Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Nov 13, 1954)

NOVEMBER 13, 1954 Seven From Ottawa In F.P. 25 Year Club Seven members of Ottawa’s Capitol Theatre staff were inducted into Famous Players’ 25-Year Club in Montreal on October 20. Three of the new members were projectionists, James McGuire, Abe Zumar and Peter Kehayes. Others were house superintendents Joe Demerah and Lionel Parker, cashier Miss M. Auclair, and theatre matron Mrs. Rose Stevens. Keep Your Eyes On HILLIS CASS 37 years is a long time to look back on, but this is what Hilly as he is called by his friends did when questioned about when he started in film business and it couldn’t have been a very “Hilly” road from the warm glow that lit up his eyes as he recalled his past. Yes 1917 is the year Hilly started in our business, beginning as an office boy with old Famous Players Canadian Co. at 15 years of age. When he was 16 he was transferred to its Saint John office becoming the manager when he was all of 19. Between his. sojourn with this company and his joining Regal Films, now known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures of Canada Ltd., he spent a year with Educational Films, first as its branch manager in Saint John and then as its Western division manager. 1924 a year, Hilly today treasures was the year he became special rep for Regal, travelling through the Maritimes, Quebec and Ontario. In 1927 he bacame Calgary branch manager, moving to Vancouver in June 1931 as branch manager and in August 1932, started his 21 year stint as branch manager in Montreal. He came to Toronto in 1953 where today he holds the position of general sales manager for MGM. All of this sounds like cold Statistics; but it isn’t to hear Hilly tell it, for this was his life, the full life that the film business can only provide. It has been a good ‘37’ years brim full with many friends, his wife Ruth, whom he met and married in Montreal and his two sons, Michael 14 and Peter 9 years of age. This is Hilly Cass, the man who is often referred to as that “crackerjack film salesman.” Across Toronto and District The Canadian Drive-In featured a season-end gesture for the local police in the area adjacent to St. Catharines when it arranged special performances Nov. 1-2 for the Grantham Township Police Association with a $1 per carload admission price. The program presented by the police organization consisted of “Babes in Bagdad” and “Phantom from Space.” Country e e e Manager Ed Burrows of the Odeon Theatre, Brantford, featured a “C”-Day for the Saturday morning juvenile show. The stunt consisted of “C” for cokes. There was a free drink as well as a miniature CocaCola bottle for each child. Major prize consisted of a Coca-Cola Cooler containing 12 full bottles for a lucky boy or girl. The feature of the film program was “Pigmy Island.” e es e Vincent Kelly, owner of the Empress Theatre, Kemptville, was honored in a special ceremony at a gathering of two hundred members and guests of Knights of Columbus Council No. 485, of which he is the Past Grand Knight. e e e Old-timers of the Canadian film industry felt a personal loss when news was received of the death Oct. 28 at Montreal of a real film pioneer, Charles Lalumiere, in his 79th year after a long illness. A native of Montreal, he started his career in 1910 when he became local representative of a Hollywood film producing company, later being an exhibitor for many years. Vancouver Jack Labow, Canadian district manager, and Frank Vaughn, JARO general sales manager, were recent visitors on semi-annual inspection trips from Toronto headquarters. Clyde Gilmour, former Vancouver Sun film critic, is now appearing in the “Window of Canada” series produced by the National Film Board for the CBC on TV. e e e Clark Gable is another visitor from Hollywood here to join his fricnd Gary Cooper on a hunting trip in the B.C, interior. Both film stars attended the film Ball here last Sunday. e e e Bob McMillan, veteran projectionist, died suddenly while on duty in the booth of the Olympia Theatre here. He was a Canadian Pictured Pioneer, in his 73rd year. e e e Construction has started on the Valley Drive-In at Creston, BiG; in the Crows Nest Pass district, being built by Lloyd Johnstone, owner of the Tivoli Theatre, Creston, and Bill Tedford. It is geared for 300 cars. ° ° e Harry Howard, owner of Theatre Equipment Supply Co., is in Kitimat in Northern British Columbia where he plans to erect a 700-seat 35 mm, theatre. Ottawa Will McLaughlin, movie critic and columnist on the Ottawa Evening Journal for the past 38 years, is preparing to visit Toronto, where he will be cited for his “unique contributions to the industry,” during the Pioneer of the Year dinner in honor of Jack Arthur on November 25. Mr. McLaughlin will arrive in Toronto on November 24, accompanied by Mrs. McLaughlin and their teenage son and daughter, Ross and Pamela, both of whom are members of the Journal staff. They will be guests at the King Edward Hotel and will take in the Grey Cup Game at Varsity Stadium on November 27. e e e Morris Berlin, owner and manager of the centrally located subsequent-run Somerset Theatre, announces completion of his CinemaScope installations. Currently playing is “The Robe,” marking the first downtown showings of that production at popular prices. (Continued from Page 1) — expressed surprise at the dist: a large number of the exhibi had travelled to be present at tax rally. Speaking on behalf of the ex bitors, Sommers traced the grad history of the general dov in theatre patronage, accusing crop failures, a local recession, TV as the greatest malefactors. a Turner promised not to pigeonhole the presentation and invited the tax committee of the MMPEA to keep in close contact with his office for additional information and discussion prior to the next general legislative assembly which will come in February. Several exhibitors vowed that should conditions remain as they are now, they would be forced to close their theatres. The major plea brought out by the spokesman was that the small exhibitor was in need of the weekly amusement tax remittance to keep him going. Following the tax rally, the exhibitors, who numbered close to 100, attended a luncheon at the Marlborough Hotel as guests of the MMPEA, where non-member exhibitors were urged to join the ranks of the Association. At the instigation of executive member Bob Hurwitz the assembly gave Ben Sommers a standing ovation for his efforts at the legislative buildings. The Juncheon was concluded with a plea for continued united action and a follow-through on the tax elimination plan, and the exhibitors were urged by Sommers to write their individual members of parliament to acquaint them with their plight, At the conclusion of the luncheon the entire assemblage sojourned to the Uptown Theatre to view a trade-screening of Paramount’s “White Christmas,” in VistaVision. VISTAVISION (Continued from Page 1) cal process. The engagement, which followed “Broken Lance” in CinemaScope, came sooner than generally expected because the impression had been that it would be shown late in the autumn as a climax for the Famous Fall Film Festival. The Canadian release follows on the heels of the introduction of the process in New York. Manager Russ McKibbin had the distinction of unveiling CinemaScope at the Imperial with the playing of “The Robe” in October last year, LL THE CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST, Entered Jack Droy, Vancouver, B.C.; Will McLoughlin, Ottawa, Ont.; Bill Press, Toronto, Ont.; Digest Company, Limited, 21 Dundos Squere, Toronto. Telephone: EMpire 8-8696. Coble: Roydigest. Estoblished 1915, Publication weekly, Subscription: $5.00 yearly. as Second Class Matter. Jay L. Smith, Editor-in-Chief; Max Chic, Associate Editor. Correspondents: Bruce Peacock, Regina, Sask; Helen Crowley, St, John, N.B. Address all mail to the Publisher, Canadian Moving Picture — : 4 i . ; 5 } : 7 € 7 3 7 “ ; 1 a Ve ; *~ ji } — 1 aah —