Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Oct 16, 1954)

OCTOBER 16, 1954 COLUMBIA PROFITS (Continued from Page 1) equalled $4.41 based on 757,843 shares outstanding, compared with $.90 cents the previous year. As a result of the tremendous increase in profits, the Board of Directors at a meeting held Tuesday, October Sth, declared a dividend of $1.00 in cash on its Common Stock and Voting Trust Certificates for Common _ Stock, payable Nov. 3, 1954 to stockholders qf record October 19th, 1954, plus a 5% stock dividend payable in Common Stock on Dec. 7th, 1954, to stockholders of record October 19th, 1954, Cash will be paid where fractional shares of Common Stock are due. Based on current market price for the Common Stock, approximately $33 per share, the dividend declared, cash and stock, equals approximately $2.65 per share, in comparison with a twenty-five cent dividend paid last year. Sensational earnings of the motion picture, “From Here To Eternity” was a prime factor in the spectacular profit rise for Columbia Pictures last year. With “The: Caine Mutiny” and “On The Waterfront” currently in release and doing equally spectacular business, plus the company’s first CinemaScope production, “The Long Grey Line” scheduled for release at the beginning of the new year, Columbia should be headed for an even more profitable year than the record-breaking 1953-54 period. Barefoot Contessa With Perspecta Sound United Artists’ “Barefoot Contessa” starring Ava Gardner and Humphrey Bogart, and which made its bow in New York at the Capitol Theatre last week, is the first film to come from UA, bearing a Perspecta Sound signal optical track. The use or lack of use of Perspecta Sound with its features has nothing to do with company policy, a UA executive stated, declaring that what kind of sound a picture will contain is a decision to be made by the producer and his associates. There will be no degree of consistency, the executive declared, since, some will have Perspecta Sound, some CinemaScope films might have magnetic tracks and some regular films might have just a plain optical sound track. Aeross Toronto and District Toronto exhibitors are not the only ones to be hounded by night prowlers who generally cause more property damage than loss of cash. In Eastern Ontario, the Piccadilly Theatre at Williamsburg and the Winchester Theatre, Winchester, had recent break-ins without arrests. On two successive nights, Oct. 4 and 5, the Cartier Theatre in Hull, Que., had burglaries of minor nature. e e e Odeon headoffice executives, headed by General Manager Dave Griesdorf, travelled to Montreal for the second regional conference of managers this year which was held October 4-5 at the Ritz-Carlton. The meeting was featured by the prize presentations for the 1954 Odeon Big Show Campaign, the Montreal winners including Art Bahen, Quebec District supervisor, Manager Jacques Martin and Assistant Manager G. Drouin of the Mercier Theatre. Martin was a winner last year, too. e es e New members of the Motion Picture Theatres Association of Ontario have been announced by Arch H. Jolley, executive secretary, as follows: Jack Cohen, Skylark Drive-In, Sault Ste. Marie, and Fred J, Campbell, Plaza Theatre, Tilbury. Country e ° e The Windsor, Ont., Film Society is giving its third series of Sunday evening club performances which are not staged in a theatre but at the Prince Edward Hotel. The season opened October 3 with a program consisting of the French picture, “The Baker's Wife,” and the NFB short “Neighbors.” e e e Manager Wilf Larose of the Palace Theatre, St. Catharines, had a nice tie-in for the engagement of “New Faces” in CinemaScope, commencing October 4, with Cavers Bros. music store, the latter using displays and special advertising for song recordings of Eartha Kitt, unique star of the picture. Maritimes A theatre at Bedford, Nova Scotia, — about six miles from Halifax, owned by Mr, William A. Purcell, was destroyed by fire of undertermined origin last week, causing damage estimated at $70,000. The theatre was empty at the time. Firemen from the Bedford Fire Department and the Bedford Naval Magazine fought the blaze for three hours before bringing it under control. ° e e A party of Famous Players’ executives including Messrs. J. J. Fitzgibbons, R. W. Bolstad, Morris Stein, J. McDonough, Halifax, Maritime Provinces district manager, J. J. Fitzgibbons, Jr., representing Theatre Confections Ltd, and Mr. Norman Rae, Montreal Branch Manager for Theatre Confections Ltd., visited Saint John this week. Mr. Fitzgibbons and his party had several reasons for visiting Saint John and other points in the Maritime Provinces — to look over the company’s propertues, meet the firm's partners, and associates, and discuss with them the prospects of the film industry. We also inducted two Saint John employees, J. J. Fitzgerald of the “C apitol” staff, and W. J. Chase of the “Paramount” staff into the Famous Players’ “25 Year C lub” at a dinner at the Admiral Beatty Hotel. Four other long-time employees from Nova Scotia were also inducted. All received jewelled pins and engraved wrist-watches. Their wives were presented engraved compacts for “sacri ficing so many hours of their husbands’ time,” Prairies Grand Theatre in Regina, the only one in the city with a coffee bar, has extended its facilities with the addition of another such unit on the opposite side of the foyer, to accommodate sixteen persons. The coffee bar, open from 8.30 a.m. to 10.30 pum. Monday to Saturday, is managed by Rubie Westvelt. The Grand’s original coffee bar proved so popular that tables had to be set up in the theatre lobby during rush hours. Space at one time occupied by a barber shop, and later a gift shop, has been utilized, (Continued on Page 6) COPLAN (Continued from Page J) tries Co. Lid., as Managing Direec-— tor. The announcement from CFIC also stated that Mr. Coplan had become a Managing Director of Film Laboratories of Canada Ltd. and Audio Pictures Ltd., associated companies under the presidency of Arthur Gottlieb, Before returning to Canada to take over his new post, Mr. Coplan was Managing Director of International Film Distributors Ltd. in the United Kingdom. W. Herbert Chairs Awards Mgmt. Group Walter Herbert will again head the management committee of Canadian Film Awards. Herbert was elected at a meeting of the management committee, which also laid plans for the seventh annual competition. Keep Your Eyes On JACK LABOW The announcement naming Jack Labow as Canadian General Manager for RKO came as no surprise to those people who had followed his rapid advancement in the film industry. A short seven years ago, Sept. 1947, and as a student-salesman for RKO in Winnipeg was the beginning of Jack Labow’s rise to top man in one of our major distribution companies. Starting with RKO Jack quickly advanced from position to position, always within the ranks of the RKO organization in Canada, The policy of RKO to promote from within its own ranks has borne full fruit in Jack Labow’s experience. From Winnipeg Jack came to Toronto as salesman in March, 1948, hecame branch manager for RKO in July 1949 and the company’s Canadian general manager in February, 1954, Proud of his young and vigorous organization and backed with the selling of Pinocchio and French Line which broke with all previous precedent, Jack’s Canadian RKO division set a new record in a recently completed sales drive. Along with all RKO divisions the Canadian organization is now in the midst of a 20-week ‘sales incentive’ drive. Jack was born in Winnipeg in 1915, His pretty wife, Marjorie, two girls and a boy round out his personal organization, Se a NE eS... a ———_—— THE CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST, Entered os Second Class Matter. Jay L, Smith, Editor-in-Chief; Mex Chic, Associate Editor, Correspondents: Bruce Peacock, Regine, Sesk » Jack Droy, Vancouver, B.C.; Will McLaughlin, Ottawa, Ont.; Bill Press, Toronto, Ont.; Digest Company, Limited, 21 Dundas Square, Toronto, Telephone: EMpire 8-8696. Cable: Helen Crowley, St, John, N.B. Address all mail to the Publisher, Conadian Moving Picture Roydigest, Estoblished 1915, Publication weekly, Subscription: $5.00 yearly.