Canadian Film Weekly (May 30, 1945)

Vol. 10, No. 22 7% VOICE of TORONTO, the CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE MAY 30, 1945 INDUSTRY $2.00 Per Annum J. A. Rank Sizes Up Dominion Discusses Position During Morris Milligan, Veteran, Passes Morris Milligan, identified with the Canadian motion picture industry for many years, passed away in Toronto on May 28 after an illness of several weeks. He had been in poor health for the past few years. At the time of his death he owned and operated the (Continued on Page 5) Warners 45-46 Policy Okayed Warner Brothers sales policy in Canada for 1945-46, governing the distribution of five groups of pictures, has been submitted early and approved by J.R. Croft, administrator of services for the Wartime Prices and Trade Board, who personally exercises movie (Continued on Page 5) First Press Conference “Wherever there is scope for it, there we will go,” J. Arthur Rank, leading British film and theatre personage said in answer to a query about distribution of his films during his first press conference on this continent, held at Said Mr. Ramsaye To Mr. Rank At the press conference with J. Arthur Rank the legendary Terry Ramsaye suggested that the British leader speak louder, since the press folk on the fringes weren’t picking him up. “We are a very shy people, Mr. Ramsaye,” smiled Rank. “You aren’t shy very much, according to American ideas,” cracked Ramsaye, drawing 2 real laugh. Mr. Rank joined in. Ramsaye, the industry’s leading historian, attracted much interest on his own. : Legislative Council Kills Quebee Tax Legislative Council of Quebec has “killed” the six per cent so-called luxury tax, recently passed by the Assembly, which brought wide opposition. The bill was given a sixmonths postponement and will come up again at a later session. Exhibitors, forced to absorb the tax while other businesses passed it on, appealed to the WPTB but were turned down. Position of the WPTB is that a rise in the cost of operation does not in itself justify a price increase. An addition of the tax to the price of admission would be regarded as an increase in the fee, although the WPTB does not take the same view about other businesses which have passed on the tax to the public. As the act reads now the tax, in certain cases, is applied to the (Continued on Page 8) Exhibition Hall An exhibition and concert hall seating 3,000 persons, with a convention hall above it, has been recommended for construction in Montreal by the civic committee. "Vive La Canadienne’ Para Musical Short “Vive La Canadienne,” a story purchased by Paramount from Carolyn Pratt, a young reader in the studio story department, is to be filmed as a Technicolor Musical Featurette. It will be produced by George “Dink” Templeton. EF lame of the Barbary 1 Coast _ gangerously in California’s glory days, Atarring” John Wayne, Ann Dvorak and wT Schildkraut, EMPIRE-UNIVERSAL YILDES : a the Royal York Hotel, Toronto, last week. Several dozen newspapermen and photographers from the daily and trade press gathered to greet the man who had given British films their greatest impetus and he submitted cheerfully to an hour-long mass interview during which he answered a multitude of varied questions cheerfully. Accompanying Mr. Rank during his Canadian visit are Leon (Continued on Page 2) 20th Cty. Club Honors Heads N. A. Taylor and Raoul Auerbach, executive heads of Twentieth Century Theatres, were last week presented with an illuminated scroll, the work of Frank Cavanaugh of the art department, by their employees in connection with the forthcoming 10th anni (Continued on Page 8) Will Build Theatre In Fenelon Falls Captain Gilbert Griffin and Corporal Keith Wilson have purchased a site in Fenelon Falls, Ontario, for post-war erection of a 500-seat theatre. Tenth Anniversary Token ios" ; cae jects Seb ed Getter mt Sourhtslatinrs AAG alee. Shoat Raoul Auerbach, general manager of 20th Century Theatres (left) and Nat Taylor, president (right) are shown being presented with an illuminated scroll by Myer Axler (centre) for the members of Twentieth Century Theatres Club, a head office organization. The scroll, offered Auerbach and Taylor as a surprise at the annual banquet of the club, paid tribute to them now for the forthcoming tenth anniversary of the company. A. thrilling "ahoey of i the men and women — who lived and loved |