Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Aug 14, 1954)

AUGUST 14, 1954 | On the Beam (Continued from Page 1) where prints have had a long run or where there are older prints that distributors may decide to rerelease. Bill states that the new equipment will recondition prints perfectly with one exception, they cannot remOye scratches. The Council of Motion Picture Organizations, Inc., otherwise known as COMPO, has been runMing a series of ads in Editor & Publisher, the 24th in the series appearing in the issue of Aug. 7th, and serving to point up the basic differences between the Motion Picture Industry and Television. “Movies are supported entirely by money the public pays at the boxoffice,” the ad says. “They get this public support solely on their merits as entertainment. If a picture pleases the public it succeeds, if not it fails. It’s as simple as that.” ; “Furthermore,” the ad _ contnues, “in an effort to persuade the public to support its pictures, the motion picture industry spends a considerable sum on advertising, Most of it in the newspapers. Thus the movies are a source of newspaper revenue.” “Television, on the other hand, derives its income solely from advertising. In other words, it is an advertising medium, just like the newspapers, magazines, radio and billboards.” _ Purpose of the ad was expansion of a theme brought up in a recent editorial in Editor & Publisher, that discussed the newsPapers’ practice of giving FREE snace to television programs while charging top rates for movie ads. World premiere of Paramount’s Alfred Hitchcock production, “Rear Window,” was held last week at the Rivoli Theatre, New York, before more than 2,000 social, civic and business leaders, celebrities and members of the buying public. Proceeds from the premiere were turned over to the American-Korean Foundation for relief work in Korea. One of the leading sponsors of the premiere was President Syngman Rhee of Korea. All reports on the picture indicate “Hitch” has done it again, turning out another smash suspense-packed hit. Just to clear the air of all confusion in respect to this year’s Grandstand Show at the Canadian National Exhibition, Aug. 27thSept. 11th, we are advised as we go to press that Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, “Trigger,” and the entire troupe will definitely perform at the Grandstand, with all unions in volved apparently satisfied, for the present at least. Incidentally, Jack Arthur’s many friends will be glad to know that he is fully recovered from his recent illness, and he and Midge are hard at work on final preparations for this year’s show. No one man can claim credit for television. It is the product of many minds, another triumph of mass production. Television’s beginnings cannot be traced to a single year, cither. But here, in outline, is the start and the development of television: 1873 A telegraph operator named May, at work in Ireland, noticed his instrument worked differently on sunny days than on cloudy days. This suggested light and shadow could be transmitted. 1875 The first crude television set built by G. R. Carey of Boston. 1880 Leblanc developed the principle of television scanning — breaking a picture into small bits and then sending them out to the receiving point where they could be reassembled into the picture. 1884 Paul Nipkow took out a patent in Germany for scanning a picture by means of a spinning disk — mechanical scanning. 1888 Photoelectric cells built and demonstrated. 1898 Karl F. Braun discovered electrons can be controlled by magnetism and their path traced on a fluorescent screen. 1906 Lee de Forest invented the three-element vacuum tube, 1907 Boris Rosing, a Russian, patented a television system employing mechanical pickup equipment. (Continued next week) CW Siations (Continued from Page i) Moncton, Brandon, Peterborough and Sault Ste. Marie. Granting of the four new TV authorities means that there are now 20 licensed privately owned stations. There are also eight TV stations owned by the CBC. “PRICES **Twack Of The Cat” Unusual Color Film Director William A. Wellman is turning out something new in color films in “Track of the Cat,” Batjac CinemaScope and WarnerColor production for Warners, by using sets, costumes and backgrounds that are almost entirely black and white with only several spots of vivid color to point up the action. The technique will focus audience attention on the actors’ faces in closeups, and in long shots which will make it easier to follow the acticn. Aside from the flesh tints of faces of the stars, Robert Mitchum, Diana Lynn, Teressa Wright and Tab Hunter, and of featured players, the only colors will be a redand-black mackinaw worn by Mitchum and a yellow pongee blouse used by Diana Lynn, some blue tints in the ice and the natural colors of Mt. Rainier. U-I’s “The Shvike™ Jose Ferrer’s vicious wife in Universal-International’s picturization of the Pulitzer Prize play “The Shrike,” wiJl be June Allyson. The role will mark a change for Miss Allyson, who has been identified with more demure and homey assignments. The Joseph Kramm play will be made in September. PERKINS ELECTRIC CO, LTD. PAGE SEVEN } Crade Show (Continued from Page /) ture Industry. The Show will take place on November 23rd, 24th and | 25th, and will open daily at 12 noon and continue until 8 p.m. | The times of the Trade Show and | the agenda of the Convention have been arranged to eliminate any conflicting activities, thus ensuring that a wider representation of exhibitors will be able to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Trade Show. A sizeable percentage of any profit accruing to the operation will be handed over by the Industry Council to the Benevolent Fund of the Pioneers. NIB Drive (Continued from Page 1!) The objective is for each branch to exceed the bookings obtained last year. A quota has been set up for each branch calculated on the number of units booked during the same period last year. In order_. to qualify for —prize—nioney the branch must exceed this quota — that is, better last year’s performance. The winner is judged by the greatest increase over quota. This is a unit drive, not a billing drive; in other words, every booking is equal regardless of the value. OPTICAL CINEMAS$COPE Perkins have it! MONTREAL VANCOUVER TORONTO MONCTON