Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Jul 31, 1954)

JULY 31, 1954 On the Beam (Continuedfrom Page 1) in many a moon. Filmed in CinemaScope, with color by Ansco, and co-starring Howard Keel and Jane Powell, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” is a worthy addition to a long list of outstanding musicals from Culver City. The smartest move the distributors have made in the past two years, in the opinion of this column, is the decision to eliminate the pre-release policy for so many top-bracket pictures. We never could see the sense of this policy, and in conversation with many of the General Sales Managers, we found an almost unanimity of feeling along the same lines. Our own objections to the pre-release idea, centered around the fact that a terrific publicity campaign directed towards a certain picture, has lost all its force by the time the general release comes through, and the extra revenue gained by the pre-release engagements is all-too frequently obtained at the expense of the general release engagements, which fail to obtain the extended runs they deserve, or the gross they should achieve. Exhibitors should be very happy to learn that Columbia, for example, plans to keep “The Caine Mutiny” in steady distribution, with the result that all theatres will have a chance to play it, while the publicity is hot. The picture is piling up fantastic grosses throughout the U.S. and in virtually all its early engagements is running well ahead of “From Here To Eternity”, Columbia’s Academy Award winner last year. The same applies to Warner Bros.’ CinemaScope hit, “High and Mighty” which in its first 200 engagements is grossing way ahead of “Hondo.” For the fifth time in 15 years, the lineups at Loew’s, Toronto, are extending up Yonge Street and along Shuter, for the SAME picture. It’s almost unbelievable, and if we had not seen it ourselves, we might have doubted it, but that amazing motion picture, “Gone With The Wind”, on its FIFTH time around, is still topping the town. David O, Selznick’s MGM release is, as everyone knows, the biggest grosser in the history of the Motion Picture Industry, with, as I recall, over $40,000,000 in the till before this release, and another $15,000,000 anticipated for its Sth release. The lineups at Loew’s, Toronto, indicate that MGM has not set their sights too high for the latest re-issue release. CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST Alcwoss Che Country Toronto and District Gurston Allen made a brave start in the men’s senior singles of the Canadian Lawn Tennis Championships in Toronto but went down to defeat in the second round when he bowed to Ralph Tailby of Kitchener in straight sets. e e e Brantford had a parade of bands in the business district and Manager Bill Burke of the Capitol Theatre got into the act by having each of the units make a halt to play a selection in front of the theatre while, inside, “The Greatest Show On Earth” was on the screen. It was Saturday afternoon and a big crowd gathered .. . At the same time balloons with free passes were released from the theatre front. e td e Paul Frost has left the Famous Players organization to join the Ottawa Valley Amusement Co., General Manager Russ Simpson assigning him to the O'Brien Theatre, Almonte. Frost had recently been assistant manager of the Ottawa, Capitol and was at the Odeon in Brantford some time ago. e e e Famous Players Canadian Corp., common stock recently hit a high of $25 in trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange and later levelled off a fraction below that mark. The market price compares with the $23.50 at which a block of shares was sold to the public last May. e e ° Something new has been introduced as a convenience to patrons by L. J. Williams of the Port Elmsley Drive-In in Eastern Ontario with the running of a special bus service Tuesday and Thursday nights starting at eight o’clock from the Russell Hotel at Smiths Falls. The bus follows a regular time-table and picks up passengers for the theatre at intermediate points, returning immediately after the show. Ottawa Danny Kaye’s “Knock On Wood” has just completed a record-breaking engagement in Ottawa. The comedy opened at the Capitol Theatre, played one week to big business and then was switched over to the Regent where it has just ended a solid three additional weeks. e e ° An Ottawa lady lost her chance to take a jackpot of $2,950 when she failed to answer her name or confirm her attendance by registered card last Wednesday night. A few weeks previously another local resident was resting at home when his name bobbed up during the Foto-Nite draw at seven Uptown and neighborhood theatres. It appears that his name was registered in the weekly contest some months ago by a member of his family who failed to advise him of the gag. e ° ° The Kidnappers, like Tennyson’s brook, continues to run on and on, long after it broke all known hold-over records in Ottawa. The British-made production is now in its third month at the Glebe Cinema and with no apparent signs of a let-up at the box-office of this National Service theatre on Bank Street in the Glebe residential district. Maritimes His many friends throughout the Maritimes will sympathize with Mr. Eric Patterson, booker at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at the death of his mother, Mrs. Duncan Patterson, who passed away at the General Hospital, Saint John, last week. ° e e The Family Drive-In theatre, first of its kind on the Minamichi, has been opened at Bushville half-way between the towns of Chatham and Newcastle . . . It is equipped with 300 in-car speakers and has a screen 40 by 80 feet. (Continued on Page 7) THE CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST Entered as Second Closs Matter JAY L. SMITH Editor-in-Chief MAX CHIC Associate Editor e Address all moil to the Publisher CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST COMPANY, LIMITED 21 Dundas Squore Toronto Telephone: EMpire 8-8696 Cable: Raydigest Established 1915 Publication weekly Subscription: $5.00 yearly — Correspondents — BRUCE PEACOCK Regina, Sask. JACK DROY Vancouver, B.C. WILL McLAUGHLIN . Oftewa, Ont. BILL PRESS Toronto, Ont. HELEN CROWLEY. . St. John, N.B. New Korda Distribution Through Romulus Films In a deal concluded in London recently, future output of the Korda production group will be distributed in Britain and the Commonwealth through Romulus Films, independent company formed by John Woolf when he left the Rank group some few years back. The change in Korda distribution follows the government foreclosure on British Lion and the appointment of a receiver and manager. The new deal will give Romulus an additional four major films « year and they will now have an annual program of eight to ten films. They will retain a financial interest in the distribution rights of the Korda product in the U.S. First of the Korda films to go through Romulus release will be the new Carol Reed opus, “A Kid For Two Farthings.” Edward Zorn Honored At Winnipeg Luncheon Edward A. Zorn, Famous Players’ supervisor of the Winnipeg territory, was honored there on his retirement at a luncheon meeting. Among those who came to praise the 60-year-old executive were John J. Fitzgibbons, Sr., president of the company; Father Athol Murray of Notre Dame College, Wilcox, Sask.; Robert J. Eves, general manager of the western division, who was toastmaster: Frank Davis, Warner Bros. branch manager, who represented the Winnipeg Film Board of Trade, and S, Richard Miles, president of the Manitoba Motion Picture Exhibitors Association, SENNETT TURNS ACTOR Mack Sennett, famous producer of silent screen comedies, turned actor at Universal to play in “Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kop”. sith. 2 ©