Canadian Film Weekly (Feb 18, 1942)

ha q : Vol. 9, No. uG TORONTO, FEBRUARY 18th, 1942 $2.00 Per Annum VOICE of the CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY Control of Prices is Clarified Esquire Films Expands Esquire Films Limited, formed the past, real and alleged, as part of the organization of the in 1940 with Archie Laurie as Canadian general manager, with the acquisition of the product of two more English companies, will establish its own sales and booking offices in Dominion film centres. Physical distribution and shipping, as in the past, will be through the facilities of EmpireUniversal until Esquire’s development is sufficiently advanced to merit the taking over of the task by the latter company. A formal announcement of Esquire’s plans will be found in the inside pages. The head office for Canada, as well as the Ontario sales and booking department, will likely be at 21 Dundas Square, Toronto, in the Hermant Building, which (Continued on Page 2) Reddy for ‘Yearling’ Metro is testing Roddy MacDowall for the boy in “The Yearling,” production of which was abandoned last Spring after the company had spent an estimated $500,000 on the picture. If test of the MacDowall boy is satisfactory, production will begin in about six weeks in-Hollywood. Russell in RCAF George Russell, who used to manage the Mayfair, Toronto, is now in the RCAF. He recently graduated as an observer at the head of his class and got a commission. Reid Replaces Horton Ernest Reid has replaced Harold Horton as assistant manager to Robert Brown at the Vanity, Windsor, a 20th Century Theatres house. Horton has taken a spot with the Ford Motor Company. "PARALLEL' PACKS THEM IN ——~ Board Not ‘Cure-All’ for Trade’s Past Problems -Stewart The Theatres and Film Section of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board will not act as a “cure-all” for the ills of industry on a wartime basis, it-was learned. >» That is the opinion of James Stewart, head of the services Administration Board of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board. When asked about the contention of certain individuals that his office should undertake the ‘consideration of matters in dispute for many years, Mr. Stewart explained that he was interested chiefly in maintaining the status quo. Nor was he particularly interested in what happened in the industry before September 1941, the date on which government regulation was inaugurated. The-question arose because of the introduction of peacetime inter-trade disputes by Henry Falk, spokesman of the newly-formed Was His Kisser Cerise? lt Was Gordon Munroe, ‘artist for Odeon in Vancouver, was doing a late stint at the drawing-board. Some of the staff was still around. He tried to phone his wife. A man’s voice answered. It being a night line, he figured on office kibitzer was on it. “Get off the line, you dope!” he barked. It turned out that the supposed kibitzer was the new District Manager, Dave Gries dorf. : Independent Motion Picture ExhiIt’s all right. He’s still bitors Association, at the sessions working. of the all-Canada conference of trade representatives at Toronto (Continued on Page 6) Quebec Bow for Columbia Film Columbia is planning a Canadian premiere for its “The Adven é ce vertising in Onterio and Quebec tures of Martin Eden.” Glenn Ford,| i) pe blacked out from sundown who plays the lead, will fly to} 4, conrise in the juin the French-Canadian city for el Sate = s eee ph Bs ea doings on March 7th. power. The idea back of it is the home-| a coming of Glenn Ford, who took | The recent meeting in Ottawa that name from the place of his : birth, Glenn Ford, a village near of ARP TER LOSROERES SE to discuss blackout and air raid methods Quebec. The village has no theatre} ~— so the people will be transported yielded several concessions to the to Quebec to greet the guest of| theatres. Under a recent Order-inhonor. Dignitaries from both the city| capped by what amounted to a and province of Quebec have sig-} blanket-rule on lighting. Regula | Council the theatres were handi-! Union Dispute In Kitchener Union trouble has broken out in Kitchener, Ontario. The trouble is not between employer and employee but between the two projectionist’s unions. Scene of the trouble is the Fox Theatre, recently opened under manager Bruce ~ McLeod, which signed contracts with the National Union of Theatrical Employees, Local 10, a body affiliated with the Canadian Congress of Labor. All other theatres in the city and area are signed with the IATSE, Local 357, affiliated with the Dominion Trades and Labor Council as part of the American Federation of Labor. The pickets of the latter body (Continued on Page 2) Grosses for Bonds Two circuits so far, Famous Players and Premier Operating, have converted one week’s receipts into Victory Bonds. Less tax, of course. Theatre ads plugged the loan. Night Ban on Marquees? Other Lighting Restrictions Modified It has been reported unofficially | ing with theatre lighting. that all canopies and outdoor ad Under former regulations theatres, whether in danger zones or not, were subject to the same rules on the restriction of marquee and other lighting. The rule has been modified by the recognition of local authorities as judges of blackout needs in each area. The provincial Fire Marshall, in each case, will discuss matters with military officers and theatre representatives to determine the exact course of conduct. Though it is likely that all theatre lights will be dimmed during trial blackouts in non-danger and other zones, anti-burglary lights will be nified their intention of attending.! tions will be issued shortly deal-} permitted if properly restricted. Celluloid Canadiana pays. Columbia’s “49th Parallel” is a holdover in Montreal Hamilton, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, St. John, Sate ae toria and Halifax. It's doing strong business in the USA too. Watch Hollywood discover Canada.