Canadian Film Weekly (Jun 17, 1942)

‘@ = June 17th, 1942 — Canadian FILM WEEKLY Page 5 Canada Curbs Industry — Editor ‘British and Americans Encourage Moviedom as Morale Builder by Priorities O far as I recall, the Dominion Government has never recognized publicly, as have the British and United States Governments, that those agencies of entertainment and instruction which add distinctly to the morale of the peoples of the United Nations have a higher value in wartime and deserve more support than in days of peace. This was so well understood in Britain that, despite the shallow early counsels of Colonel Blimps with petrified mentalities, first priority was given for building and other materials for the rebuilding of cinema houses which were bombed out in the Battle of Britain. Kitchener Mayor Okays 12°05 s Sunday midnight shows in Kitchener are not illegal nor are special permits required, Mayor Meinzinger stated in commented on the amilton Police Commission’s act in passing a bylaw forbidding such entertainment. The mayor said the Kitchener Police Commission had no similar power to issue bylaws. “It would have to be drafted by City Council” he said. “‘The commission carries out the rules and regulations of our by-laws.” Mayor Meinzinger was the only members of the commission available for comment. Judge E. W. Clement and Acting Magistrate H. R. Polson were both out of the city. “We have had mo complaints about the midnight show in Kitchener,”’ said Chief Constable John Hicks. “There is no evidence it is hindering the war effort.” The mayor pointed out, after conferring with City Clerk Charles Lips, that there is nothing in the Municipal Act prohibiting midnight shows on Sundays. “TJ have no objection whatever to midnight shows or dances on Sundays,” the mayor said. “I feel it would be better if young people were attending midnight shows or respectable dances on Sundays an to be parked in cars on high ays or to spend their time in ‘dives’.” “No one should interfere with clean entertainment,” the mayor continued. ‘However, Hamilton may have a different problem than ours. As far as I’m concerned there is no objection to Sunday midnight shows here.” Reprinted from “Finance at Large,” by Wellington Jeffers in The Toronto Globe and Mail Movies Play Great War Role Vaz and physical poise are great assets for a people at any time, but most so when called on to endure a long war. One means of preserving ‘“‘balance’”’ is to permit and encourage avenues of relaxation at times from the all-consuming thought of what war requires and entails. Energies are renovated and renewed in this way, even when the films are also providing a wonderful vehicle by newsreels and special pictures to show just what is being done for the war effort on all industrial and fighting fronts, and by story pictures which express in terms of human interest and romance and striving, what real human beings are doing and suffering in war, and what is at stake. For instance, Canadians will soon see the Metro. release, “Mrs. Miniver.”’ I have not seen it yet, but even hard-boiled critics write about it and speak of it as “the greatest picture since Mr. Chips.” It is being presented in the United States now, and their publications speak of it as giving to the people of this continent the chance to see Britain at war from inside the skin of recognizable representative Britons. I have seen with great enthusiasm recently pictures which show the human side of the Russian war, and I will certainly see this one, and hope it will live up to what I expect. Bringing War Home to Us And Relaxation Too IN the last war the silent film did a splendid job for the Allies. While it offered relaxation and escape in a time of stress, it did not provide a cubbyhole for the wishful thinker. Nowadays it would be hard for a smug man to retain a shred of ‘complacency at a single moving picture house because some news release or other picture always portrays some aspect of the war. I remember seeing a picture in the last war which gave with fine and eloquent restraint in story form portrayals of the long fight for human freedom in the great wars of history. A young man, sitting behind me, rose as the picture ended and pushed to the aisle, saying aloud—and not knowing he spoke aloud: ‘That does it. I am going right out and enlist.” One side of this war service is that the moving picture the atres are well patronized. If they were not, they would be doing a poor job. They would not be interesting their patrons, and that is a necessary preliminary. But the war is raising costs of producing pictures and of distribution. In the United States this has been met by higher prices of admission, coupled with a continued rise of motion picture attendance. The results on morale are worth the higher cost even if it justifies the heading used in The Globe and Mail on this page yesterday: ‘Movie Harvest Now Sprouting From War Push.” Canada Curbs Industry With Taxes and Price Pegs | ES! Canada the encouragement is lacking which is given in the United States by increased admission prices and by less taxation. Here there is a Federal tax on motion pictures of 20 per cent, as against a similar tax in the United States of 10 per cent. In addition, with the single exception of the Province of Ontario, the Provincial Governments impose taxes ranging from 5 to 17 per cent, which are added to the Dominion tax. j Admission prices in Canada have been ‘‘frozen,’’ which means that, regardless of higher operating costs, theatres are not permitted to increase their admissio. prices over those charged during the basic period of Sept. 15 to Oct. 11. This is not the case in the United States. Movie Crowds in Cities, Less Elsewhere PEOPLE can easily deceive them selves as to the current earnings of movies. While box office returns have naturally increased above prewar levels in industrial centres with lots of war industries, in towns without war industry, and in many agricultural centres, there is decreased attenattendance because of a migration of workers. Canadian theatres find generally that, in many Canadian communities, the point has been reached where the total cost of entertainment, including taxes, cannot be increased without a serious falling off in attendance. That would mean a loss of revenue both for the Government and the industry, and the industry cannot therefore do as good a job as greater resources would permit, oS And Tax Aids,’ writes Wellington Jeffers, Financial Editor Of the Toronto Globe and Mail,’ But Dominion Government is Not Yet on Record “Keep Motion Picture Free”’— Roosevelt | ee government of the United States, in spite of the huge sums of money put into circulation through war industry, felt it was in the best interests of the war effort to forego increased taxation on motion picture entertainment. It recognizes the motion picture industry as an “essential” industry, while in Canada there is no such recognition by the Government. President: Roosevelt, when last December he appointed Lowell Mellett to the office of Coordinator of Government Films, said: “The motion picture is one of our most effective mediums of informing and entertaining our citizens. The motion picture must remain free in so far as national security will permit. .. .” “Remain free.” So it should, along with the press, the Church and the school, all bulwarks of freedom so long as they, too, are permitted to be free. Council Changes 12.05's Verdict (Continued from Page 1) in effect, means that the old policy will prevail. When the request for the banning of midnight shows became public knowledge protests arose from, many quarters in the Dominion. Many small exhibitors found that the extra show provided the major portion of their weekly profits. Defence areas especially were the best users of the 12.05’s, these shows providing needed recreation |for workers engaged during the customary times. The need for power conservation was understood to be the original reason but this faded out when it was shown that no steps in this direction have been taken so far. The premium situation was treated in the same way, though houses not following a giveaway or contest policy may not inaugurate one or the other. Tom Bragg and Tom Walton were absent from the session due to illness. Henry Nathanson, out of town, was acted for by Leo Devanney. The Independent members were mainly responsible for the reversal of decision.