Canadian Film Weekly (Mar 14, 1945)

March 14, 1945 Retribution The stag for Jack Sherwin, held after-hours in the Warner clubroom, was much fun. Jack was about to depart from the industry in which he invested much of his youth in favor of personal enterprise in another field. Never having been known to be anything but nice, staffmates, managers and exhibs rallied round the good cheer to send him on his way bearing several symbols of their regard. That sort of occasion always provides an excuse for whoever is introducing speakers to hand them vile and personal insults. The introducer hides behind’ an irky smirk and It’s All a Big Joke. The listener roars — until it’s his turn to be insulted. Then he trades his outsize guffaw for a sickly smile. The.real villain is, of course, the introducer. I don’t know where all this is getting us, except that it fills space. However, I did the intro duction chores at the Sherwin affair and was I a louse! Even bigger than usual. For instance, in calling on Joe Plottel to make a presentation for the Warner Club, I said that he had stomach ulcers from years of eating in hamburger joints when not buying lunch for exhibitors, charging the office $1.50 for the hamburger lunch via the swindle sheet. If the story is around by now, I hereby testify that it is malicious slander. I understand the price is wrong. Then there was Harry Lester. I don’t dare repeat what I said about him in case you haven't heard it yet. Some time after 2 a.m., after Harry Romberg, Herman Bennett and others had righted the wrongs of the movie world, Herm started to drive Barney Fox and yours truly home. The car wouldn’t start. Neither Mr. Fox ‘nor myself are in very good con dition at our great age but we pushed that car down icy Yonge street that cold a.m. We huffed and puffed while the calm Mr. Bennett sat in the cosy splendor of the vehicle. Finally one of those anonymous noblemen of nature pulled his car up behind Mr. Bennett’s and shoved him out of sight. Right there I saw retribution in action. Mr. Fox and I, after waiting a while, began plodding our weary way homeward. Here was fitting punishment for my lack of regard for the feelings of folks. But from nowhere Herman drove up again, his engine zinging away, and delivered us safely and comfortably home. Mr. Fox, being of angelic disposition at all times, deserved it. Moral: You can be a louse all your life and still escape justice. Canadian FILM WEEKLY {OnThe Square wilh Hye Bossin i All About Jack The March issue of Monetary Times, in its Careers in Cameo department, gives John M. Alexander, production manager of Associated Screen News, the approving onceover. ‘Life,’’ the writer says early in the peace, “has been generous to him in the matter of curves, and a wellrounded disposition that has won him many friends in the motion picture fraternity.” The article credits Jack with teaching Eastman Kodak a few things about the use of panchromatic film, with which he planned to shoot the Jimmy WildcPatsy Wallace boxing match in Toronto’s Exhibition Park for the Flyweight championship of the world. This was 1926 and when the company learned that Jack intended to use the film with artificial lighting it sent an observer. Not long after Hollywood switched from carbon arc lighting to incandescent. It’s a nice brevignette and I have a hunch that BHlizabeth Trott, who has written a number of articles about the industry, is responsible. Sucker A tale is being passed around the neighborhood about an exhibitor who got the woiks from a predatory dame for reasons that had nothing to do with the ancient and modern battle of the sexes. A not-bad-looking girl dropped into a theatre to sell some brushes of a much-joked-about brand. The exhib bought a few. As the girl was leaving she heard him remark to someone else present that he was headed for the vendor. “I have a permit,” the brush hawker smiled sweetly. ‘Would you like me to get a bottle on it for you?” The exhib did and drove her to the vendor. He gave her the money and told her what brand to get for him. She soon showed up with the bottle tightly clasped and said, “This is worth a couple of bucks, isn’t it?” This mercenary attitude was something entirely unexpected and the exhib said so. “You know,” the dame said, “I could have you pinched for trying to get me to use my permit wrongly.” The exhib knew and left the girl with her plunder, worth $4.85. Short Throws Peter Herschorn of the Maritimes circuit has been in Toronto for several weeks. He’s getting over a minor operation at St. Michael’s . .. Win Barron did big business on his way from New York after doing his weekly stint for the Paramount Canadian newsreel. Win has a hand radio and turns it on only when something important is on, batteries being hard to get. He tuned in President Roosevelt and folks came rushing from several cars to listen all the way through. He was probably torn between worrying about his batteries and wondering how to get a plug in for Paramount... Charlie Mackie of the Casino is limping around with aid of a cane. Broke his ankle while skiing and has had it in a cast for a couple of weeks .. . Overheard a new superstition the other day. A young colored boy was apologizing to an older member of his race, a lady, for not seeing her as he went by. “That means,” she laughed, “that I will get married again”... A “couple of strangers pulled the old short-change trick on the cashier of the Marks, Oshawa recently. One put down a five dollar bill, pocketed the change for it, then suddenly remembered that he had the right change. He put the change down and picked up his five dollar bill. The other fellow talked to the cashier and confused her. It’s an old trick but you have to be careful just the same ... You Don’t Say! announcement from Paramount: “Paramount has exercised its option on Barry Fitzgerald.” Old Man Ribber Joe Meyers, Odeon booker, by his excessive good nature, attracts gags. And Ken Johnston, manager of the Palace, Galt, is a fellow who knows how to create one that fits. Meyers has been having his front choppers excavated and, substitutes not having arrived, has been moving around with a lone one to support a smile. He looks like a skinny elephant with one tusk. This did not escape the eye of the observant Ken. It was shortly after Ken went back to Galt that Joe received a toothbrush from him in the mail. The brush had one lone bristle on it. I observed the brush sticking out of Joe’s pocket and he told me the story. Bacall The Bacall girl, Lauren, made her Toronto debut at the Imperial by busting the BO wide open. The film is “To Have and Have Not.” A few days before that the Warner office screened the picture for Tom Daley, Imperial manager, I was there. As we emerged from the screening room George Altman of the sales staff, a man given to violent but wellfounded enthusiasms, asked Tom what he thought of it. ‘It’s okay,” said Tom with a dead pan, “if we get the right picture to double bill it with.” George was almost knocked over and searched Tom’s face for a comforting gleam but found none. He looked at me. ‘It would have to be a short supporting picture,” I said, “because you'll need a couple of powerful shorts to give the bill some real strength.” Then we left George, who seemed overcome with despair. Maybe Alf Piggins or Joe Plottel wised George up or maybe it was the opening day’s gross. I caught him the next morning in a hot argument with Jack Bernstein, Joe Bermac and Myer Nackimson, all of RKO. George, who will venture the odd buck with proper inducements, got himself some nice bets about how the picture will draw. They’re Smartening Up Judging by the quality of current British films, Hollywood will have the battle of its life to defend its position in the movie world within the next few years. It is generally agreed that only in one aspect of the film business do the British fall down -— publicity. They haven't learned to trade on the star system yet. But they have realized that and are out to correct it. I learned that from Clair Appel, Odeon’s ad chief, who was in Montreal recently in connection with the taking over of the Superior chain by his company. There he met Wesley Ruggles, the American who will direct production for J. Arthur Rank. Ruggles told Clair that Rank had every intention of providing «as much of the kind of support for his films that the exhibitor is used to getting from Hollywood. And that means publicity of a tried-and-true nature. Ruggles is working on ‘“London Town,” a big scale British musical, and it should mark the beginning of the lavish British musical with international appeal.