Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Dec 11, 1954)

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is DECEMBER _11, 1954 U.S. Film And Equipment Exports Up Three-dimensional pictures, the new, wider type screens and projection equipment required to keep pace with recent developments in motion pictures have proved a boon to the export branch of the movie industry in the U.S. The Department of Commerce's Business and Defense Services Administration, Washington announced recently that there had been a a 33 percent increase in exports of film and equipment in the first quarter of 1954. NEW COLUMN (Continued from Page 1) velopments. The new column will feature articles by leading authorities in the equipment field as well as special material supplied by the Projectionist’s union. SHOW BUSINESS (Continued from Page 1) one of the largest openings to date of a 20th Century-Fox CinemaScope production. The mass bow of the $5 million dollar CinemaScope musical will see theatres in every section of the two countries represented in the holiday line-up. All openings of the film will be supported with powerful advertising, publicity and exploitation campaigns. Keep Your Eyes On HARVEY HARNICK Harvey Harnick’s success story goes to prove that there is no’such thing as a bad time provided that you have a good man, for Harvey started in the film business in 1929, when the depression was just beginning, and was able to climb upwards on the ladder all during that slump. In 1932, he was sent to Montreal as a booker salesman for Columbia (with which company he has been all during his career in this industry) and, in 1934, became salesman-at-large for all of Canada. In 1936, he returned to Toronto as salesman and, in 1939, went to Calgary as Branch Manager for Columbia there, Three years later, he was recalled to Toronto as Louis Rosenfeld’s assistant and, in 1946, was named General Sales Manager for Columbia Pictures of Canada. pc reece ee ee THE CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST, Entered as Second Class Matter Jay L. Smith, Editor-in-Chict; M' a i; ; Max Chie, Associate Editor. Correspondents: Bruce Peac Sask.; Toronto, Ont.; Helen Crowley, St. John, N.B. Address all mail to the Publisher, Centon heten aa , Jack Droy, Vancouver, B.C,; Will McLaughlin, Ottawa, Ont.; Bill Press, 8696. Cable: Raydigest, Established 1915. Publication weekly. Subscription: $5.00 yearly, Digest Company, Limited, 21 Dundes Square, Toronto. Telephone: EMpire 8 Across Toronto and District The Fairlawn Theatre in North Toronto has announced a revision of admission prices for younger patrons. Prices for juveniles are now ne at matinees and 20c at night while those for students are 25c and c. Country Manager Ed Foley of the Odeon Theatre, Trenton Ont., pulled a nifty community stunt in connection with the engagement of “The Seekers,” in the form of a treasure search. He arranged with local merchants to display articles in their store windows not normally carried in stock and the trick was to make out a complete list of stores and misplaced articles for which Foley gave guest tickets. The storo-keepers quickly co-operated in the stunt and also used window show cards to boost the picture. e e e With the Christmas shopping season in fullswing, a number of return engagements were featured at Toronto theatres early in December including “Living It Up” at the seven key neighborhood units of Famous Players where it played as “The Show of the Week.” The Uptown had a popular-price run of “The Glenn Miller Story” which broke records previously at that theatre and the International Cinema turned again to “Tales of Hoffman.” e e e Exhibitors in a number of Ontario communities are watching, with interest, a trend among retail business establishments including large shopping centres, to extend store hours, notably on the days toward the end of the week. The movement practically had its start some time ago in the Bloor-Yonge-Bay area of Toronto where the merchants made a break by keeping open until 9 P.M. on Fridays but the trend is spreading rapidly to other places. Late store hours help nearby theatres, it ts believed. e e ° Arch H. Jolley, executive secretary of the Motion Picture Theatres Association of Ontario, has been re-elected vice-president of the Musical Protective Society of Canada, of which C ol. John A. Cooper, the founder, is honorary president. Among the directors are Angus MacCunn of Famous Players, Craig P. Hughes of Odeon Theatres (Canada) Limited, and William Redpath, General Films Limited. e e e Oldtimers of the Canadian theatre field will remember Griffith Mitchell, a scholarly old man who died recently at Rochester in his 71st year. At different times he was manager of the Regent and Strand, former downtown theatres in Toronto, and also the Runnymede, back in the days when the late Clarence Robson and H. M. Elliott were managing theatres here and Charlie Dentelback was in the booth. Maritimes Mr. M. Komar has returned from Toronto where he attended a Sales meeting of Eastern Division Branch Managers. Mr. Komar returns full of enthusiasm regarding this season's product. He renewed old acquaintances from his home town of Winnipeg, and attended the Grey Cup game. e e e Mr. George Cuthbert of General Theatre Supply Company was a visitor to Saint John this week. Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Franklin left last week to spend the Winter months, as usual at their home in Miami Beach, Florida. e e e Mr. George Enos and Mr, S. A. Doane attended a Trade Show meeting in Toronto last week. Mr. W. L. Armstrong of the ‘Hub’ theatre, Hubbard, Nova Scotia has installed a Wide Screen and Anamorphic Lenses. Mr. Charles Staples, of the St. Stephen theatre was a visitor to Saint John this week. (Continued on Page 7) (Continued from Page 1) : of 1955, the Film Ccmmissioner said; but the major move will net _ take place until spring. _ The Board plans to keep a staff in Ottawa which will likely number about 25 persons. Their duties — will be largely liaison with govern_ ment departments on sponsored film production. The Film Commissioner said that work on the Board’s new building on Cote de Liesse road was held up on account of bad summer weather but “not seriously.” Describing the building, he said it would house production, technical, distribution and administrative activities under one roof. These activities now were being carried on in 11 different buildings in Ottawa, which handicapped both efficiency and morale. The Board’s existing facilities were being housed in 23,000 square feet less in the Montreal building than in the present dispersed situation in Ottawa. In addition te an allotment of 125,000 square feet for existing facilities, 34,000 square feet was being provided for new services such as cafeteria. studio and small auditorium and for services now provided in Ottawa by the Federal Department of Public Works, like the power plant and truck storage. The new facilities, the Commissioner pointed out, would add nothing to the scope of the Board's activities. The Board at present was under the necessity of renting studio facilities at considerable expense. The new building would contain in the neighborhood of 400 National Film Board employees. British Filmites See VistaVision John Davis, managing director of J. Arthur Rank Organization in England, has been conferring at Paramount Studio where he has been brought up to date on latest VistaVision developments. The first J. Arthur Rank film in VistaVision. “The Flying Trapeze,” will roll at Pinewood studios near London, Dec. 28. Sir Arthur Jarratt, a leading British film executive, visited the Paramount lot last week where he saw the latest VistaVision processes and conferred with executives. Sir Arthur, managing director of — British Lion Film Corp. gave his opinion that VistaVision is “positively sensational.”