Canadian Film Weekly (Mar 18, 1942)

March 18th, 1942. How to Tip A Millionaire The highest award a movie star can receive from one of Hollyood’s three great producerirectors is a tiny paper gold star —the kind you can buy in the dime store, 100 for a dime. The producer-director is Gregory La Cava, currently the major domo of Universal’s new Irene Dunne comedy, “Lady In A Jam.” Players who give outstanding performances know their work is good when, at the end of the working day, they receive one of the tiny gold stars. The players in “Lady In A Jam’’—Miss Dunne, Patric Knowles, Ralph Bellamy, Eugene Pallette, Queenie Vassar, Sam H. Hines — have each received many of the coveted gold stars and each treasures them for the significance they possess. Hollywood’s two other famous producer-directors — Cecil B. De Mille and Alfred Hitchcock—have slightly different methods of rewarding players who in their opinion give brilliant performances each day. De Mille gives fifty cent pieces. Hitchcock gives a pat on the back and a “Well done, chum.” Paulette Goddard in De Mille’s “Reap the Wild Wind,” got more fifty cent pieces than any others in the huge cast and Robert Cummings got the most ‘Well done, chum” compliments from Hitchcock in “Saboteur.” Comment of Irene Dunne on the La Cava system is interesting: “We don’t live by bread alone. It’s good to know you're doing well,” * = = The Commandos, Britain’s famous group of daredevil raiders, have done about everything except act in the movies, and now they’re going to do that. A sequence showing a Commando raid on Occupied France has been written for Walter Wanger’s “Eagle Squadron” at Universal and is now being filmed, the first time that the celebrated English soldier group has been depicted on the screen. Steel “invasion” barges, light tanks and other paraphernalia were built at Universal for the scenes, which show Robert Stack, ohn Loder, Edgar Barrier and ther players stealing swiftly across the channel by night and attacking a German airport. More than 200 motorcycle riders also are included. All the players are garbed in the jet-black jumpers worn by Commandos for their night sorties into enemy territory. @ i Canadian FILM WEEKLY Gx NE of the finest examples of newspaper and screen tieups in Ontario picture history was worked out by Jack Nelson of the Capitol, North Bay, Ontario. Nel son, who is very popular with North Bay people, had “Captain of the Clouds” coming up. The film had much district favor, Plenty of it having been shot in the area. The North Bay Nugget, 40 pages strong, was full of the picture from the first page to the last. It issued a special section of 20 Mages on the film and called attention to it with a box on the front vage. This was loaded with advertising from local merchants, each of whom made sure that “Captains of the Clouds” got plenty of space. This work of Jack’s will take some beating anywhere. I'll bet it will be quite a while before we see its like. * e * OB BEREZIN, Elgin, Ottawa, had a real hot one in “To Be or Not to Be” and took advantage of the fact to build an ace campaign. ; He posted the town in advance with 24-sheets on this top UA attraction and also increased his newspaper budget. He had cooperative ads in the press, tied up windows and got a furniture firm to dress up the lobby. He also had a contest involving this company. On “Jungle Book” he dressed up the theatre lobby with a special summer appearance, using sevenfeet palm trees of wood and leaves. There were ten of them. He replaced the standing room ropes with hemp and altogether it was novel and attractive. s * u MEL JOLLEY of the Columbia, \ St. Thomas, used a snappy set up this week in the form of song sheet covers displayed in the local music store windows for “Navy Blues.” He also used a 6 sheet at side wall well in advance of the picture. For “Jungle Man” he distributed small envelopes printed with copy, and enclosed was an animal cracker to attract the kiddies. = & Ped LL. STEPHENS of the Granada, Dunnville, took hand written notes for “Secrets Of The Lone Wolf” and had them placed in coat pockets at dances, check rooms, restaurants etc. The note read as follows: “Bob: I’m in desperate trouble. Please meet me at the Granada Theatre where ‘Secrets Of The Lone Wolfe’ is