Canadian Film Weekly (Dec 30, 1942)

Page 4 Chatham Honors Pat Drohan (Continued from Page 1.) to tell Pat what they thought of him. Local merchants caused their ads to carry congatulations to Drohan and the theatre has been the scene of general well-wishing. Pat likes Chatham and Chatham likes Pat. It’s a love affair that has endured for 25 years and will go right on. The Chatham Daily News gave utterance to what Chathamites feel about Pat in a long article, part of which follows: “As a showman of first magnitude, who understands the desires and needs of his patrons, and who caters to the highest taste in entertainment, there are few people in the country who holds a higher place in the public esteem than Mr. Drohan. Now in his 25th year as a theatre manager of Chatham, he is at the height of his career as a businessman and citizen of this community. Any man who can continue for over 24 years to supply the needs of a community in the matter of entertainment must have a keen conception of human nature, and a personality that attracts admiration and respect—and that man is A. P. Drohan. “Mr. Drohan, whose boyhood home is in Guelph, came to Chatham as the manager of the former Griffin Theatre opposite the market. He soon won his way into the confidence of the theatre-going public, and working under a severe handicap, in lacking a strictly modern playhouse, he built up a fine business, and converted the Griffin into a popular spot for those seeking amusement and entertainment. His genial manner, and his extraordinary ability to anticipate the needs of his patrons stamped him as a man of natural talent in catering to the public. “When the new Chatham Theatre was acquired a number of years ago by the Famous Players Canadian Corporation Ltd, and rechristened the Capitol, there was only one man who was considered for the position of manager, and that man was Mr, Drohan. In his new environment with one of the finest theatres in the country under his control, his real talent was developed in a big way, and today the Capito] is considered second to none in the country, not only for the fine shows it presents, but also for the service which is given to the patrons under Mr. Drohan’s expert management and guidance. “During the 24 years Mr. Drohan has resided in Chatham he has been greatly assisted in his patriotic and charitable undertakings by Mrs. Drohan.” Canadian FILM WEEKLY P) 82 g Ont he Squave That's Using the Old Noggin Theatre managers sare smarties when it comes to meeting the vagaries of the public, individually and en masse. But now and then a situation arises which requires some preliminary pondering. Last week an agitated young man befell Manager Len Bishop of the Tivoli, Toronto. Somewhere in the men’s room he had lost his very valuable diamond ring. The hoop, having rolled off his digit, kept playing hookey. The young man just couldn’t go home without it. ~ Mr. Bishop gave the matter some thought. A plain announcement of its loss wouldn’t be enough to shake it loose from the finder—if he was inclined to play finders keepers, losers weepers. That might also encourage others with the same idea to search for it. A few minutes later the thought that had been swimming around in Len’s think-tank was fished out. At the end of the feature he spoke to the audience. “Will the person,” he asked, “who picked up that ring in the men’s room return it to the owner, who is waiting for him in the lobby?” J it worked. A minute later a very apologetic individual showed up with the frozen ice, hastening to explain that he had intended returning after he had seen the show, and obviously thinking that he had been seen at the time he picked up the ring! Don't Call the Mounties Most chagrined theatre manager in Toronto is Irving Field of the Royce. Irving wanted to do more than his share for the Aid to Russia Fund so he turned over 10 per cent of the gross of “Moscow Strikes Back” to the campaign. Irving’s clientelle are mostly Russians and: they were very pleased with the idea. But Irving got a shock the next week when he picked up a Toronto paper and saw, under the heading, “What Theatre Managers Say About Coming Attractions,” that his theatre was playing a “Ukrainian Talking Picture with Nazi Titles”! . A stenog’s mistake. He meant English titles. But I Like Her Journalism’s a shrew and scold; I like her. She makes you sick, she makes you old; I like her. She’s daily trouble, storm and strife; She’s love and hate and death and life; She ain’t no lady—she’s my wife; I like her. —Franklin P. Adams The Why of It Every editor knows the fellow who locates a typographical error and come a-running gleefully and accusingly. He's really a flatterer, since he proves that the paper is being read. Here's an answer to him and his ilk: “Lean down here while we whisper in your ear. Sh-h-h-h. The editor writes so plainly that even a blind man can spell out his words; the compositors are college men who have edited papers of thelr own, and set up the matter exactly as it is written and correct what mistakes the editor makes; the proof-reader is a professor of rhetoric and philology in an Lowa college, and never made a mistake in his life, and he corrects what few mistakes the compositors may make; the foreman is a Gottingen graduate, who has nothing to do but see that the matter is perfect when the formes go down. There isn’t a mistake when it reaches the press. But we'll tell you, as a professional secret, how the mistakes creep in. The pressman told the manager, and the manager told us. It’s the ink, reader, it’s the ink. We pay out thousands and thousands of dollars a year for good ink, and can’t get an article that doesn’t fairly measle the paper with typographical errors.” That was the answer of the Burlington Hawkeye to a reader who asked who was responsible—in 1879. So, you see, there’s nothing new. December 80th, Press Chops Theatre Space (Continued from Page 1.) even more than before, while the) smaller houses got none. ‘ Copy which was formerly cluded as readers seems to ha been amplified and presented news stories on the amusemé pages. Scene cuts for attractia in downtown houses got the ust space, such space being given | them exclusively. Theatre ad tisers weren't notified, the policy being sprung suddenly. Small theatre owners are as ing for some adjustment of f& situation or that what is fair ff them should be fair for all. Thei was a kind of understanding in t past that reader space should proximate 25 per cent of advert ing space. Another irksome fac is that stage attractions, publi¢ ed by the comment of the dra departments, seem untouched. Advertisers have received following addition to the 60-d cancellation clause of the St “Furthermore, should publicati of this paper be restricted or cl tailed in any way due to war ¢ ditions, the rate quoted herein the amount of space contract for, as well as the size, location volume of advertisements, shall be subject to revision or regula’ by the publisher at any " without notice.” = The Star, like other papers, pects to cut the number of pages because of the general pap rationing. The situation remains as bef with the other Toronto dailies, About a month ago the pap ruled that all corrections sent after 9.30 a.m. would be charg at $10. ; Bunny Gets Funny ~ Bugs Bunny, Leon Schlesing rampaging rabbit, will become comic strip character this we He gets a four-color presentati in many funnies. Stein Back : Morris Stein, head of Fama Players’ eastern division, is ba at his desk after being away ill five weeks. Morris is slowly ning his way back to health a an operation some time ago, ‘In Which We Serve’ Get Hays’ Okay United Artists’ English spe “In Which We Serve,” which | loaded with virile talk, got a Ha Office okay after a few of more stirring expression had b silenced. The audience will be a to guess the words from the mo’ movements of the charact speaking them — if it’s curi¢ enough. r