Canadian Film Weekly (Dec 13, 1944)

December 13, 1944 Exec Elected by Picture Pioneers (Continued from Page 1) Cronk, Ernie Moule, Clare Appel and Ben Geldealer. They replaced Tom Daley, Charlie Mavety, Walter Kennedy and Alf Perry. Those who served last year and will remain on the board for 1945 are Clare Hague, Syd Taube, Ray Lewis, Archie Laurie, Leo Devaney, Morris Stein and Jack Arthur. Added to the board when elections are complete will be those elected to presidency of the branches. There are Canadian Picture Pioneer branches in each exchange territory—-Calgary, Winnipeg, St. John, Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto. Vern Skorey has been elected head of the Calgary branch. New members of the Toronto branch are Charles Rotenberg, Ben Freedman, Joe Meyers, Stanley Hammer, Sam Glasier, Nat Taylor, John Bond, E. R. Hume and Joe Simon. Charlie Ward and Bill Melody were made honorary members. Election of national officers will take place next week among the members of the executive board. Clare Hague is the current president. N.Y. State Court OKs Chaplin Suit Right The New York State Court of Appeals last week ruled that Charles Chaplin could bring a $1,000,000 accounting action against Vanguard Films, Inc., in the state. Chaplin seeks an accounting of $1,000,000 profits, allegedly resulting from transactions on a four picture deal United Artists made with Vanguard and a share of the money. Chaplin owns 25 per cent of the stock of United Artists Corporation. The court also ruled that Chaplin could not bring action against David O. Selznick Productions, Inc., reversing a decision upheld in lower courts. Petrillo Aims at Newsreel Music James C. Petrillo was last week reported to have notified the newsreel companies he is prepared to start discussions on 4 new contract which may bring about a ban on all dubbing. Hollywood major studios have been under such a _ Petrillo-imposed ban for several months and the AFM president previously stated he would go after the newsreel companies next. Companies that would be affected by such a measure are Fox Movietone, Pathe, Paramount, United Newsreel and Loew's News of the Day. Canadian FILM WEEKLY Will Show Televis’n Come Under CBC? (Continued from Page 1) site purchased for it originally, the northeast corner of Woodlawn and Yonge Streets. In Canada television is controlled by the CBC, with no official distinction having as yet been made between home and theatrical projection. In April of this year, before the Special Committee on Radio Broadcasting, Joseph Sedgwick, K.C., general counsel for the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, blamed the CBC for holding back television progress in Canada. In 1939 Leonard W. Brockington, K.C., then in charge of the CBC, declared television to be under the jurisdiction of the CBC and this policy still holds. An intense but undercover battle, becoming more public all the time, has developed in the USA between radio and motion picture interests for the control. of future television. Nothing of this sort has happened in Canada, the motion picture industry not having concerned itself with television and the private radio interests being held back by the CBC position. The point has not been reached where it is necessary for the motion picture industry to know and the CBC to make known Breen a Holdover The contract between Joseph I. Breen and the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America was last week extended for three years. Mr. Breen was designated as a Vice-President of the Association as well as Director of the Production Code Administration. M. Coste, Kitchener Gets Navy Thanks Maurice Coste, manager of the Century Theatre, Kitchener, has received congratulations and thanks from officials of the Navy Magazine Drive for his untiring efforts on their behalf resulting in the collection of over 8,000 pieces of reading material. There is an urgent need for magazines and books in the Navy and Merchant Marine and Coste’s haul was immediately shipped out. whether it considers theatre television a thing apart and thus outside its control. At the recent press conference announcing the Nathanson-Rank merger, reporters asked about the possibility of theatre television soon. Paul Nathanson, in explaining that Odeon theatres built after the war would be equipped for it, pointed out that television is controlled by the CBC at the present time. He did not endeavor to attach any significance to the statement. The late N. L. Nathanson, president of Famous Players at the time, was a member of the CBC Board of Governors until his passing. Darwell, Kennedy for New ‘Tugboat Annie’ Jane Darwell and Edgar Kennedy were last week signed as the stars of “Tugboat Annie’s Son,” first of the remake series to be produced by James 8S. Burkett for Republic release. Last stars to make a film in this series were Marjorie Rambeau and Alan Hale at Warners. Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery appeared in the original MGM hit. Loew's Canadian Shows Profit Gain is reported by Marcus Loew’s Theatres, Ltd., with net profit for the fiscal year ended Aug. 30, including the refundable portion of the excess profits tax, of $107,171, and exclusive of the $8,000 refundable portion, $99,171, or $7.12 a share on the common stock. This was after allowing for preferred dividends. In the previous year net profit, exclusive of $5,727 refundable portion, was $95,876, and after preferred dividends net on the common was equal to $6.68 a share. Balance sheet figures show net working capital of $727,691, compared with $634,129 at the end of August, 1943, current assets at Aug. 31, 1944, being $805,471, and current liabilities $77,780. The ratio of current assets to current liabilities was 10.4 to 1. Vol. 9, No. 50 Dee. 13, 1944 HYE BOSSIN, Managing Editor Address all communications—The Managing Editor, Canadian Film Weekly, 25 Dundas Square, Toronto, Canada. Published by Film Publications of Canada Ltd, 25 Dundas Square, Toronto, Ont. Canada. Phone ADelaide 4517. S cemts each or $2.00 per year. Price Entered as Second Class Matter Printed by Eveready Printers Limited, 75 Wellington Strect West, Toronto, Ontarip Page 3 Eagle-Lion Ltd. In Action Here (Continued from Page 1) films. Its executive and sales staff personnel will not be announced until after the first of the new year. Empire-Universal earlier announced the distribution of 20 productions from Eagle-Lion and Two Cities for this season. These are the product basis of EagleLion in Canada, which will use the shipping and office facilities of Empire-Universal. J. Arthur Rank created EagleLion Distributors, Limited, early in 1943 for the international distribution of films made through his production interests. He was particularly interested in greater American distribution, the indifference of USA exchanges to British films being almost scandalous in view of the warm reception given Hollywood product in Britain. After Arthur W. Kelley and Teddy Carr left United Artists to join Rank, Kelley to be managing director and Carr to handle Europe and Britain, it was announced that Eagle-Lion would open 31 exchanges in key USA cities. This plan was dropped after suitable distribution deals with several exchanges were made by Rank for American distribution. At the recent press conference at which the Odeon deal was announced, Paul L. Nathanson Stated that the agreement with Rank, made through John Davis, had no connection whatever with distribution. This makes it appear that the establishment of Eagie-Lion as a separate sales structure in Canada is no more than an adjustment within the broad structure of Empire-Universal, the largest exchange in the Dominion. Hellinger to RKO? RKO is reported to have offered Mark Hellinger a producing unit of his own. Hellinger, in accordance with his production contract, recently gave one year’s notice at Warners, Change FPCC Plans For Christmas Party Pians for a joint Christmas party of all Toronto Famous Players theatre staffs are off. The Victoria Theatre isn’t in shape. The three downtown houses — Shea's, Tivoli and Imperia}—will have their fun together at the Imperial. Other FPCC houses will get together in their own district.