble In The Glen, The Outcast, The Shanghai Story. ES picture will have a gala opening, and,a_campaign similar to the one given to, Jubilee Trail. “Campaigns are most important to make the public aware of big pictures,” said Mr. Yates. Empire-Universal distributes Republic Pictures, in Canada, and while I am mentioning Empire-Universal, I must say, that it gives me great pleasure to note, that, The Glenn Miller Story, has even surpassed its box-office expectations. Months ago, when I was talking to Al Perry, EmpireUniversal President, he told me how good, The Glenn Miller Story was. I am accustomed to hearing Distributors tell me how good are certain pictures of theirs, but Al Perry keeps busy selling pictures and you know, he has a tremendous driving force. He does not do much talking, and so, when he said to me, “wait until you see this picture, The Glenn Miller Story, Ray, it’s really something to shout about’, I knew, that he was not publicizing, he meant what he said, and I took what he said seriously, because he generally knows what he is talking about. HEN I saw the pre-release showing, I knew, that, The Glenn Miller Story had “It”, a quality of Entertain ment which can best be described as, “hitting the Jack-pot.” This was “It”, the “It” for which all producers hungrily strive, and for which all Distributors earnestly pray. You have seen Universal's top executives at work, and at play, the latter play-reference is when they have come to Toronto, and we have dined with them. It might have been play for us, but believe me, they were working. No wonder Universal is doing the business which it is doing all over the world. HIS applies to some other companies, whose executives, whose top men, and next in line are working like— you know the word I wish to use, but I do not wish use a swear-word now, because I have it in mind, to swear a little later on, and two “swears”, in one Ray Presents, I swear is too much. I do not care how good your trademark is, nor if its past performances are good, it certainly helps to sell, I do not care how good your pictures are, of course, if they are good, it more than helps, but if you take the selling for granted, believing in that beguiling adage “Nothing succeeds like success’, it is going to cost you thousands of dollars, perhaps, if the potentiality is there, millions of dollars, for, nothing succeeds like work, is closer to the truth. AKE United Artists as a recent living example, could any company have been closer to extinction than was United Artists? It is not necessary for me, to remind you, how from the very top, they all worked. The same thing will happen with RKO, if Jimmy Grainger and Walter Boasberg can get everyone working to their respective speed. I was glad to note, that Jack Labow's District, Canada, was first in the “Billings Drive.’ Congratulations Jack, it is a good start. Jack Labow, I have known ever since he was a young lad, his mother was secretary of the Women's Division, Wingate Branch, War Veterans, B.E.S.L., of which Branch 1 was founder and President for thirteen years. jack LABOW was going to school, in those years, and I remember when his mother first told me, “He's in your motion picture business.” (Continued on Page 7)