Canadian Film Weekly (Oct 2, 1946)

| : | Page 8 Canadian FILM WEEKLY October 2, ——_ Audio To Build Studio Ard Lab (Continued from Page 1) return of Audio to the production of educational and industrial films under the direction of Hans Tiesler. Audio suspended production early in the war and released its personnel to the army and the National Film Board. Tiesler served during the war as a captain in the U.S. Army Transport Service. A technical and sales staff will be recruited by him. Audio and Film Lab are at present located on the top floor of a building on Adelaide Street West, Toronto, where they have been since their establishment in ' the Dominion 15 years ago by Arthur Gottlieb, who has business associations with Du-Art Laboratories of the USA. Consulting engineers are Ewart, Armer and Bryam, Excelsior Life Building, Toronto, and the general contractors are Milne and Nicholls, Limited, 57 Bloor Street West, Toronto. It was originally intended that the studio and laboratory should be rrected on Jennings Avenue, Vest Toronto, next to the Rav aa skating rink, but objections £ residents caused a change in favor of the present location. The studio will be an important addition to the expanding Canadian production scene. In the same area at present are Shelly Films, formerly of Vancouver, and J. Arthur Rank’s Queensway Studios. In the next few years Ontario will have a new and great industry, that of CONTRACT SALES OFFICE Provincial film production. The National Film Board, which grew quickly during the war, had declined little in output since the end of hostilities and the comparatively small amount of criticism and questioning directed at it during the last session of the House of Commons indicates that even the opposition has come to accept its value to the country. In Ottawa also is the studio of Crawley Films, headed by F. R. Crawley, which has 27 non-theatrical shorts in production at this writing. Quebec and Ontario will be competing with each other in the next few years for the leadership in Canadian motion picture production, although the French-Canadian province is ahead in the making of theatrical films. At present Associated Screen News, which has been producing films under Ben Norrish for a quarter of a century, is the most active company in Quebec and there is talk that it will soon resume shooting of its Canadian Cameo series for theatres. In the old naval barracks at Ste. Hyacinthe, Quebec, near Montreal, a bilingual film, “The Stronghold,” is being produced on a Hollywood scale by Quebec Productions Corporation. Representing a $600,000 investment by Paul L’Anglais and associates, it features and:stars such famed players as Paul Lukas, Helmut Dantine, Paul Dupuis and Mary Anderson. Plans for the third largest studio in the British Empire were made public recently by J. A. DeSeve of Renaissance Films Distribution, Inc., former Canadian representative of Compagnie France Film, and a large shareholder in that company. DeSeve resigned last year as general manager of FranceFilm, leading Quebec theatre circuit, but is said to also retain his interest in that company. Location of the studio will be Montreal. DeSeve is president; Mayor Paul Pratt of Longueuil, vicepresident; and Leo Choquette, well-known Quebec theatre circuit owner, is treasurer. Present capitalization of the company is $500,000, with stock held by shareholders in Canada, United States and France, A public offering of $2 millions will be made next year. It is the intention of the DeSeve company to make films with Canadian character. He is said to have invested $200,000 in the production of the Frenchlanguage film, ‘Pere Chopin,” which was produced by Charles Philips. Reception of that film by the Quebec public prompted DeSeve to go further. The present studio is.a former badminton club. Several studios have. been promised for British Columbia, long the scene of location shooting by companies from Hollywood, which is but a few hundred miles distant. A recent report from London stated that the British National Film Company, Canadian franchise for which was recently obtained by H. J. Allen and N. A. Taylor of Toronto, was negotiating for the buildings of the former Boeing plant near Vancouver for the establishment of a studio. Others have announced plans for studios in the Pacific Coast province in the last few years. Many years ago Paramount planned a studio there, then dropped the idea. Since Adolph Zukor, chairman of the Paramount board of directors, stated in Toronto last year that his company would produce some films in the Dominion, many have wondered when and where. Canada has become the scene of native and USA feature production, with the facilities of the present studios, such as Associated Screen News and Queensway, contracted for. Recently Dominion Productions, a new company, brought Rochelle Hudson to Ontario for the shooting of the $100,000 ‘Bush Pilot.” Cinema (Canada) Pictures, 2 Toronto concern, recently completed a short, “Farewell Britain,’ which was release through Eagle-Lion. ; Twentieth Century-Fox just completed Quebec location work on ‘13 Rue Madeleine” and several winters ago did much shooting there on: the Sonja Henie feature, ‘‘Winter Time.” The Samuel Goldwyn company for the shooting of the Canadian novel, “Earth and High Heaven,” is in Quebec now. A Paramount company which included Bing Crosby spent several months in Jasper on “The Emperor Waltz.” Location work has been carried on in British Columbia by MGM and Columbia. So important have Canadian theatrical and _ non-theatrical production become that the Film Producers Association of Canada was organized with Frank O’Byrne of Queensway Studios as its president, Leon Shelly of Shelly Films as_ vice-president F. R. Crawley of Crawley Films as treasurer, and Hans Tiesler of Audio Films as organizational chairman. From here it would seem that when equipment is available and plans become a reality the dream of Canadian production on a large scale will be well on the way to realization. Sperling Heads USP Milton Sperling, who with Joseph Bernhard last year formed United States Pictures, Incorporated, has acquired Bernhard’s interests in the company and has taken over the position of president. Formerly he was a vice-president and executive producer in the organization that releases through Warners. »_—> Scenes at the Annual Outing of 20th Century-Fox Family Club The Twentieth Century-Fox Family Club had quite a laugh rodeo at Charlie Mavety’s Circle M Ranch and their romping was captured by the camera of Len Bishop, one of the guests. In the first row across, first picture, are Mary Kirkwood, who was the district manager’s secretary years ago and is now Mrs. Jimmy Powis. With her is Vera Armstrong, who was secretary to Harry Bailey in other days. Outlined are the host, Charlie Mavety, and Uncle Sydney Samson, Fox Canadian chief. Third picture, left to right, shows Agnes Byford, treasurer; Jimmy Powis, president; and Emily Barrett, secretary. They played a great part in making the highly successful arrangements. Samson surrounded by a bevy of his own beauties. Front row— Agnes Byford, Emily Barrett, Samson, Lil Brock, Rose DiGioia and Henri Davidson. Back row— June Armstrong, Josie DiGioia, Joanne Hisey and Doris Lavender. Second row, first picture— Wheelbarrow race winners are Rose DiGioia and Oharley Lynch; June Armstrong and guest; Doris Lavender and Bill Turrell. Second picture — Jimmy Powis, Sydney Samson and Harry Bailey. Third row, first picture—the entire Family Club. Second picture—visitors, who are members wives, husbands and escorts.