Canadian Film Weekly (Nov 29, 1944)

Page 2 Canadian FILM WEEKLY ———— Vol. 9, No. 4 ~ Nov. 29, 1944 WPTB J dt'n bea ial thes uris Le A WWE A, HYE _BOSSIN, ‘Managing ‘Editor B Address all communications—The Managing Ediior, Canadian Film Weekly, 25 Dundas Square, Toronto, Canada. Published by Film Publications of Canada Canada, Phone ADelaide 4317. Price 5 cents each or $2.00 per year. Entered as Second Class Matter Printed by Eveready Printers Limited, 78 Wellington Street West, Torento, Ontaric ' Censorship for Children (PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER) We are in complete agreement with the Brantford Expositor in the opinion which it expresses about the resolution passed by the Provincial Chapter of the IODE, which recommended that a child psychologist be appointed to the Ontario Motion Picture Censorship. Child psychologists, our contemporary points out, do not agree among themselves as to what is best for children, and it would need more wisdom than is to be found in any one head to decide what is fit for children to see. As we have pointed out before, there is only one form of censorship which is effective for children, and that is the censorship of the home. Parents who take their responsibilities seriously, and who understand their children, can decide what books they may read, what food they may eat, what words they may use, what movies they may see, when they shall go to bed, and what portions of the newspapers they may read. This home censorship is the ony one which has any hope of success, and even it cannot extend into every corner of the child’s life. As the Brantford paper says “children are people,” and what is good for one may be bad for another; blanket censorship is always an unwarrantable curtailment of liberty. It is not a good thing to coddle children too much. William James, many years ago, divided the world into the tough-minded and the tender-minded; the tough-minded were the people who were realistic vigorous and resilient in their approach to the problems of life: the tender-minded were those who shrank from whatever seemed “unpleasant,” took refuge in pretences, and frequently lost their balance when faced with inescapable problems. We want our childrn to be tough-minded, and they will never achieve that condition unless they are introduced, gradually, to life as we know it; this life, which includes the robot bomb, the flame thrower, and mass murder, is decidedly not for the tender-minded. We seriously doubt if exposure to genuine works of art ever does a child harm, and it is always likely to do good. The great literature of the world is full of passages which are not for the tender-minded; great drama invariably deals with themes which are not common knowledge in the nursery; great music is not for the psychologically puny. The child mind is usually able to protect itself against what it is not yet ready to absorb as soon as it is ready to face life fearlessly it should be allowed to do so. Tieing in with former Toronto girl Beverley Whitney's first movie role fn 20th-Fox’ “Irish Eyes Are Smiling,”’ Manager Fred Trebilcock of Shea’s, Toronto, fs shown above welcoming her former school and music teachers to the first run showing of the film. From Jeft to right are Trebilcock, Miss Dunlop of Brown School, H. Salthouse, Margaret Avard, Miss Nen Shaw and Mr, Whitehead of the Toronte Conservatory of Music, Ltd., 25 Dundas Square, Terento, Ont. Argued in Mont! (Continued from Page 1) contracts for the rental and exhibition of all photoplays, and that no change can be made in any contract without the administrator’s written consent. This, it was argued, removes from the Superior Court all jurisdiction in matters controlled by contracts, The question was raised on an appeal by the United Amusement Corporation from a judgment of the Superior Court, rendered by Mr. Justice Louis Cousineau who dismissed the appellant’s exception to proceedings by Kent Theatres, Limited, asking for an injunction to restrain the appellant from giving its own theatres in Montreal priority rights over the Kent Theatre in exhibition of certain photoplays. In arguing the appeal, Jean Martineau, K.C., contended there was error in the judgment of the lower court which maintained that, notwithstanding the power and authority delegated by Order-in-Council to the Administrator of Services to determine the terms and conditions under which the moving-picture industry should be conducted, jurisdiction in the matter still remained with the Superior Court. H, M. Swards and Antonio Perrault, K.C, ,appeared for respondent, and Swards informed the court that the Kent Theatre had desisted from the case in which the United Amusement Corporation, Limited, and Vitagraph, Limited, appealed from a judgment of the Superior Court granting an interim injunction restraining the appellants from giving theatres operated by the United Amusement Corporation priority rights over Kent Theatre. Swards said that as the contracts which were involved had had expired since the interim injunction was granted, it would be useless to continue proceedings in appeal. Whether or not new injunction proceedings would be instituted in the Superior Court Swards said would necessarily depend upon the judgment of the Court of Appeal on the question of the Superior Court’s jurisdiction, Andre Montpetit, K.C., represented Vitagraph, Limited. Ginny Simms Stars Ginny Simms, who has spent most of the past several months on tours of Army and Navy hospitals, is now returning to M-G-M to star in a musical picture, “No Leave, No Love,” to be produced by Joe Pasternak, Famous Players On Conciliation — (Continued from Page 1) tional War Service Committee, a broad organization, could extend its activities “to effectively rep resent the industry in matters — that might concern the industry nationally.” Although Famous explaining that Players was whole heartedly in agreement with the Bee principle of conciliation, varia tions in conditions would operate = against an inflexible scheme. At the same time an explanatory note on the sheet detailing the suggested amendments says that “this form of Conciliation Agree— ae ment could be followed in each exchange area where conciliation boards are set up, substituting the name of the exchange area concerned. The conciliation draft was printed in full in the Canadian Film Weekly of October 25. Famous Players suggests that (1) a board be set up in Toronto for that exchange area, (2) it shall be called the Ontario Board of Conciliation, (3) in Ontario any two members of the Motion Picture ‘Theatres Association shall be eligible to sit on the board, not just Independents, as is stipulated now, (4) it should be made clear that the executive members elected by the board have a right to vote on matters. Had Famous Players agreed to the draft, it would have been put into action, since it is known that Odeon Theatres was prepared to support it. In fact Haskell Masters, general manager of Odeon, felt that it didn’t go far enough in support of the exhibitor. Para Signs Writer Richard Sale, top magazine writer and author of “Not Too Narrow, Not Too Deep,” which MGM. produced with Clark Gable and Joan Crawford, has been signed by Paramount to a long term writing contract. Sale has arrived at the studio to start his first writing for motion pictures. Most of his stories in recent years have appeared in the Saturday Evening Post and Cosmopolitan Magazine. Lowe Will Star in Monogram's ‘Chandu’ Monogram is negotiating for the rights to “Chandu, the Magician,” long a popular radio serial and in 1932 a starring vehicle for Edmund Lowe. Plans include the starring of Lowe in his original role,