Canadian Film Weekly (Dec 16, 1942)

i — fd December 16th, 1942 A2 PRC Pix in 1942-43 Groups (Continued from Page 1) times the contracts it held during | yoHN GRIERSON the past year. The PRC lineup has four Specials, one of which is “Corregidor.” The list is: Group One—4 features; Group Two — 6 features; Group Three—10 features; and a fourth package has 18 Westerns. The Westerns are 6 Billy the Kid, with Buster Crabbe; 6 Lone Rider, with Bob Livingston; and 6 Texas Rangers, with Jimmy Newall. The company will also offer 10 special pictures on an individual basis. These will be delivered at the rate of one a month but no less than 10 will be offered during the year. Two PRC pictures attracting much exhibitor attention at the moment are “Secrets of a Co-ed’ and “They Raid by Night.” Both have dates in important Toronto houses. The latter picture is a Commando story involving a Canadian and its selling quality was proved in its first engagement at the Hollywood, Toronto. Another timely offering is “A Yank in Libya,” which hit the headlines so hard that PRC had to order 35 additional prints. The rise of Alan Ladd has also been a boomerang for PRC. It made “Paper Bullets,” with Ladd in it, which played around over a year ago and is now set for reissue. The company’s distribution facilities are being constantly expanded. A deal has just been closed with Ashid Ali Haji to distribute PRC product in India and surrounding lands when freed. Warners May. Buy Newsreel Company The newest on the projected -newsreel of Warners is that the company may purchase one now in existence. Several are available and it is thought in some circles that Pathe may get the bid. 145 Movies For Troop Entertainment The Citizens Committee for Troops in Training presented 935 shows in 45 camps to an audience of 838,400 up to Nov. 30. Performances in Toronto district included 208 stage shows and 145 movies at Exhibition camp theatre and other entertainment at Chor ‘ley Park, Active Service Canteen, -Little Norway, Sports Service League, Manning Pool, Home Guard of New Toronto, H.M.C.S. York, Christie St. hospital, Art Gallery and the Women’s division of the forces. : Camp Borden has seen 279 shows provided by the committee and other centres of the province 174, ie eS SE EE eee eee oS eS a NEN EE eee = 77 2 (Telling an American assemblage about what not to give the public in films) AM not sure if there is any lesson to be learned by the United States. Its problems, if not more complex, are vaster. It has what we do not have, a large production industry with the best creative talent in the world. When it comes to informing the people and stirring them, it has a brilliance to fall back on, which we outsiders and aliens can only envy. Perhaps I may be allowed to say this. The clue to this matter is not in the power of the American film industry nor even in its brilliant creative talents. It is in the clear co-ordination of ‘the nation’s needs with the proper requirements of the industry. It is essential that the Government should understand that industry. In other words, it must master the | are of co-operating with it in its! own terms of interest and entertainment, relating the Government’s purposes to the normal requirements of news reels, interest, specialty, and feature films. The cardinal sin, in organizing the entertainment industry as a vehicle of public information, is to bore the people away from using it. No one is served. The public: is not served; the industry is not served; and the Government is defeated in the very purpose it set out to fulfil. NEW YORK TIMES (Thomas M. Pryor writes about the Wild Boys of Gotham) 4 Pee gate-crashing situation be\" came such a nuisance at one Times Square house, which is a favorite rendezvous of the jitierbug crowd, that the management recently engaged uniformed orivate patrolmen to guard its many fire exits opening onto street level. Other houses in New York and elsewhere have quictly added to their staffs private detectives to assist ushers in handling the more Canadian FILM WEEKLY -—— [ NS ®LOS ANGELES TIMES (Philip K. Scheuer’ writes about the current musical films) T is the belief of this column a belief shared, incidentally, by Edwin Schallert and others—that musicals on the screen have gone to the dogs. A majority of them are slick, gradual that many filmgoers don’t realize it; but the fact is that appeal to the ear has replaced appeal to the eye in most of our Hollywood operas. “Replaced,’”’ perhaps, is not the exact word. The performers singers, musicians, dancers—are still up there going through all the motions, making “the punishment fit the crime,” as it were. The photography, literally speaking, is clearer than ever; there are few abrupt cuts and technically everything is hunky-dory. But visually and artistically the camera has ceased to exist. In other words, the singies have completed a cycle. They are back where they were when sound came in—a picture or a series of pictures of an act on a stage. They had to do it that way then due to mechanical limitations; they don’t have to any more, but they do it anyway. Why? PTE. PHIL STONE, CASF (The double bill again) H, the double feature is a horrible creature! It always seems to me like too much sugar. in one’s tea. Or an overdose of glucose. Yes, the double-header would do better, if it were just single, then manager’s pockets might jingle. And it wouldn’t be dawn till the last show went on. Dividend Is Reported For Eastern Theatres Current dividend declaration of unruly element and to help sup-!50 cents a share on the common press acts of vandalism. stock of Eastern Theatres Limited Curiously enough the majority|is the first on this security since of gate crashers apprehended have had sufficient money to purchase their way into theatres. The| youths’ ages range all the way | from 12 years to as high as 21 in some cases. Theatre men aftribute the lapse in discipline to wartime conditions. One manager, taking a more tolerant attitude, expressed the opinion’ that most of the older boys know they are going into the Army soon and are indulging in a last careless fling. December, 1938, and is similar to payments made at that time as well’ as in 1937. At the end of 1940, the outstanding 7 per cent preferred stock of $100 par value was redeemed at 110 and accrued dividend and capital now consists of 32,000 common shares. Net for 1941 was equal to $1.90 a share and in 1940, a year in which the preferred stock was outstanding, to 45 cents a share. static and devoid of surprise. The change has been so Page 5 (Eddie Harris With Army Show Leave it to the army to grab the best. Canada’s fighting forces, looking for a Technical Director for the new show being whipped up by Jack Arthur, gaye the comeon to Eddie Harris, formerly of the Odeon circuit. Eddie’s clothes will all have the same color from now till the game is won. He’s become Lieut. Eddie Harris. Odeon gave him the go sign. Eddie knows his ear-and-eye stuff. He’s a member of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers and is the only Canadian in the ranks fo the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His knowledge of lighting, sound and theatre presentation in general is hard to match within Canada’s fair domain and Arthur and his lads are mighty glad of the hookup. The army show, in production for some time, will be in several units, the two main ones being the Army Show on the stage and a radio show. The Army Show will tour Canadian camps and play leading cities to break the long jumps. In this way the public will get a look at it. When the Canadian tour is ended it is likely that the company will head for Britain. The radio show will entertain here and be broadcast to England. Arthur has lined up leading lights for every department of his activities. The acquisition of Harris, while it removes a valuable man from the motion picture field for the duration, will be a definite boost towards the success of the Army Show. CONTRACT SALES OFFICE PHONE TR.1257 GT FLOOR <8 lye Creat