Canadian Film Weekly (Dec 16, 1942)

8 Lecember 16th, 1942 Aid to Russia Committees Set (Centinued from Page 1) ance and Publicity. It was decided that the present coast-to-coast structure of the Motion Picture Section of the National War Finance Committee, which is permanent, be set into motion for Aid to Russia. This committee performed a gigantic task during the recent Victory Loan and, with a few changes in personnel, will operate as it stands. Herb Allen will act as chairman of the General Campaign Committee, the members of which are Dave Coplan, Barnett Laxer, Ray Lewis, Nat Taylor and Paul Nathanson. R. W. Bolstad will be chairman of the Finance Committee, with Nat ‘Taylor, Tom Bragg, Col. John A. Cooper and Barneti Laxer serving with him. The Publicity Committee consists of Clair Appel, Jim Nairn, Hye Bossin, George Degnon and Ray Lewis. A number of methods of keeping public interest in the campaign alive through the theatres are planned. Esquire Films will distribute an eight-minute Russian short, “Children at War,” and all revenue derived from it beyond printing and censorship costs will be turned back to the fund. The leading circuits have agreed tu give it playing time and nay the usual price, and it is expected all other exhibitors will do the same. Clearance and protection policies will be put to one side to allow the short to run in all theatres at the same time so as to give it impact. Letters, lobby displays, newsreel clips and other kinds of special appeal will be used to stir up the public and the trade. The members of the War Services Committee are N. L. Nathanson, chairman; Clair Hague, vicechairman; Ray Lewis, secretarytreasurer; with the board consisting of Harry Alexander Tom Bragg, Col. John A. Cooyer, Leo Devaney, J. J. Fitzgibbons, Clair Hague, Oscar Hanson, Herry Nathanson, Jim P. O’Loghlir Louis Rosenfeld, Nat Taylor, Eugene Beaulac, Morris Stein, R. W. Bolstad, Barnett Laxer and Hert Allen. : Hollywood Creation Stu Gillespie, manager of the Elgin, Ottawa, had a patron stop him the other day with an unusual request. Elgin is playing ‘You Were Never Lovelier.” The patron is building an office and he wants pictures of the one Adolphe Menjou occupies in the film. First Thing First Paramount got about 250 titles for its story about Dr, Wassell. DeMille shuffled through all of them, then hung on to “The Story of Dr. Wassell.” ©¢ Congratulations, Give Him the Gamecock Canadian FILM WEEKLY tA OnThe Square dees oe eee Sam The news that Sam Wells, projectionist at the Uptown, Toronto, has become president of the Toronto Local of the IATSE, will be well received On The Square. Sam’s accession to the Toronto top spot among the boys in back room, upstairs, of the movie palaces is unusual in that he defeated Arthur Milligan, who held the presidency of the largest local in Canada for some eight years. ; Sam’s coming back into an important place in the industry will stir the memory of many an old-timer, for he goes back a long-way in this game. In fact, almost as far back as there is to go. He began in the amusement business as a partner and manager of road shows with his brother Cal, now an executive officer of the Local and Sam’s fellow-projectionist at the Uptown. In 1912 the Wells Brothers Amusément Company got into the new-fangled movies on a road show basis, travelling with film and equipment from coast to coast. They offered such wellremembered hits as “The Birth of a Nation,” “Intolerance,” ‘The Covered Wagon,” ‘“‘The Four Horsemen,” “Beau Geste” and other famed flickers. The boys were right on their toes when sound came in and went over to the noise in 1927. Many a burg that had its first earful of films via the Wells boys is now a flourishing town. The first machine used by them was of wood construction and hand driven. A stick of lime was used as the light source, with two nearby drums of gasoline supplying the power. The boys were in many places ahead of electricity. Sam gets around. He’s been tied up with amateur sports for many years, the past six being devoted to the Toronto Hockey League, which he served as vice-president. Lots of luck, Sam. * a ; Trophy There ain’t no end to what a press agent will go through for his company. Glen