Canadian Film Weekly (Aug 19, 1942)

August 19th, 1942 Leslie Gregory, Hamilton, Dies (Continued from Page 1) try for a landing. Gregory was found, still conscious, fifteen feet from the wreck, which had caught fire. The plane landed in a swamp and the farmer who found Gregory was of the opinion that he had dragged himself away from the burning machine. The department of transport in Ottawa is probing the crash. The Hamilton theatre man was on his way to join his face at their Honey Harbor summer homie when he crashed. A flying enthusiast, he acquired his pilot’s license some time ago. A few weeks ago a plane he was piloting, equipped with floats, crashed in Hamilton Bay and Gregory was rescued by a harbor patrol. Gregory, who was 30 years of age, was once manager of the Tivoli, Hamilton, and at the time of his death was interested in the operation of three theatres in that city, the Royal, Windsor, and York. He came to the special attention of the trade recently because of his vigorous legal fight against the midnight show ban in Hamilton. Besides his wife, the former Jean Delaney, he leaves his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Russell Leslie Gregory of Oakville, Ont. Leslie Gregory’s home was at 68% King St. West, Hamilton. The funeral is being held today from Blachford & Wray at 3.30 o’clock. Burial will be in Woodland cemetery. James Cruze Dies in Hollywood James Cruze, director of “The Covered Wagon” and one of Hollywood’s highest paid directors, is dead in Hollywood, following a heart attack. Cruze, who was 58, had been ill for the past two and one-half years and the last picture listed to his credit was ‘‘Come On Leathernecks,”’ made in 1938. Cruze had a long list of important films to his credit, including “Old Ironsides,”’ ‘Merton of the Movies,” “Hollywood,” “Ruggles of Red Gap,” “Beggar On Horseback,” ‘Washington Merry-GoRound,” and “David Harum.” In 1926 and again in 1928 he was listed among the woxld’s ten best directors, In 1928 he organized his own production and distributing unit and in 1930 formed the James Cruze Productions, turning out “She Got What She Wanted,” “Salvation Nell” and “Racetrack.” He was born in Ogden, Utah. I Think They're Better Canadian FILM WEEKLY Takeups VEEVEN GOLDSTONE of Esquire will take the marriage vows Shortly, as will Steve McManus, manager of the Bayview, Toronto. .. . Irwin Frohman, assistant manager of the Doric, got married, then left a few days later to join the army... . Murray Mitchell, Emp-U booker, is headed for khaki. ... Nat Taylor of 20th Century Theatres, is back at his desk after a holiday and R. C. McMullen, the industry administrator for Ottawa, has left his for a vacation. ... Overheard: “When a man shoots an animal he want it to be big enough to sit on and when he catches a fish he wants it to be big enough to lie on”... The fish stories grow taller and taller as boys get back in from their yearly respite....Did you know that Dr. Herbert Kalmus, originator of Technicolor, was a professor at the University of Toronto in 1927? = A Wee Bit o’ Scotch AS empty store stands at the corner of John and Queen streets. A vendor of bottled spirits occupied it for many years. The coming of Prohibition in 1916 caused it to change character. It has been infrequently tenanted since. The place is haunted. Yes, haunted. But there’s nothing weird about its lone occupant. Above the wide doorway is the miniature figure of a Scotsman carved in wood. His smiling face is adorneed with sideburns and topped rakishly with a tam-o’-shanter. He is performing the time-honored gesture of pulling a cork from a bottle—a bottle like the many once billeted here. Man’‘s Ingratitude... A PROUD relic of a generation gone is this Scotsman, forgotten by those over whom he kept watch, welcoming them as they arrived, blessing them as they departed. Beneath him, inward bound, men strolled, staggered and stumbled, their arms waiting for the happy cargo, their eyes alive with thoughts of joy to be. Inside, those vari-labelled bottles, in their paper greatcoats, stood stiffly at attention or lay flat—like the good little soldiers they were—until their cheerless surrender. Years of drought and dreams. Then repeal. But the dispensing of spirits was confined to government agencies, hotels and clubs. Again the faithful passed beneath him, the potent nectar in protecting arms, their pace increased by anticipation. But they hurried by with never a friendly nod. None sought to return his lost glory. None acknowledged his heroic vigil. None cared about his loyalty to an old cause. Ah well, man’s ingratitude... . Valiant Spirit RAVE little Scotsman. A thousand-and-one rains have pelted him. A thousand-and-one snows have lashed him. A thousandand-one frosts have bitten him. A thousand-and-one suns have scorched him. Not once has he whimpered. And still the little Scotsman smiles—smiles and waits. What keeps him smiling? His memories? Or thoughts on what fools these mortals be? How much longer will he keep his cheery watch? = = ff Rca mother of Georgie Altman, Vitagraph salesman, is a good old soul whom we have known and admired for many years. She’s a film fan and a good sport. But she never remembers the title and her improvisations are as good, if not better, than the original. Once, when George asked her the name of a picture she had seen, she answered: “The Wind Took It Away.”’ She meant “Gone With the Wind.” On other occasions ‘Blossoms in the Dust” became “Flowers in the Sand” and ‘“‘Tobacco Road” was changed to “Tobacco Leaves.” Mickey Rooney may not relish what happened to him. He was ‘Macaroni.” 7Male Movie Biz Biggest Who started that lie about the girls being movie-mad and the men indifferent? We've been taught to believe all along that the man in the family is constantly being pressured into taking in a picture by his wife with age-old arguments about standing over a hot stove all day. Many an unharmonious note is supposed to have arisen because wifie sneaked off to a show in the afternoon and the lateness of the dinner couldn’t be explained in way to pacify the breadwinner. Well, like so many things we’ve always believed, t’ain’t so. The Galiup poi, under the supervision of Dr. George W. Gallup, shows that in cities over 100,000 in population 51 per cent of patrons are men. In cities under that population 52 per cent are men. Other interesting facts turned up by the poli are: When men and women go together the latter choose the picture. Sixty-five per cent of attendance is made up of persons under 30 years of age and 54 per cent of that figure are males. Of patronage made up of 30-year-olds 51 per cent are females. At 19 people attend in equal numbers. From Friday to Sunday male attendance is 54 per cent, the rest of the time it’s evenly divided. The boys like action and biographies, the girls like romance. Nothing new about that. Men go for Andy Hardy and women for Abbott and Costello pictures. That’s a new one on us. Pictures with masculine appeal do more business than those aimed at the distaff side. Women, it seems, go to men’s pictures to a greater extent than vice-versa. One hundred and fourteen films were used as a guage. Draft or no, the boys are still in the lead. Rosson, Crew Here For "Corvette" Shots Richard Rosson, director of Howard Hawks’ Universal production, “Corvettes in Action,” is at a Canadian port, where he will board a corvette to take footage of a trans-Atlantic convoy crossing. Accompanying Rosson are Lieut. J. R. Sturdy, Royal Canadian Navy, who worked with him on script; Business Manager Vernon Keays, Chief Cameraman Harry Perry, Len Powers, Bert Eason, Roland Smith and Harry Gudstrom. Heading east today to join the Rosson crew in Canada will be players Robert James Hale, Rex Lease and Orville R. O'Donnell. Se — —_ —— _* e