Canadian Film Weekly (Jan 2, 1946)

Page 10 Observe Odeon Anniversary (Continued from Page 1) business groups at the Admiral Beatty Hotel, Saint John, NB. In welcoming the guests, Chairman Garson outlined the coming of the Odeon theatres to the Maritimes a year ago and th* progress which had been made in that time. He stressed that the products of the motion picture industry depend on_ the tastes of the public although these pictures have a tremendous influence on the lives of countless numbers of people: ~. Responding, Hon. C. H. Blakeny, minister of education and federal and municipal affairs, declared that vast opportunities in the field of educaticn and culture were presented by the film industry. In a way, he said, “the Province of New Brunswick is itself going into the movie industry” with a program which would take the advantages of the screen to remote rural districts deprived of advantages. During the last year constructive films were exhibited to 400,000 persons in schools and halls in the province, many of whom had never before had the opportunity to see motion pictures. The motion picture possesses a key to the solution for the problems of the world because through this medium races, classeS and creeds might come to an understanding of one another and learn to live a happy existence together, he said. Pat J. Hogan, St. John manager for Paramount, proposed a toast to the censor board, praising its common sense and cooperative attitude, making it one of the best in the Dominion. Replying, F. C. Owens, chairman of the board, said that all theatres in the province had been made absolutely safe from fire hazard, through remodelling where necessary, in accordance with the fire marshall’s instructions. The motion picture industry was a help to the community, he said, and important for the welfare and progress of the public. F. G. Spencer, head of the F. G. Spencer circuit, a Famous Players affiliate, toasted the industry and described its rapid growth in the 50 years of its existence. In reply, Reg Marsh, St. John manager for 20th Century-Fox, sketched the vastness of the industry and its importance during the recent war as a morale-builder and propaganda agent. He mentioned the great number of films shown to service personnel at low cost or free — as great a’ number as those shown in public movie houses during the period. A toast to the press was proposed by Jack Levine. Canadian FILM WEEKLY Present Plaques at Victory Dinner A yend ne ‘ui 1M, vest Canadian thanks to the motion picture industry for its wartime assistance to the Dominion was expressed in these two plaques, presented at a dinner in the movie capital. Canadian Ambassadcr to Washington L. B. Pearson (left) presents them to E. J. Mannix, vice-president of the War Activities Committee and Kenneth Thompson, chairman of the Hollywood Victory Committee. Show On After Fire Put Out A few firm but casual remarks by the manager of the Royal Theatre, Moosejaw, Sask., prevented panic among the patrons recently when fire broke out in the theatre during the performance. The patrons slowly filed out the south end of the theatre while firemen quickly entered by the north doors to extinguish easily a small blaze which had broken cut in the ceiling near the men’s rest rooms. Faulty electrical wiring is believed to have started the fire. The damage was slight and the show continued after the fire was extinguished. Clubs Defeat Move To Bar Moppets A resolution barring children under 14 from attending movies was defeated by two Peterborough, Ontario, organizations recently. Sponsored by the Women’s Auxiliary of St. Luke’s Church, the motion was rejected by the Business and Professional Women’s Club, who suggested theatre managers be approached to present children’s movie fare for weekends, and defeated by the Home and School Council. ; B & F Managers Choose Officers Election of officers to the B&F Managers’ Associations held recently in Toronto saw Leo Bloom, Century, become president; Bill Collins, Belleville, treasurer; Dorothy St. Edwards, York, secretary; Art Magee, Oxford, publicity; C. Ingram, Parliament, director; G. Hall, relief manager, director. Paramount Signs Gilbert Seldes Critic-writer Gilbert Seldes of Columbia Broadcasting Company and Esquire magazine has been signed to write for Paramount. Long associated with the theatre and motion pictures, Seldes is also well known as a radio-television producer, having produced, written or directed well over 1,000 programs for CBS. Responsible for much of the network’s expansion and innovations, Seldes has had an eightyear association with CBS, bringing to the air such outstanding dramatic series as ‘Americans All” which won the radio Oscar in 1937. He edited and wrote the narration for the seven-reel film “This is America,” and authored several books, among them “The Movies and the Talkies,” “The Movies Came to America,” and “The Seven Lively Arts,” January 2, 1946 Claim Two Firms Delaying Tele Commercial development of an important technical advance in television was being deliberately retarded by an arrangement hetween two major companies which divided the world into two non-competitive areas, it was charged by the USA Department of Justice in Federal Court, New York. Scophony inventions, it was alIoged, involved the use of an outside source cf light similar to that used in projection of motion pictures, which makes it pessible to enlarge the image greatly beyond that now in use. The progress of this towards public use “has been postponed and has been unnecessarily delayed,” said Joseph Borkin, Department of Justice lawyer. The companies charged were British and American. One, Television Productions, Inc., is owned wholly by Paramount, stated the complaint, and, at that company’s direction, had made no effort to develop or exploit the use of its products as part of the “conspiracy” against competition and for monopoly. This failure to act showed that it was being operated “at the direction, for the benefit and on behalf of its parent company, Paramount.” General Precision Equipment Corporation, which, with Television Productions, is described as conspiring for ‘‘complete control over the promotion, utilization or suppression” of Scophony inventions in the Western Hemisphere, “controls Scophony in the USA and is the largest single stockholder in Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation.” The complete list of defendants named are: Paramount; Television Productions Inc., and its president, Paul Raibourne; General Precision Equipment Corporation and its president, Earle G. Hines; Scophony Corporation of America and its president, Arthur Levey, and Scophony Ltd., a British concern which took out the basic patents in 1937 and 1939. Levey said in a statement that he had “the greatest respect” for the attorney-general’s judgment and welcomed “his action to clarify the issue.” CAPAC Awards Winners of five $100 awards for serious musical compositions awarded by CAPAC are Jean Coulthard Adams, Vancouver; Minuetta Borek, Calgary; Alexander Brott, Montreal; F. L. Harrison, Kingston; Oskar Morawetz, Toronto. Sir Ernest MacMillan was chairman of the board of judges.