playing. I have something important to tell you. (signed) Helen.” Sz) oath {222 COYLE of the Granada, St. Catharines, promoted a Victory Legion for the boys and _ girls. With the permission of the Principal of the school he advertised the fact that any boy or girl bringing five lbs. or more of scrap material to the theatre would be entitled to a membership card. When attending five Saturday Matinees they were presented with “A Granada Legion Badge.” It went over big, and you can have details by dropping a line to Leo Coyle. eee | aE NOTHER novel idea was used by R. Tiede of the Geneva, Orilla. For “Call Out The Marines” a scale in a downtown store used pictures of stars on the cards, on which the weight was stamped. All who obtained a card with a picture of V. McLaglen received a pass to see the picture. Only half a dozen were spotted in the scale. o * ar AROLD RANKIN of the Cen tre, Chatham, ran a “Blondie Art Contest” in connection with “Blondie goes to College.” This brought in over 300 drawings and gave a record matinee business. ot ht “ * = = Peete GURR, Century, Hamil ton, had two window tieups with the T. Eaton Co. for “How Green Was My Valley” and three more with downtown stationery and book stores. Also with Tamblyn’s, United Cigar Stores and a number of others. A group of cooperative ads from different stores helped things plenty too. at x <= EN HERBERT of The Centre, London, had special drug store displays in windows and inside store tieups on Kleenex. He used cartoon pictures of W. C. Fields cut out of trade papers. = aed m Roe a laugh program, ‘Some Like It Hot,” and “Go West” Bill Cupples of the Park, Sarnia, used an attractive lobby display. He built it by stapling window cards together in the form of a triangle and pyramiding them on foyer floor. These were later hung from the marquee Saturday Nite, making effective twirlers. Bill also tied up with a local music store which plugged tunes from “The Great American Broadcast.” a * = STiva McMANUS, Bayview, Toronto, put out a program known as the “March of Hits.” He also tied up with a cleaning firm, for throwaways on “That Uncertain Feeling.” Page 7 N “Pacific Blackout” Doug Patterson of the Opera House, Orillia, gave his general staff a big help by putting directional arrows on all streets, reading: ‘‘Air Raid Shelter.” Smaller copy gave theatre data. “a a G Ee MILEY, Granada, Napanee, is using a good stunt for houses who get country patronage. He lists the month’s attractions on a four-page folder and distributes it up in the sticks. It keeps the folks posted on what’s cooking over at his house. Each one is numbered for passes so they don’t throw them away. It’s worth trying. ue a % GILLESPIE of the Marks, Oshawa, ran advance teasers in local papers on “Sundown” and “49th Parallel.” He also used his car cn a big street bally, covering the surrounding towns. Used a corner store window for advertising ‘49th Parallel,” with six other tieups in the city. One with CPR. It was the first time in five years any of the theatres in this town have had tieups with merchants. He also had a large rubber mat painted with copy on “49th Parallel.”” This was placed directly and effectively in front of the box office. 2 oE m pass HARRISON, of the Capitol, Cobourg, calls my attention to this clipping from the Cobourg World: Joan Fontaine, adjudged Best Actress of the Year, plays here on Monday and Tuesday in “Suspicion.” “It may be of interest to the public to know that Joan Fontaine, who plays at the Capitol in Cobourg on Monday and Tuesday mext in “Suspicion” won the Academy Award as the best actress of the year, for her performance in this picture. Undoubtedly she is a clever actress or she would never have captured that award.” = a3 RED THOMPSON of the Rex, London, had a horse and rider around town, decorated with window cards advertising Gracie Fields in “Queen of Hearts.” ed Coming Up "Boston Blackie’ With her assignment to top feminine spot opposite Chester Morris in Columbia's “Alias Boston Blackie,” now in work, Adele Mara draws her second leading role in less than three months. One of the studio’s important recent discoveries, Miss Mara has just completed the feminine lead in “Shut My Big Mouth,” the Jeo E. Brown starring vehicle now in final stages of production.