Canadian Film Weekly (May 19, 1943)

Five All-Time Greats! * SIR ALEXANDER KORDA presents Searlet Pimpernel Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon, Raymond Massey * The Ghost Goes West Robert Donat, Jean Parker, Eugene Pallette * Elephant Boy Sabu * Sanders of the River Paul Robeson * Henry VIII Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Merle Oberon * Producers Releasing Corporation LIMITED Executive Offices: 877 Victoria St., Toronto, 2, Ont. She Kicked Right Out Canadian FILM WEEKLY Dames Make News Hollywood has missed many a chance to enliven its gallery of screen characters, as was pointed out in these pages recently. The last time the subject came up here we told about lady prizefighters. Even though the ladies have taken over jobs of great responsibility these days, the screen doesn’t reflect a recognition of the fact. So the discourse about woman’s rights is hereby renewed. Hundreds of editors rush madly about the screen each year, firing star reporters, coaxing them back and shouting into the telephone: “Tear out the front page!” But none of the editors involved in the helter and skelter, an obvious exaggeration for effect, are femmes. . In this instance Hollywood shares the prejudice of many male reporters about the sob sisters, as they are known to the craft. This despite the fact that many have won local and national distinction. Perhaps the men feel that the girls don’t stick around the game long enough but surrender to such essential urges as marriage, thus revealing that the craft is a secondary loyalty. The boys in the business think that the girls should have stayed in the kitchen in the first place. History, however, has away of making a sucker of people who looked completely right at one time or another. The Germans, for instance, will lose the war and wonder how in the world they were ever swept away by the swindle called The New Order, imposed on them by a con artist known as Hitler. So Hollywood better give the girls who chase headlines and deadlines their due now. = 2 * History is On the Distaff Side Out of loyalty to Hollywood and the scribbling craft I hereby reveal that I have heard History snickering about this matter. You see, the boys who consider that the girls are Janile-comelatelys to the newspaper game are away out. The fact is that a woman published the first daily paper in the world, The first issue of the first daily paper was issued in London on March 11, 1702, by “EH. Mallet, against the Ditch at Fleet Bridge” and there’s a copy of it in the British Museum. It was the imagination of a woman that first conceived the idea that man would want to have the news every morning with his breakfast. Behind that non-committal “EK” was “Elizabeth.” The paper was called The Courant, was two columns wide and carried no pictures or ads. Newspapers came out weekly in those days and in a few instances semi-weekly. For centuries a single copy of a bulletin had been posted on the walls of the Royal Palace of China but that could hardly be called a daily newspaper. o “The Courant,” the editor wrote, “will be published daily, being designed to give all the material news as soon as the post arrives, and is confined to half the compass to save the public at least half the impertinences of ordinary newspapers.’ She also promised that the editor would not ‘take it upon himself to give any comments or conjectures of his own, but will relate only matter of facts, supposing that other people to have sense enough to make reflections for themselves.” Hollywood, take heed! Dorothy Thompson gave you several lambastings. Better arrange shelter in the hills against the day when she hears about this. Or hurry up and give the girls the right to hire, fire and holler: “Tear out the front page!” And furthermore, this ought to teach you he-scribblers not to be so smart. ~~ (iy) UicroryLoan May 19, 1943 | Montreal Youth Hits Juve Ban A letter to the editor of the Montreal Star by a juvenile correspondent is on the subject of the Quebec law which bars children, accompanied by adults or not. The writer is E. G. Cochrane and the letter is headed: “What About Those Church Movies?” The letter follows: “Sir,—I have been going to shows regularly for a year now and I find no difficulty in getting into most theatres because I look at least sixteen. But last Saturday, accompanied by a friend who, despite the fact that he is seventeen, looks younger than I, I went down to a theatre. We purchased our tickets from the cashier but, just as we were entering, an officious usher (of about twenty years, male, and appearing to be in good health), asked us for our registration cards. Naturally, I didn’t have one and so we had to have our money refunded and walk down to another theatre. “At first I was very angry with the twenty-five cent per hour little Hitler but then I realized that he was within the law. A law that was passed a number of years ago due to one fire (I don’t believe any other serious theatre fires have occurred since that time), caused my forefathers to pass a law that has deprived thousands of children hours of harmless pleasure. “Since that law was passed all the theatres that I have ever been in are practically fireproof. The danger of fire is almost negligible. Yet the law remains on the books? “What about the church movies? I'll tell you about those. Every Friday night certain churches open up their halls to show a few old films. Hundreds of moviehungry children pay their dimes. The early ones are lucky. They get seats; seats that are squeezed in at the cost of safety and comfort. The late comers sit on the floor. The hall is jammed. If there were ever a fire I doubt very much if more than ten per cent of the children would escape the flames. But that isn’t all. The windows are kept shut so that dime-less children won't be able to see the films free of charge. The stagnant air is sickening. “Compare the scene of these church movies with our up-to-date theatres. I would be content if children of twelve years or more were admitted. (Ages could be verified by means of tram passes.) But I don’t want to be admitted just to see Walt Disney's technicolor films. I want to be able to see any films that please me. It’s about time that we Quebecers woke up and got up to date, We're the only province in Canada with this outmoded law. Let’s take it off our law book now.” @