Canadian Film Weekly (Jun 3, 1942)

' ® ~ June 8rd, 1942 Bernstein Known In United States Sidney Bernstein, founder and chief. of the British Granada cinema circuit, who relinquished business interests to become unpaid adviser to the British Films Ministry of Information, arrived in the United States by clipper or bomber some time last week to become film liason man between London and Hollywood, New York and Washington. His duties are to arrange showings of new British Ministry of Information films in America, to contrive the exchange of film material and the pooling of ideas between the two countries so as to achieve complete co-ordination in films. As the contact between Hollywood ani England on fictional war stories, he will give the United States studios the benefit of his experience gained in England on wartime screen problems. Bernstein is no stranger to America. Last year he came to this country to supervise the distribution of “Target for Tonight” to 12,000 theatres in North and South America. Besides this he has lived in Hollywood, where he studied production. A pioneering film man, he helped found the the London Film Society, which introduced the best Russian films to British audiences. And he was the first cinema man to institute audience research surveys, issuing questionnaires twice yearly, inviting audience opinions of programs, stars, etc. When he first “took over” as adviser of the Films Ministry of Information that organization had produced only three pictures. Now it is making 200 information training and technical films yearly. “New Super GARDINER Projector” With Barrel rear shutter Has no equal for fine projection and long life. As low as $9.00 weekly. GET OUR PRICES AND YOU WILL SURELY BUY FROM US “YOU CAN GUESS THE ea \JE 202 or MORE OF OUR mente NLL feveeee Aste Stat Oa DOMINION THEATRE EQUIPMENT CO 78S? CAVE ST VANCOUVER BEC ® ZA . on Canadian FILM WEEKLY AY 1 6 “4, a ~ * Horses, Horses, Horses Crazy over horses. Who isn’t? Film men certainly are. A while back one Hollywood studio got an executive order barring bookies from the lot. And even at the outlets the interest is strong, since it gives showfolk somewhere to go in the afternoon. Betting, eyeing and racing the animated hides goes to make up the sport of kings and the king of sports, as the prose of the game has it. It’s not just a sport but a near-major industry. And like the motion picture business, it caters to people who like tke lighter side of life. Who knows how far the game dates back? Before even that famous day when Ben Hur barged home ahead of the field in the harness horse events. In the USA-to-be Paul Revere gave it an impetus by beating the Redcoats to the colonists. Around the over-exploited beast of burden has arisen a private world of vast dimensions. There’s an equine aristocracy that hops hurdles, hounds foxes, chases ribbons, pursues purses and snubs all but the simple and long-faffering dobbins. There’s a horsey Intelligentsia that studies racing literature all the livelong day and night. Its members seek the solution of winning form with the same avidity as the scientist searching for the mystery of life. The people on both these sides of horsedom are motivated by love, pleasure and folding money. Amongst them are parasites, schemers and drudges. Here are also traditions and traitors. To us the undercrust is more interesting than the fancy folk. Yea, even unto the hangers-on and hustlers. Take Touts... Take touts, for instance. An itinerant clan, the better ones follow the sun as much as any Vanderbilt—in ordinary times, of course. They’re a crafty crowd and know much about human nature. To them their business is “lookin’ for fresh fools every day.” Though they operate singly or in pairs, they’re extremely sociable. Get a group of them together and they’ll tell you the most interesting stories and charming lies you’ll hear anywhere. Their modes of operation are many. They work from a list of successful schemes or whip up a new one on the spot. Customtailored for you. One may borrow a pencil, whisper that he has a tieup with the stables, introduce a confederate as a horse owner, and offer a tip for a share in the winning bet. If there are nine korses in the race, he approaches nine people, giving each a tip on a different horse. In this way he’s sure of one successful client. Approaches vary but the idea is always the same—returns without investment. One says that he’s a jockey on his day off, another that he’s a track official. If you’re gullible enough to give him the money for a suggested wager he disappears with it. That happens often. Why should he take a chance? A dollar in his hand is worth ten in your pocket. Here’s Some Tricks... One victim gave a tout $50—half to bet on the horse he said would win, the rest to pay off the jockey on the favorite so that _ he would pull it. That was the lie. The tout took the money, headed for the mutual machines and didn’t come back. Surprisingly, the horse named by the tout shared a photo finish with the favorite but was declared the loser. The victim finally located the tout. ‘What happened to the fix?” he complained. The tout looked sorrowful. “I bet $25 on the horse and gave $25 to the jockey,” he explained. “But I had no more money so I couldn’t fix the photographer!” Another tout took a sucker’s money but didn’t give him the name of the horse. After the race he came back. “Tough luck,” he told the victim. “I bet on the jockey dressed in red. You saw him run Iast, didn’t you?” The sucker had. But “the jockey dressed in red’’ was the redcoated warden who runs behind each race. He’s there to help a thrown jockey or pull in a runaway. Not till the next race did the sucker realize that he had been rooked. eeenennnenennaeneeee eens SS, Page 5 (Studios Hunt Substitutes Hollywood's initial concentrated effort to find suitable substitutes for vital materials denied the film industry because of priority rulings got under way last week when 20th Century-Fox held a meeting to discuss possibilities. The confab was under the supervision of Fred L. Metzler. While attempting to devise new materials for use on the various sets, the group considered additional methods of conserving equipment already on hand. Technicians and set workers made up the group at the meeting. A board of department heads will later pass on the suitability of the suggestions. Such a meeting has been planned since war broke out in December. The technicians have realized the acute shortage and have independently invented many material-saving devices. A system of encouraging men in the developing of new ideas will be set-up whereby cash prizes are to be offered. Spokesmen for the studies agree that this will benefit them as well as the workers. Our supply of necessary materials is becoming low,” Metzler said. ‘With no apparent market from which to purchase more, a survey of our operating materials indicates that unless substitutes and new methods are found, there is a danger of curtailing production.” Ghd Bat CONTRACT SALES OFFICE PHONE TR.1257 GT" FLOOR eM NG Chao