Canadian Film Weekly (Jan 17, 1945)

Page 4 Booster Harry Black, who manages the Capitol, Penticton, British Co lumbia, is always trying hard to be the best booster that community has. Penticton is about 250 miles inland from Vancouver. In a note he recalls that this column has often related in glowing terms the fishing and hunting trips of some members of the industry. Such reports usually refer to Ontario and New Brunswick and, says Harry, it’s time that someone in the West sent in word “that we have fish and game out here too.” He says they get Salmon trout up to 35 pounds and fiyfish for silver trout from one to ten pounds at the edge of the town. “As for hunting,” Harry writes proudly, “here is one trip which would be hard for any of the rifle fiends to match. One day in the fall I left town at 1.30 p.m., drove 22 miles, then walked two miles up a mountain trail and by 3.30 p.m. had three spike deer, Could have had several large bucks but, it being late in the season, I didn’t want them.” Fish and deer aren’t the only beauties around Penticton. Alexis Smith, the Warners star, was born there. On the Beam The contest to name Barnes & Davidson’s Deseronto house was won by a patron who suggested “Radar,” thereby fattening his or her poke by $100. Incidentally there are a number of theatres in the West known simply as “M.P.” ve OnThe Square Ce oa bee Tk Ps “o = True Well-meaning man, in conversation with a Negro, referred to him as a “colored man.” “We're not colored,” was the thought-provoking answer. ‘We were born this way.” Good Work Return engagement of “The Great Mr. Handel’ at the Royal Alex, Toronto, caused Roly Young to comment about his faith in the film in the face of Ernie Rawley’s opinion. This film had been unplayed and on the shelf for over a year when Ben Cronk moved into Emp-vU, dusted it off, tried it for Montreal music lovers and found that, played right, it would be a moneymaker. After that it went into the Royal and played to capacity several times. Overheard “He’s one man who’ll never die of enlargement of the heart.” Fellow-Irkers (1) Imsurance salesmen who sound and look just like insurance salesmen. (2) Insurance salesmen who don’t sound and look like insurance salesmen. Ned Depinet Drive o/e|sislofey ee ee J. J. Fitzgibbons, president of Famous Players Canadian Corporation, (centre), welcomes Bob Folliard, captain of RKO’s 1945 Ned Depinet Drive, to Canada. Left is Leo Devaney, Canadian general manager. with Hye Bossin It's Never Over Wolfe Cohen, back in town for a couple of days, was telling about the difficulties of travel these days. Not how tough it is to get room on a plane or train but about visa complications. To get into one Latin-American country he was forced to provide 12 passport photos. Then, not satisfied, government photogs took four more. Somehow this leads to Mayor Saunders, enemy of the City Hall voucher system, in which a piece of paper must reach about 25 persons for signature before that part of the transaction is over with. I am going to ask the mayor to go after the National Film Board. The NFB recently ordered another subscription from us and was billed in due course. Then came a request for five copies of the invoice. This was met. The other day a request came in for five more copies. Did somebody say something about a paper shortage? Ruralroutish Globe and Mail, Canada’s leading morning newspaper (in Toronto), went kind of smalltownish the other day. Roly Young’s column, all the theatre advertising and some other ad stuff were all piled up on the first sporting page. It was the first time Jim Coleman and Roly competed for the attention of the reader. I think Jim won—but only because his scribbling was more theatrical in style. The theatrical showy enough. Paunch Drunk? East is east and vest is vest and never the pants shall meet. Roly wasn’t Nice Gesture Those presents Tom Connors sent out to 20th-Fox boys and girls in the services were gratefully received. Lieut. Winnie Chivers, WRCNS, a young lady who used to be with the Winnipeg branch, wrote to Joe Huber and asked him to pass on her thanks. She’s hoarding the cash gift to buy a pair of fur-lined glamor boots and the Elizabeth Arden kit was wonderful to her because ae wanted one but couldn’t afford it. Nice folks, those. January 17, 1945 Canadian FILM WEEKLY ————————————_... Ycleptomania Al Sedgwick, manager of the Belsize, Toronto, has 4 curious streak that leads him to pursue the unusual. Seeking a name in the new phone book, he was led away but not astray by one that caught his eye. It had to do with golf and Al followed that theme right through the book. The searching Sedgwick discovered that there are four Clubbs, hundreds of Greens but just two Tees, six Holes and no Fairways in the new phone book, There are five Baggs, which Al presumes carry the seven Drivers, two Brasseys, 11 Irons and about 150 Balls. Parr, Al points out, is hit 25 times in spite of the fact that, although there are no Slices, there are 19 Hooks, and only six Putts. There aren’t any Birdies but 12 Eagles are there. “PS.” pee-esses Al. ‘There is only one Golfman.” Noisy Secret The deal between Odeon and Superior Operating of Montreal, not yet officially admitted, has attracted considerable press space. Latest stories about it appeared in the Hamilton Spectator and the Montreal Financial Times. The Times quotes Superior management as saying “We have nothing official and therefore are not talking about it.” Thanks Ed Auger, now of RCA in New York but once a pioneer in the Canadian theatre business, was in Toronto recently and heard about our series on the life and times of Ernest Ouimet. Ed wanted to read the stories and Oscar Hanson sent them on to him. A note from Auger says that “It was refreshing to dwell into a busy-and still growing industry and there renew acquaintance with the past, particularly that of my old friend Ernest.’ Thought It’s easier to fence an elephant in than it is a cat. Wrong Again Grattan Kiely became “Grad Kieley” in our columns when the news of his succeeding Coval was reported in the last issue. I tried mighty hard to get the right spelling but, what with Glenn Ireton busy making movies in Northern Ontario for Warners, there was no official source of info. The guy who spelled Kiely's name for me should have known better, too.