Ireton, Vitagraph publicist, attended a boxing show in Toronto the other night to offer a Gentleman Jim trophy to the winner of the heavyweight fight—and get in a few licks for the picture of the same name. Glen had a young sajlor on hand, whom he jntroduced to. present the trophy and whose name was John L. Sullivan. Glen was called on right after what the crowd considered was a bad decision. They were booing. They kept right on booing. The harder Ireton tried, the harder they booed. Mr. Ireton was a martyr to the cause of good decisions. : But he stayed right there and finally spoke his piece. = = % Mr. Fletcher's Campaign You may recall the criticism aimed at me by J. H. Fletcher, Hollyburn Theatre, Hollyburn, B.C., recently. Mr. Fletcher got the idea that I was poking fun at one of his beliefs and handed me a lacing. He has written again, this time in more friendly tones, but reiterates his opinions. Mr. Fletcher, helped by Mrs. Fletcher, ran Sunday shows at his theatre and raised over $7,000 for the Red Cross. He is convinced that the shipment of wheat from Canada to Greece either never arrives there or that the Germans withdraw an equivalent amount of food from that country. In that way he feels that Canadian wheat is going towards helping the Germans and proJonging the war. He wants it stopped and his personal protest to the Red Cross took the form of ending the shows in their behalf. He has written letters of protest and is generally conducting a lively one-man campaign. He speaks right out and in a recent letter to Mr. MacKinnon, Minister of Trade, he stated his opinions, called for action and wrote: “It is easy to see that you have no son in the firing line. If you have a son in the service I'll bet he has a bomb-proof job somewhere and lots of red tape and gold braid attached to it. Mr. Fletcher, a veteran of the last war, is Well-known for his philanthropies and his stand has won editorial support. ES Page 3 | Sam Wells Prexy Of Torontc IA The annual elections of Local 173, the Toronto branch of the IATSA, which is the projectionist’s union, provided a surprise in the defeat of Arthur Milligan, who held the office for a number of years, by Sam Wells, projectionist at the Uptown, Toronto. Wells edged Milligan out in a comparatively close contest. Milligan was also secretary-treasurer of the organization, an office in which he was replaced by George H. Jones. Tivoli, Toronto. Besides Wells, the other officers are: vice-president, Bert Higgins, Loew’s; secretary treasurer, George H. Jones, Tivoli; and recording secretary, Lou Lodge, Jr., Odeon. The executive officers are Cal Wells, Uptown; William Ayres, Tivoli; Joe Youmell, Bedford; and Pat Travers, Broadway. The elections were held at the Labor Temple on Dec. ‘6th. . To Film Weekly Mr. Wels recalled that during the last war about half the projectionists joined up and though there was an acute shortage of manpower for theatres, not a single screen became unoccupied. That tradition, he said, would be carried on during this war. He pointed with pride to the policy now which guarantees the man who leaves the booth to fight his job back when he returns. Wells praised conditions in theatres. ‘“Ihe reason,” he said, “that we in Ontario have never had a serious accident in any theatre is due primarily to the constant vigilance of the Inspection Branch of the Ontario Motion Picture Bureau. The vastly. improved working conditions from a standpoint of ventilation and sanitation may be credited to the same source.” One of the matters the new officers will have to decide, together with W. P. Covert, organizer, will be that dealing with the possibility of an accord with the National Union of Theatre Employees, which competes in the same field. Some time ago conversations were held between officials of the two bodies but nothing has resulted so far. Local 173, Toronto, is the largest branch of the IATSE in Canada. Thom Goes Over Head office and laboratory staffs of Associated Sereen Studios recently presented a wrist watch to Lieut. A, R. Thom, until recently supervising film editor of the company. Lieut. Thom bade farewell to his former associates to leave for overseas to join the Canadian Overseas Flm Unit.