Canadian Film Weekly (Feb 13, 1946)

Page 12 Nathanson Quits British Lion (Continued from Page 1) Alexander Korda, who resigned recently as head of MGM in Britain. The Montreal Trust Company, executors of the Nathanson estate, handled the Canadian end of the purchase. British Lion was founded by the late N. L. Nathanson, the late Sam Woolf Smith and: Andrew V. Holt, son of Sir Herbert Holt. Nathanson and Smith subsequently purchased Holt’s interest, with Smith, who entered the industry in Canada, remaining managing director. Since Smith died in October of last year, the future of British Lion has remained uncertain. The company, which produced “In Which We Serve,” had its studio space returned recently by the British government. H. Burford-Judge, chairman of the present board, is also retiring from the company and a new executive roster is being set up. British Lion, hindered in production during the war, concentrated on the distribution of Republic films, for which it holds the Old Country franchise. BBC Television BBC television broadcasting started again last week after a blackout of six years. Canadian FILM WEEKLY Experts Debunk ‘Delinquency’ (Continued from Page 11) man an evening of escape from his troubles, it has earned its right to praise from fair-minded people. Those loudest in their condemnation of the screen all too often know too little about it. They raise their voices in criticism of a vast medium of entertainment because of their objection to one picture, while they close their eyes to the great comfort and enjoyment a dozen other films have spread in their midst.” Other motion picture men pointed out that the Lord Chief Justice of Great Britain, Lord Hewart, dismissed the contention that movies help to make criminals, declaring “If virtue triumphed in actual life as regularly as on the films, this world might be an easier place both to police and to understand.” In 1939, over 5,000 police chiefs of Canada and the United States voted their annual award to James Cagney, who plays so many so-called “tough guy” roles, as the person who had done most to discourage crime in the land. No Basis for Claims Censor Declares O. J. Silverthorne, Ontario censor, in his yearly statement said that the board of censors ‘has attempted during the year to assess the responsibility of the mo Ivan Ackery Wins MGM Award Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s “Certificate of Showmanship” was awarded recently to Ivan Ackery, manager of the Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, BC. He is the first Canadian to win the recognition, recently instituted by MGM for outstanding efforts by theatre managers in their promotion of MGM pictures. The presentation was made at the Vancouver city hall by the mayor. Present at the ceremoney were, left to right: Oharles Ramage, manager of MGM; Ivan Ackery receiving the award from Mayor J. W. Cornett; Maynard S. Joiner, Famous Players district manager, who added his congratulations. tion picture for the mis-conduct of juveniles and adolescents, which is particularly apparent in urban centres of the province. In its effort to reach a conclusion upon this subject, which must engage its attention continually, it was found that while the topic had been of concern to sociallyminded organizations, there existed nothing by way of authoritative fact which might be of assistance to the board. “Also, the board had been advised by compstent authorities that, in the absence of established fact, a proper study to determine the relation of the motion picture to juvenile delinquency would require at least from three to five years’ close application. “After a study of statistics of the Toronto board of education and separate school board, relating to primary and secondary school population, of delinquency reports of the Big Brother Move “ment, and finally of entertain ment offered in different sections of Toronto, the board believes it is on solid ground when it takes the position that the film is never an only factor, and rarely the principal factor, in contributing to juvenile misbehavior. Also, competent authority in the field of social science is unable to determine to what extent the film is responsible for juvenile misconduct.” In their own field, motion picture men point out, they have public service and charitable organizations such as the Variety Tents, a group similar to Rotary and other service clubs, which work to combat the real sources of crime among young people. They see it as significant that one of their own group, Paul Moss, an ex-showman with an interest in motion pictures, when he became license commissioner of New York City was the first to campaign against salacious shows, closing a number of them and refusing licenses to those which attempted to continue. He it was, too, who arranged to have theatres set apart a section of their seating capacity for children, the area supervised by 2 uniformed matron with experience in handling children. Theatre managers are among the most active in every community in those projects which work for civic betterment. Pratt Promoted James Pratt has been named production manager of International Pictures after serving as assistant to John Beck, Jr., general manager, for some time. February 13, 194¢ Indies Meeting Elects Officers (Continued from Page 1) for the 1946 term of office was the election of Frank Rooney, Toronto, as a director, He replaced Lou Davidson. Bruce McCleod, Kitchener, is vice-president; Harry Lester, Toronto, treasurer, and Harry Romberg, Toronto, secretary. Garson Soloway, Toronto, is in charge of public relations. The directors are Max Starkman, Herman Bennett and Frank Rooney, all from Toronto. The association is a branch of the National Council of Independents, the .president of which is Mayor A. J. Mason of Springhill, NS. The National Council has been comparatively inactive since the collapse last year of negotiations for the establishment of regional conciliation boards. It is expected to meet in Toronto or Ottawa in February. Monogram Has 16 Movies Ready Steve Broidy, president of Monogram, announces his company has 16 films completed and in preparation for release. Heading the list is “Suspense,” with Belita, Barry Sullivan, Bonita Granville, Albert Dekker and Eugene Pallette; others are “Joe Palooka, Champ,” with Leon Errol and Elyse Knox; ‘Charlie Chan at Alcatraz,’’ with Sidney Toler; and “Swing Parade of 1946,” featuring Gale Storm, Phil Regan, Connee Boswell, The Three Stooges and the orchestra of Will Osborne and Louis Jordan’s Tympani Five. Mature Returns Victor Mature has received a new term contract from Darryl F. Zanuck and will play opposite Ida Lupino in “The High Window,” the Raymond Chandler thriller, for 20th Century-Fox. Roach Plans 100% Color Program Entire production of the Hal Roach studios in 1946 will be filmed completely in Cinecolor, making this Culver City film maker the only one in the industry devoted entirely to color and producing only comedies. “A few years will see the production of black and white pictures antiquated by color just as sound replaced the old silent films,” Roach declared. “The public will become more color conscious.” Fully three-quarters of a million is being spent on adapting the studio to the technique required for the new all-color program of films. Se we et A ee ee ee aN Pe ake Pe ne ny mere o2 Ot — eevee mT | + wrt pee gts ee ee . Rr coun ee