Canadian Film Weekly (Nov 25, 1942)

Page 4 OWI Chief Pans Dual Bills (Centinued from Page 1) that such a move would have a moral, spiritual and material benefit. “The habit of sitting three or four or even more hours with one’s mind afloat in a fictional world,” Mr. Mellett said, “hardly equips the American population for the serious job of dealing with real life.” The showing of two full-length pictures at one sitting, the speaker said, had resulted from competition among theatre owners, and had grown to the extent that “double features are now the rule in most American communities.” “It has become actually a great burden on the theatre business,” he continued, “a burden which many theatre owners would be glad to unload. Continually we get demands from theatre owners that the government do something to put an end to double-features. Many of them say that what they now regard as a nuisance to themselves never will be ended without government action.” Mr. Mellett declared there was reason to doubt this because there are some large areas in which the double-feature does not flourish, because of “the stubborn resistance of resourceful theatre operators to the encroachments of the plague on their territory.” “Naturally we would like the double feature eliminated if only for the duration of the war,” said Mr. Mellett. “There is only so much screen time in a day, only so much time for the presentation of the best and most helpful entertainment and for the presentation of vital information. We frankly want the small part of the total time that is required to deliver this information. Double features make it difficult to provide this time.” Hollywood to Make Canuck Training Film Because of the unavailability of experienced film actors in Canada, the government is arranging for the production of an army training picture in Hollywood. William Burnside, assistant of John Grierson, Government Film Commissioner, has been there making arrangements, This will be the first Canadian training film produced these with the exception of a cartoon made by Walt Disney several months ago on tanks. Several weeks will be required to get the various Canadian and American bureaus to put their check on the plan, as the two governments cooperate to avoid duplication on such films. jOnThes quare wit th Hye eq 5 SS Sea we RC BLA Who Is Esmerelda? What haunts the idle hours of every single man? The vision of a lovely woman. When such a vision comes suddenly out of nowhere and presents itself before him during his busy hours, he’s just about a gone goose—if he knows where he can find the woman. What’s happening to me shouldn’t happen to a dog. It’s much too good for him. For almost two years now the face of a beautiful girl has interposed itself regularly into the scene before my eyes, no matter the hour or the season or the scene. She allows only a fleeting glimpse of herself. She has suddenly showed up in Africa, the Arctic, on a battlefield, in a bedroom and on any background you can think of. When she appears the rest of the people fade into nothingness until she vanishes. I call my mystery girl Esmerelda. Not that that is her name but I must call her something. Esmerelda is the sweetheart of the screening room. She’s somewhere in every MGM film but she isn’t always seen. The man who keeps her hidden from the public view is the projectionist— and Esmerelda shows up just when he doesn’t want her to. This is the secret of Esmerelda: Every film print has some extra footage attached to each reel, allowing for the changeover time on the next machine. With most companies the reel number is revealed on the screen when the projectionist doesn’t start it at the exact time necessary to avoid an obvious break in the continuity. With MGM it’s my Esmerelda. The bookers who check the new films are bored with Esmerelda. Not me. I’ve grown to love her. When you slump into a screening room chair at 9.30 a.m. after a hard night, the sight of Esmerelda is positively titillating. I’m going to start a campaign to make the studio give her screen credit. Sometimes she’s the best thing in the picture. She ought to get an Academy Award for endurance. MGM has used Esmerelda to test film for nigh on 20 years, the bookers tell me. And she hasn’t changed a bit. But who is Esmerelda? No one seems to know. % = x Another Mystery Solved Win Barron, Paramount’s Canadian press agent, had hit the road and for almost two weeks Gordon Lightstone, the company’s Dominion chief, had been trying to get in touch with him. Win was always one step ahead of communication. Then Mr. Lightstone sat down to look at the newest Paramount newsreel. One clip showed the Vancouver premiere of “Forest Rangers,’ with Susan Hayward being greeted by the folks. There, sharing the spotlight with the star, was the wandering Mr. Barron! P.S. He’s gone again. x Some Dope, Me! Quite a number of film men were present at the recent prenuptial to-do held at the Royal York Hotel for Harry Hersenhoren, brother of fiddling Sam. Your scribe was the toastmaster and Sam Sterberg made a speech. Sammy Sales and Johnny Shapiro, along with Lou Krugel and Lou Skuce, provided the entertainment. Skuce had just returned from a date at the Roxy, New York. Sales and Shapiro got up a quiz as part of the show. They placed this scribe on the board of experts. They asked a number of questions about the meaning of such abbreviations as C.O.D., A.W.O.L. and so on, all of which were answered. Then they turned to me. “What does C.W.F. mean?” Sales asked. For not being able to answer I got plenty of abuse. Finally Sales threw the answer. “It means Canadian Film Weekly, you dope!” he answered. (Warner Bros. November 25th, 1942 f Plan Newsreel (Continued from Page 1) disapproved of it on the grounds that “every branch of the industry, instead of developing new use for raw film stock, should consider the importance of elimination of waste.’ Its statement said that pressure placed on exhibitors to use weekly newsreels has been “fone of the basic problems confronting exhibitor distributor relationship.” In response, a Warner spokesman said the exhibitor attack was inspired by the present newsreel producers, “who fear competition.” “Public feeling and the feeling in high government circles,” the Warner answer continued, “is that the present newsreels stink. They are all exactly the same, so why not put out just one and save film that way. Exhibitors should welcome a new newsreel, but they don’t have to buy it if they don’t want to. As for conservation of film, we know more about what is necessary than the exhibitors do.” Plans for the venture involve the enlistment of amateur cinematographers as space-rate correspondents, departmentalized features as well as news coverage, with Bette Davis serving as the editor of a woman’s section, and a 16-millimeter edition of each reel for the armed forces abroad. Technicolor, a newsreel innovation, will be used on some. RCAF Takes Cohn's "Movie Quiz’ Johnny Cohn’s “Movie Quiz,” which will open in quite a few theatres after the new year, has been booked into the RCAF theatre at Camp Borden. One hundred and fifty dollars in prizes, made up of Victory Bonds and War Savings Stamps, will be offered at its first showing. Officers became enthusiastic after seeing a screening of it. The men will be charged 25 cents for the score cards. No charge for the cards will be made at regular theatres, says Johnny. The Hays office has endorsed “Movie Quiz.” Sydney Fox Passes A star until a few years ago, Sydney Fox died in New York last week at the age of 31. She had been ill for a year. William Fox Jailed William Fox, once a great name in picture production, started a jail term of one year last week. He was sentenced in October, 1941, for conspiracy to obstruct justice.